The United Churches of Durham was once two buildings made up of two different groups of people that came together believing they would be a more powerful impact as one church, united together. The First Church of Christ was established in 1708 and the first minister was Rev. Nathaniel Chauncey (1681-1756). The Rev. Chauncey held the distinction of being the first graduate of Yale College. His grave is still found in the Old Durham Cemetery and there are still people of Durham who can trace their genealogy to Rev. Chauncey. Our beautiful meeting room in the Fairchild House is called "the Chauncey room" in his honor.
The Methodist Episcopal Church of Durham was established 143 years later, in 1851 and still stands next to the current Post Office, across from the town Green. Legend has it that one congregation was secure in funds and one was secure in membership yet both churches discerned God was calling them to be bold in their faith. They let the Holy Spirit lead them and took a leap together. In 1941, the members from the Methodist Episcopal Church of Durham began worshipping at our current home, First Church of Christ, and called themselves The United Churches of Durham. In uniting these two churches into one faith family, we live into the words of Paul to the early church in Corinth, "Now I encourage you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ: Agree with each other and don’t be divided into rival groups. Instead, be restored with the same mind and the same purpose." (1 Corinthians 1:10). We have been together with same mind and same purpose for almost 80 years. We stand on a legacy of 312 years of faithful worship in Durham and we are pretty proud of that.
At first, the united congregation alternated worshipping together at First Church and the Methodist Episcopal Church. Eventually, they decided to settle in one sanctuary and sold the Methodist Episcopal church. The united community began to worship solely in the First Church sanctuary we now call home, at the corner of Main Street and Route 68, now known as United Churches of Durham. Eventually, we built the current Fellowship Hall and acquired the corner historic home, The Fairchild House. The Fairchild House was once a family home, a local gathering place, a nursery school, and finally refurbished into our current church offices, Sunday School, and a home for the impressive Coginchaug High School Oceanography Team.
Our united church remains in covenant with both the United Church of Christ (UCC) and United Methodist Church (UMC). Over time, our church has become comprised of a majority of UCC members and functions in many ways as a local Community Church, following many customs of New England congregational churches. We take congregational votes for major decisions and elect members to committees to make the day to day decisions. Our links to Methodism still thrive in our UMC members and our love of connection, community, and justice-seeking. We also are fond of the great Christian rituals of potluck, food, and fellowship which cross all denominational ties.
Both the UCC and UMC traditions are part of where we have been and who we are today. We are in ministry with both the New Haven East Consociation UCC churches and the Meriden Cooperative Parish UMC churches. We participate in ministry across both denominations and consult with our Methodist Bishop, Rev. Thomas Bickerton, our District Superintendent, Rev. Alpher Sylvester, and the UCC Southern New England Conference Minister, Rev. Michael Ciba. We like to think of it as twice the ministry opportunities with twice the resources. We are unique and we are proud of it.
You will find United Churches members have diverse Christian experiences. Some families have been in our pews for generations. Many come from other traditions and others are brand new to church. People say our church feels like one big family. We are low on perfection and high on participation. Our community has a wide variety of beliefs and traditions that are held together by our common values:
We believe Christ is our Lord and Savior.
We are called to show Christ's love; to welcome, forgive and love others as He has loved and accepted us.
We serve one another, our community, and beyond.
We make mistakes. We need God's grace and forgiveness. We believe in second chances (and thirds and fourths...)
There is welcome and space for everyone in our congregation.
The Methodist Episcopal Church of Durham was established 143 years later, in 1851 and still stands next to the current Post Office, across from the town Green. Legend has it that one congregation was secure in funds and one was secure in membership yet both churches discerned God was calling them to be bold in their faith. They let the Holy Spirit lead them and took a leap together. In 1941, the members from the Methodist Episcopal Church of Durham began worshipping at our current home, First Church of Christ, and called themselves The United Churches of Durham. In uniting these two churches into one faith family, we live into the words of Paul to the early church in Corinth, "Now I encourage you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ: Agree with each other and don’t be divided into rival groups. Instead, be restored with the same mind and the same purpose." (1 Corinthians 1:10). We have been together with same mind and same purpose for almost 80 years. We stand on a legacy of 312 years of faithful worship in Durham and we are pretty proud of that.
At first, the united congregation alternated worshipping together at First Church and the Methodist Episcopal Church. Eventually, they decided to settle in one sanctuary and sold the Methodist Episcopal church. The united community began to worship solely in the First Church sanctuary we now call home, at the corner of Main Street and Route 68, now known as United Churches of Durham. Eventually, we built the current Fellowship Hall and acquired the corner historic home, The Fairchild House. The Fairchild House was once a family home, a local gathering place, a nursery school, and finally refurbished into our current church offices, Sunday School, and a home for the impressive Coginchaug High School Oceanography Team.
Our united church remains in covenant with both the United Church of Christ (UCC) and United Methodist Church (UMC). Over time, our church has become comprised of a majority of UCC members and functions in many ways as a local Community Church, following many customs of New England congregational churches. We take congregational votes for major decisions and elect members to committees to make the day to day decisions. Our links to Methodism still thrive in our UMC members and our love of connection, community, and justice-seeking. We also are fond of the great Christian rituals of potluck, food, and fellowship which cross all denominational ties.
Both the UCC and UMC traditions are part of where we have been and who we are today. We are in ministry with both the New Haven East Consociation UCC churches and the Meriden Cooperative Parish UMC churches. We participate in ministry across both denominations and consult with our Methodist Bishop, Rev. Thomas Bickerton, our District Superintendent, Rev. Alpher Sylvester, and the UCC Southern New England Conference Minister, Rev. Michael Ciba. We like to think of it as twice the ministry opportunities with twice the resources. We are unique and we are proud of it.
You will find United Churches members have diverse Christian experiences. Some families have been in our pews for generations. Many come from other traditions and others are brand new to church. People say our church feels like one big family. We are low on perfection and high on participation. Our community has a wide variety of beliefs and traditions that are held together by our common values:
We believe Christ is our Lord and Savior.
We are called to show Christ's love; to welcome, forgive and love others as He has loved and accepted us.
We serve one another, our community, and beyond.
We make mistakes. We need God's grace and forgiveness. We believe in second chances (and thirds and fourths...)
There is welcome and space for everyone in our congregation.