Church History

In 1860, the Five Mile River Baptist Church opened for public worship, and so the roots of The United Church of Rowayton were established. In June, 1945, The Rev. Donald Emig became the minister of the Methodist Church. In 1948, the Baptists and Methodists merged, and in 1951, they formed The United Church of Rowayton. It became a member of the United Church of Christ in 1957. In 1955, the Meeting House was built, followed by the House of Worship in 1962 and the Parsonage in 1964.

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In 1985, The Rev. Donald Emig retired, and in 1986, The Rev. John Livingston was called to be our Pastor. In 1997, the land across the street was purchased and named Emig Park. In 2011, all 145 members present at the Annual Meeting – without any discussion – voted to become an Open and Affirming Church.  John Livingston’s 30th anniversary as our Pastor was celebrated on October 16, 2016.

John Livingston gave his final service on June 5, 2022.  After a period of thoughtful deliberation and search, we unanimously called Sal Sapienza to be our third pastor.  He joined us on January 1, 2024.

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photo gallery