People of Faith

Union Congregational Church is a vibrant, passionate, Christian community that spans the generations, with people of all ages committing their time and energy to the church and its mission. People from all walks of life call Union home. Some of us were raised in different faith traditions and some of us didn’t grow up with a faith tradition at all. Yet at Union we find a place where we can connect with God in worship, service, education and fellowship.

About Us

We are an Open and Affirming congregation, and that manifests itself in many ways.  We welcome LGBTQ+ people into the full ministry and life of the church. We welcome God’s people and celebrate the many images of the Divine manifested in differing abilities and disabilities, ages, faith traditions, social and economic classes, ethnicities, colors, races, immigration statuses and nationalities.

We are deeply loving and supportive people, who seek love and justice. We aspire to reflect Christian hospitality and Christ’s love by making everyone feel welcome and affirmed at Union. The Welcoming Team enlists the entire congregation to create a warm, friendly environment that makes Union feel like home from the very first visit.

Strategic Planning
Strategic thinking and planning help churches find focus and direction regarding how to make thoughtful decisions about the near future and beyond. We began strategic planning discussions  within our congregation, developed a committee within the church, and sought out an outside planning consultant in 2021. With a Special Congregational Vote in April 2022, we have put to paper an overall direction for the vision for our future that will help us tie our efforts, decisions and        community together; so that we can address important issues, in strategic ways, for the next several years.  Currently, the three strategic visioning task forces are meeting regularly and exploring ideas from the Foundational Document.  For more on our Strategic Visioning journey, please check out its website at www.loveunionsjourney.com.

Our History

The congregation was first gathered in 1881. Early years were spent stabilizing the congregation via clergy leadership, facilities, and budget. As Montclair grew and prospered, so did Union. Always active in the community, Union was responsible for or related to the formation in the early1900s of Boy Scout Troop 13, the Women's Club of Upper Montclair, the Montclair Operetta Society, the Montclair Society of Engineers, and the Rose Society, and more recently, the Montclair      Counseling Center begun by William Lutz, then an associate minister at Union, and our much-esteemed Nursery School, and the Side Door after-school program for middle schoolers. Our congregation is known around the world.

In 1957, the Congregational-Christian Church and the Evangelical and Reformed Church joined to form the United Church of Christ. The denomination’s offices until the mid-1980's were in New York City, and Union served as the home church for many officers during these years. It continues to be known throughout the denomination as a vital church and a leader in theological education. We have served as a field education site for dozens of student ministers, ordained five women in quick succession during the late 1970's and 1980's, and have had many theological students in our care as they moved toward ordination, the most recent being John Rogers, who grew up in our midst.

As our name implies, the founders of the congregation hoped to serve the spiritual needs of everyone. As our community has become more pluralistic, we've recognized the richness of diversity and the value of mutual respect, and we are active in the interfaith community. Our congregation draws both individuals who are on lifelong spiritual journeys and families with blended religious traditions.

With our sister congregation, First Congregational United Church of Christ, we received strength from Watchung Congregational Church, which disbanded following a devastating fire in the 1970's. We enjoy our relationship with First Cong, which is both collegial and congenial.

Markers along the way of the current generation at Union include:

• the formation of the Nursery School in 1968;
• the fire of 1975 that destroyed the interior of the Sanctuary Building but bonded the congregation as it rebuilt;
• the consensus to become an LGBTQ+ Open and Affirming Congregation in 200;
• the response to the tragedy of 9/11;
• and the recent refurbishing of the church buildings both inside and out.
• The very best characteristic of our history is that it is always in the formative stages. As much as we treasure the past, we hope for the future, confident that we will continue to increase love of God and neighbor in this our time and place.