A Stone Church Where Southport Began

Southport Congregational Church has stood on Pequot Avenue since 1843, on the very plot of land where Enoch Griswold, the village's first settler, built his original cabin. Twenty-three men from Southport erected the first wooden meeting house on the site, and within thirty-two years the congregation had outgrown it and replaced it with the stone church that still anchors the village today. The present sanctuary was dedicated in 1876 and remains the architectural and spiritual center of Southport, a place where thirteen Senior Ministers have now served and where Sunday morning worship has continued, in one form or another, for nearly two hundred years.

The church counts itself as part of the United Church of Christ. It joined what would become the UCC through the 1948 National Merger with the Evangelical Reformed Church. Its history stretches back further still: the First Congregational Society of Southport was formed in 1834, the present site was purchased in 1835, a wooden meeting house went up in 1842, and the church was officially organized and dedicated on this ground in 1843. The 1843 Society, the congregation's planned-giving circle, takes its name from that founding year.

Worship at Ten on Sunday

Community worship is held every Sunday at 10 a.m. in the sanctuary, and every service is livestreamed on YouTube for those who cannot be in the pews. The Sunday gathering combines a Children's Sermon with a full adult sermon that the church describes as rooted in the Word: "the Word written, the Bible, and the Word made flesh, Jesus." Communion is celebrated on the first Sunday of every month on an Open Table: "all Christians who are seeking to know and understand the presence of Christ, are welcome at the Table," regardless of age, background or church tradition.

Children are part of the gathering from the start. They join the opening parts of the service with their parents, including the Call to Worship, the opening hymn, the Prayer of Invocation, the Lord's Prayer and the Children's Sermon. After the Children's Sermon, younger children are dismissed to their own Chapel and middle schoolers head to the Youth Room. Childcare is offered in the lower-level Nursery from 9:45 to 11:30 a.m. for infants and toddlers up to age three, and the Narthex is equipped with speakers and comfortable chairs so parents can listen to the sermon if they step out with a fussy child.

Fellowship Hour follows the service in Fellowship Hall, just outside the sanctuary. Coffee, snacks and casual conversation fill the space, and for many at Southport Congregational Church this time after worship feels like an extension of the liturgy itself. Anyone interested in hosting a future Fellowship Hour is paired with a member of the Fellowship Team and provided the church's kitchen facilities, paper products, coffee pots, filters and ground coffee; hosts are free to bring homemade or store-bought treats.

Mark Waterstone and the Pastoral Team

Rev. Dr. Mark A. Waterstone became the church's thirteenth Senior Minister in 2025, succeeding Rev. Paul D. Whitmore, who had served the congregation since 1994 and is the longest-tenured pastor in the parish's history. Waterstone's ministry is shaped by his prior work as a resident chaplain at Cincinnati Children's Hospital and by his love of teaching. Two seminarians assist him: Julie Beck, and Matthew Ceurvorst, the latter a student at Harvard Divinity School. Both preach regularly on Sunday mornings. A third seminarian, Dave Stuart, was ordained into the Ministry of the United Church of Christ in 2025.

Dr. Slavina Zhelezova directs the Music Ministry. Alix Morrow is the Director of Christian Education. Laura Amicucci leads the on-site preschool. Three choir directors round out the music team: Marnie Kruse leads the Cherub Choir, Phillip Bettencourt directs the Junior and Teen Choirs, and Elaine deGrood leads both the Senior Choir and the Handbell Choir. The parish's pastoral leadership also includes the Board of Deacons, which sponsors the Confirmation program and acts as mentors to each Confirmand.

A Sanctuary Full of Song

Music carries worship at Southport Congregational Church. The Senior Choir sings most Sundays from early September through late May and is supplemented by three children's choirs and a Handbell Choir that performs five or six times a year. "From the traditional to the modern, from classical to folk, the music that can be heard in our church is as varied as its congregation." Violins, basses, trumpets and timpani regularly join the choirs, and Sundays such as Music Appreciation Sunday, Christmas Cantata Sunday and the Lenten Cantata give the choirs a chance to lead the entire service. The annual "African American Celebration of Christmas" cantata, presented by the Senior Choir, has become one of the highlights of the Advent season.

The Cherub Choir, for children ages four through Grade 2, rehearses at 9:00 a.m. in the Chapel for fifty minutes each Sunday and sings in worship about once a month. The Junior Choir, for Grades 3 through 6, rehearses from 9:00 to 9:50 a.m. in Room 6 and sings monthly and on major religious holidays. The Teen Choir, for Grades 7 through 12, rehearses after worship in Room 6 and sings about every six weeks. The Handbell Choir is open to anyone of any age, and no previous experience with handbells is required. Anyone interested in joining a choir is welcomed; the only requirement is to contact the director.

