“Union of what?” I asked.  

The answer didn’t spring to mind, and neither could we say when the Union Congregational Church of Windsor became Windsor United Church of Christ–how and why the church decided to join the UCC, how it managed such a momentous decision.  

The next day, Susan Norby sent some photos of a church directory with a black-and-white picture of the inside of the “blue church,” which is now our Narthex.  We enter and exit to and from our current sanctuary by way of its still-standing brick wall.  

Along with the photo of the blue church was this brief history:

In 1845, a group of settlers started holding services with a Congregational minister as their leader.  In 1847, the first church was organized and had a Baptist affiliation.  In 1851, the Congregational Church of Windsor was formed.  In 1858, people of the Baptist, Methodist and Congregational faiths united and formed the Union Congregational Church of Windsor.

The first church building was erected in 1862 and some 40 years later was moved to its present site.  In 1956, the present parsonage was built; and in 1967, the present church was built and the old church was remodeled for use in church related activities.

Our church has grown from a small group of seven people who met in a one-room schoolhouse to a congregation of 300 active members who worship and work in a modern well-kept facility.

This history is telling.  The churches united in 1858 were not of different faiths but denominations of the same Christian faith.  And then there is the question of what species of Baptist were part of the union, Baptists being as diverse as Lutherans.  It would be good to know more.  

From Congregational United Church of Christ, to Windsor Union Congregational Church, to Windsor United Church of Christ in 1991, this brief history reveals that the spirit of uniting diverse people from different worshiping communities is in the DNA of our congregation.

God bless you and Windsor UCC.

Peace,

Pr. Craig