The First Church of Christ in Hartford, known
as Center Church, was founded in 1632 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It
called Thomas Hooker to be its first pastor. The Hooker party traveled
on Indian trails from Cambridge to the Connecticut River valley and settled
Hartford in 1636. Four meeting houses have served its ministry in Hartford.
The first two were located where the Old State House stands today. The first,
built in 1636, was a small log structure and was given to Mr. Hooker to be
his barn when the second was built in 1641. In 1740, the third meeting
house was built on the present site of the current meeting house.
The fourth and present Meeting House was completed
in 1807 at a cost of $32,000. The pulpit recess and barrel-vault ceiling were
added in 1853. Originally filled with clear glass windows, stained glass
windows were given as memorials between 1881 and 1903. The first organ,
purchased in 1822, was replaced with new instruments in 1835 (case and facade
pipes remain), 1883, and 1907. The present organ, built in 1954 by Hartford's
own Austin Organs, Inc., was renovated in 2004. The tower bell, first
cast in England in 1633, continues to ring today.
Center Church has many sister and daughter churches in the Hartford
area. These include First Church, Farmington (1652), South Church, Hartford
(1670), First Church, East Hartford (1702), First Church, West Hartford (1713),
and Asylum Hill Congregational Church (1865)
Center Church's contributions to Hartford's religious, cultural,
and community life are illustrated by:
CENTER CHURCH TODAY
Center Church is a progressive, diverse
congregation within the United Church of Christ. The banners hanging
by the entrance to the Meeting House proclaim "Our Church is 375
years old; our thinking is not."
Since its founding members and first
minister, Thomas Hooker, established the city in 1636, there has
always been a "Center Church" on Hartford's Main Street.
As part of its continuing commitment to the city and region, Center
Church provides for the immediate needs of the urban population through
the work of Center City Churches, a consortium of Hartford faith
communities that, for 35 years, has aided city residents with needs
for food and shelter and in areas of counseling and tutoring. Center
Church's history of offering visions for societal and governmental
structures continues through its membership in the Greater Hartford
Coalition For Equity and Justice, a collection of more than 40 religious
institutions that seeks to bring about equitable societal change
through legislative initiatives.
Diversity defines the membership of
Center Church. Our "open and affirming" statement of 1994 states,
"We open our doors and ministry to all, believing that each of us
is a unique creation of God blessed with special talents and gifts."
Our buildings have been and continue to be available to religious
and community groups. Just as the first Roman Catholic Mass in Hartford
was celebrated in Center Church in 1813, so, now does a Spanish-speaking
congregation of the Disciples of Christ meet in the chapel of the
Church House.
Worship, concerts and large public events, such as First Night, take
place in the Meeting House, which is located at the corner of Main
and Gold streets. Educational, youth, and fellowship programs are held
in the Church House, which is located at 60 Gold Street (at the corner
of Lewis Street). In addition, church offices are located in this building.
Worship at Center Church reflects our
study of, reverence for, and curiosity about the Bible and other
ways in which God is still speaking. It includes rich and varied
music, prayers for individual and corporate needs, and sermons that
continue to show us that, as John Robinson imparted to those who
sailed on The Mayflower, "the Lord hath yet more light and truth
to break forth from his Word!"
