The churches of the United Church of Christ share this unifying statement: “Wherever you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here.”  We live this motto.

Our congregation intentionally chooses to be together to worship, work, play, and find deeper meaning in our lives. And we pride ourselves in welcoming everyone to join us. When you become part of our church family, you become part of a community that stands for faith in God and the betterment of humanity. We are an intimate and loving church that commits to finding ways to be relevant in the world and nurtures those whose lives we impact. We encourage our church family members and friends to share themselves authentically.

Flagg Road United Church of Christ is a small and exciting church with a Congregational tradition. As part of The United Church of Christ, our church shares a history that dates back hundreds of years. Our history of solidarity with the oppressed fuels our courage and determination to build a world that is both loving and inclusive.

We are an intergenerational congregation comprising members who are at varying stages of their personal faith journey. From progressive dinners to birthday cheers at coffee hour, we celebrate each other’s joys and lift each other up. At Flagg Road, you will enjoy meaningful worship, enriching programs, spirited social events, and long-lasting friendships.

Our foundation is Christ and the earliest churches that came to be in the first century. Our specific foundations stem from the Protestant Reformation, and more recently, the early settlers in New England who considered themselves Puritans.

In the late 1950’s the Congregational Churches in Hartford and West Hartford were thriving, bustling communities with multiple services for hundreds of worshippers each Sunday. The leaders of those churches felt that a new church was needed to handle the spiritual needs of the region.

They decided—rather pragmatically—to build in an area that had not yet been developed. In 1957, a group of members from three churches — Asylum Hill in Hartford, Immanuel in Hartford, and the First Congregational Church of West Hartford — created a new congregation.

Their first formal meetings were in Norfeldt School in West Hartford. Perhaps due to this setting, the newly formed congregation developed an appreciation for worship centered around the introspection often created by smaller, more intimate venues.

The group grew and solidified around this point of view. After only four years they broke ground at our present site, 134 Flagg Road. The first worship service here was celebrated in October, 1963.

The congregation has called five settled pastors: the Rev. Laurence Upton, serving from 1957-1959, the Rev. Loring S. Ensign, 1960-1970, the Rev. Edward R. Mayes, 1971-2001, the Rev. Doreen McFarlane, 2002-2005, and the Rev. Mark Diters, from 2008 until the present.

From 1980-1989, the congregation developed Hartmeadow Village, 14 retirement cottages, on the grounds to address the growing need for those seeking to downsize and simplify in their later years and to provide some income for the church.