Q. Do most of your members come from Rowayton? A. No, more members actually come from the non-Rowayton part of Norwalk. People from neighboring towns also come here.
Q. Are you a “healthy” church?
A. There are many ways to measure the health of a church.
• Pastor Sal is only our third pastor in 75 years. That’s an extraordinary record!
• We have a high level of volunteerism.
• We are financially sound. In the past few year, we’ve replaced our roof, refreshed the parsonage, installed a new boiler and hot water heater, and put in new air conditioning for our nursery school. These projects cost more than $750,000, and they were paid for in full and on time.
• Our total church attendance is the highest it’s been in three years. Clearly, we are recovering from COVID.
Q. Is the United Church Nursery School part of the church?
A. The Nursery School is its own organization, but it is covered under the church’s 501(c)(3) non-profit exemption.
Q. Do you have to be a member of the church to attend services?
A. Absolutely not.
Q. Do you take attendance at church services?
A. We count the total number of people present, but we don’t record attendance by name.
Q. I love to sing. Would I have to audition to join the choir?
A. No, we love singers! Just talk with Ellen Dickinson, our music director, and come to a Sunday morning rehearsal.
Q. What does it mean to be a member of the church?
When you come to visit, you will not be asked to join the church. You will not be asked to volunteer. There is no pressure.
When you feel this is the right church for you, talk with Pastor Sal. He will invite you to come to a New Members class, where he’ll explain the history of our denomination and the rights and responsibilities of a member.
Q. Is church just a place where I worship?
This is probably the best answer:
“The Church is the Church not when its bills are paid. The Church is the Church not when its pews are full. Those are nice things for a church to be able to say about itself, but they are not necessarily the metrics by which we measure our value, our worth, our success. The Church is the Church when lives are changed. It is the Church when it inspires people to use their time and resources to serve the common good. It is the Church when it helps people love themselves, their God and their neighbor.”
[The Rev. Dr. John C. Dorhauer – Past General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ]
