Mission Statement
“Our purpose is to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ by gathering together in
fellowship to worship and serve the Lord, and to encourage spiritual growth and
outreach as a caring, sharing, learning community of faith.”
Our History and Traditions
The church was organized on November 25, 1904 as the Hungarian Reformed Church of
Bridgeport and Vicinity located on State Street. Services were held only in the Hungarian
language to meet the needs of the new immigrants to this area. With the denominational
merger in 1934, the church was now part of the Evangelical and Reformed Church. On
December 7, 1941, the first regular English Service was held in the congregation. On
December 8, 1946, a new edifice was dedicated on the corner of North and Laurel Avenues.
In 1957, another merger with the Christian Congregational Churches formed the United
Church of Christ, which became the new name of the congregation. In 1970, Bessemer
Center was build next to the church on North Avenue, serving the needs as a social hall.
The Hungarian Reformed traditions, based on the 16th century Protestant Reformers, were
greatly influenced by John Calvin. Our worship service is similar to those churches in the
Calvinist traditions, including the celebration of two sacraments, baptism and holy
communion. Singing is an integral part of the service. The open Bible, located in the front
of our church, symbolizes the centrality of the preaching of the Word. We recognize the
Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the Word of God and the ultimate rule
of Christian faith and practice. We are guided by the doctrines of the Second Helvectic
Confession and the Heidelberg Catechism, and profess to the Apostles’ Creed. We are a
member church of the Calvin Synod Conference of the United Church of Christ.
Our Missions
In addition to our participation in the Calvin Synod Conference appeals and national
United Church of Christ missions, our church supports many other local mission projects.
We are involved with the work of the Council of Churches of Greater Bridgeport, and give
contributions to local mission organizations. We hold special drives throughout the year
for local and national causes, including Food Collections, Greater Bridgeport Crop Walk,
Goodwill clothing donations, local chapter of the Red Cross, Salvation Army, Habitat for
Humanity, Heifer International, and Bridgeport Rescue Mission. During the Covid-19
pandemic, we collected and donated care packages and baskets to essential health care
workers at St. Vincent’s Medical Center, Lord Chamberlain Nursing Center, and Carolton
Convalescent Hospital. We also collected non-perishable food and donated to the St.
Vincent’s Mission Services Mobile Food Pantry and Nourish Bridgeport Program.
United Church of Christ of Bridgeport CT 