Growing Up at SCC

The Children's Religious Education program gathers children in age-appropriate groups every Sunday during worship. Fun Friends, for children ages three and four, meets in Room 5 after the Children's Sermon for a play-based lesson and fellowship time. Children in Kindergarten through Grade 5 attend Children's Chapel together, where they hear a Bible story, discuss how it applies to their lives and finish with a hands-on activity. The church holds an intentional commitment to inter-generational experience: "when our numbers allow, we gather in our Church Chapel as one group to share in a Bible Story, a discussion on how that story is relevant to our lives, and follow up with a hands-on activity that drives the point home." High School Shepherds serve as leaders and role models for the younger children in the program.

Sixth through eighth graders go directly to the Youth Room for a discussion-based curriculum led by Mrs. Lauren Jimeson. The youth choose topics of interest and explore how scripture and faith apply to the trickier waters of middle school life.

Confirmation is offered to ninth graders, with classes meeting on Tuesday evenings from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The Board of Deacons sponsors the program and each Deacon serves as a mentor to a Confirmand. The class includes two retreats at the church, attendance at the Annual Meeting and the Sunrise Service at Sasco Beach on Easter morning. The year culminates on Confirmation Sunday in May, when each Confirmand shares a faith statement with the congregation.

Two youth groups round out the program. The Middle School Youth Group gathers regularly for fellowship and study. The High School Youth Group, open to ninth through twelfth graders, meets most weeks from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. in the Youth Room and is built on what the church calls "the four marks of the Church: education, mission, fellowship and worship." High schoolers serve as Junior Deacons and Church School Shepherds, repair roofs and cook meals, and travel on an annual mission trip that the program calls the highlight of the year.

Children are also active in giving. On Welcome Home Sunday in September every child receives their own offering envelopes, and the donations collected each Sunday in Children's Chapel go to charities the Church School selects in September and May.

Adult Education and Conversation

The Christian faith at Southport Congregational Church is described as "a living faith, evolving with humanity as we grow in new knowledge and experiences." Two long-standing weekly groups embody that conviction.

The Thursday Men's Discussion Group meets Thursday mornings to explore "the connection between our faith and our life through the Bible, current events, spirituality and new psychological ideas." All men are welcome. Email pwhitmore@southportucc.org to be added to the weekly topic email blast.

The Thursday Women's Discussion Group gathers at 11:30 a.m. in the Youth Room under the leadership of Rev. Laura Whitmore. Topics vary but are always grounded in spirituality and "designed to equip you for life." The group is open to women from the church and the wider community.

After Sunday worship, "2nd Hours" run from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and cover a rotating roster of topics. Recent sessions have included a Confirmation Parent's Informational Meeting, a gathering with representatives from the church's nineteen mission partners, a historic tour of Southport Village and the Pequot War with historian David Naumac, an examined-life series, prayer and prayer-partner meetings, and a pie fundraiser for refugee teens paired with a Thanksgiving food-basket assembly.

Bible Study offerings are scheduled throughout the year for both seasoned readers and those newer to the text, exploring ancient texts as well as participants' own beliefs.

The Two Sacraments

Southport Congregational Church celebrates the two sacraments that the Protestant Reformers identified in Scripture: Communion and Baptism.

Communion is observed on the first Sunday of every month as "a joyous act of thanksgiving for all God has done, is doing and will do for us" and as "a sacred remembrance of the sacrifice of the crucified and risen Christ." The Church Council has adopted as policy that "the elements shall be offered to all in attendance, since some may choose to receive Communion and others may not," leaving the decision between a parent and a child. Open Table means "no matter who you are or where you are from or what age you are, all Christians who are seeking to know and understand the presence of Christ, are welcome at the Table."

Baptism is described as "an outward and visible sign of the grace of God" through which a person is joined with the universal church, the body of Christ. "In baptism, God works in us the power of forgiveness, the renewal of the spirit, and the knowledge of the call to be God's people always." Infants, children, youth and adults are all welcome to be baptized. "We recognize all baptisms, performed by all faiths, as valid and celebrated."

The Carousel and Rooms with a View

Two long-running fundraisers are woven into the life of the church and together cover a large share of the annual budget.

