An Active Community of Faith
The First Congregational Church of Verona was founded in 1896 and has sought to bring the love of God to Verona and the surrounding communities since that time. We believe that everyone is welcome in God’s eyes, and we seek to welcome and include everyone in our fellowship. In 2014, we became an Open and Affirming Congregation, welcoming all persons of every race, culture, age, gender, socio-economic status, physical or mental ability, marital status, faith, sexual orientation, and gender identity and expression. We practice open communion. We believe that whoever you are, or where ever you are in life’s journey, you’re welcome here.
In 1966, we started the first nursery school in Verona, and the church still houses a nursery school, Serenity Montessori, which is separately owned.
Our congregation’s reach goes beyond the community, however. We regularly hold food collections as well as collections for Church World Service disaster and other kits. Several years ago, we helped a Liberian seeking asylum be reunited with his family. We are a founding member of Bridge of Faith, a project that aids schools, orphanages, and other social service groups in Awka, Nigeria, and collect goods and hold African craft sales to raise funds.
The First Congregational Church of Verona is a member congregation of the United Church of Christ. We participate actively in New Jersey Association, Central Atlantic Conference and national events and programs.
From its start, the congregation has been community-minded. In 1920, the Troop 2 Boy Scouts of America charter was issued with church sponsorship. That same troop is going strong today.
We care for the environment, as well. Bridge of Faith is a frequent vendor of items made from recycled materials at Green events, such as the Wild Earth Festival, Sustainably Green, and other environmental fairs, selling crafts made from recycled materials and educating the public about all the attractive and useful items that can be made from things people discard.
We believe that the church of the future will not necessarily look like the church as we have known it. And so currently we are experimenting with being 'church' in two ways. Every Sunday at 10, we offer worship on Zoom with a variety of preachers, geared for those who find it difficult to get to church on a Sunday morning. We have hired an Outreach Pastor who is developing programs for people who describe themselves as spiritual but not religious, through Soul-teria, a biweekly series of podcasts exploring different perspectives on spiritual topics, and a biweekly Zoom group to discuss those topics.
Be sure to check out more about our partners in ministry by visiting their page.
FIRST
CONGREGATONAL
CHURCH OF VERONA