The Carousel Thrift Shop, created in 1984, is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., with donation hours Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon. The shop's motto is "Reduce, Reuse, Reimagine!" and it welcomes high-quality, gently-used clothing (especially brand-name women's items), handbags, shoes, jewelry, small working kitchen appliances, quality home decor, clean linens, and unused stationery. Furniture can be arranged by calling the shop at (203) 259-6629 or emailing carousel@southportucc.org.

Rooms with a View, created in 1995, is an interior design show that the church calls its major fundraiser. Held every other year, the show celebrated its thirtieth anniversary in 2025 and brings together designers, vendors and shoppers from across Fairfield County. Together with the Carousel, the SCC Preschool and proceeds from facility rentals, Rooms with a View helps fund more than forty-five percent of the church's total annual budget.

SCC Preschool

SCC Preschool shares the campus of the church and is led by Preschool Director Laura Amicucci. The preschool offers an online payment portal, and is one of the cornerstones of the church's mission to families in Southport and the surrounding towns. It is also one of the revenue sources that, together with the Carousel, Rooms with a View and facility rentals, fund nearly half of the church's annual budget of approximately $1,320,000.

Missions Near and Far

Southport Congregational Church partners with nineteen local and global mission organizations. In the Bridgeport area these include Adam J. Lewis Academy, which provides an enriching elementary experience for underserved children; Borroughs Community Center, which promotes individual growth and community cohesiveness; Bridgeport Rescue Mission, which serves hungry, homeless and addicted people across Fairfield County 24 hours a day, 365 days a year; the Center for Family Justice (originally the Young Women's Christian Association), which addresses domestic abuse and sexual assault; the Connecticut Institute for Refugees and Immigrants, which helps refugees and immigrants resolve legal, economic, linguistic and social barriers; Emerge, a shelter for abused women and children; Hang Time/Her Time, which offers mental-health treatment and social-service navigation to specific ex-offenders and group or gang members diagnosed with post-traumatic stress; Homes For The Brave, which provides safe housing, vocational training and life-skills coaching, especially for Veterans; Horizons, a summer enrichment program for children of low-income families from lower Fairfield County run through Greens Farms Academy and Sacred Heart University; Mercy Learning Center, which provides basic literacy and life-skills training to low-income women; Operation Hope Pantry, which serves people who are hungry, homeless or at risk; Pivot Ministries, which treats drug and alcohol addiction as a spiritual problem; Shepherds Mentor Program, which prepares inner-city teens for college; The Southport School, which helps children overcome learning problems; and St. George's Community Supper, which offers hot meals every Monday night in Bridgeport and is served by SCC volunteers on the fifth Monday of every month.

Farther afield, the church supports Simply Smiles, which serves impoverished children in Mexico and the American West, and Red Shirt Table on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota. The Red Shirt Table program runs a one-week summer camp that supports the children's education in reading, math, science, art and physical education while modeling the value of staying in school. The Collin Comey Angel Red Cloud School Scholarship Fund and the Jake Panus Walk On Scholarship carry on the work by providing post-secondary education assistance to Red Shirt Table students. Jake Panus was a longtime SCC youth group member who died in an automobile accident in August 2020.

The Bed Funds program, established at Bridgeport Hospital, provides two distinct funds for the benefit of church members who need a place to rest during hospitalization.

Becoming a Member

Members are formally received into the church family twice a year. Newcomers are invited to a New Member's Lunch where they meet others new to SCC and hear the stories of current members. Members "make promises to God and to each other: to support and serve one another, to love and live for God, to work for the welfare of the church and the community." The church encourages newcomers to "participate in the full life of the congregation before becoming an official member." Childcare is available at the lunch with advance notice.

Visiting Southport Congregational Church

The church is located at 524 Pequot Avenue in the historic Southport Village, easily reached from the Post Road and by Metro North, which stops in the church's backyard. Two parking lots (one across the street from the front of the church and one behind it) serve Sunday worship, with additional overflow parking on Station Street when needed.

Everyone is welcome, "young, old, married, single, struggling, thriving, gay, straight, people with any religious background, including Roman Catholic, doubting, trusting, families with young children, those of long life." Dress ranges from suits to blue jeans; the church asks only for "modest and respectful attire." The Narthex is equipped with speakers and comfortable chairs for parents who need to step out with their children.

The church office is open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., reachable at (203) 255-1594 and office@southportucc.org. The mailing address is PO Box 366, Southport, CT 06890. Newcomers and visitors are invited to a Welcome Sunday each September and to the many fellowship, education and mission programs that fill the parish calendar year-round.