Welcome To Our Family

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Welcome to the First Congregational Church in Bristol

The First Congregational Church in Bristol is a vital, progressive Christian community of faith with long roots in our community.

We promise you our friendship and prayers as we share the hopes and labors of the Church of Jesus the Christ. We pray that God grant that — loving and being loved, serving and being served, forgiving and being forgiven, offering grace and receiving grace — we may dwell together in love, unity and hope.

We are Bristol’s first and founding church. We have been here since 1680, formed by the same leaders who founded the town of Bristol a few months after the church was gathered. In 1785, more than a century after our founding, our congregation and our sixth Minister, the Reverend Mr. Henry Wight, began the Bristol 4th of July Parade and Patriotic Exercises. So we are the Founders of America’s Oldest Fourth of July Celebration.

Today, our congregation is known for its broad support for our community and our willingness to speak out regarding social justice issues. Sunday services are relevant and thought-provoking.


No matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here!

Upcoming Events

Support One Great Hour of Sharing

Donations in support of One Great Hour of Sharing’s international mission work will be gratefully received at any time throughout the year.    The theme for the 2024 One Great Hour of Sharing® is Share the Light. The United Church of Christ invites you to participate in this special mission…

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Good Night Lights

Join the “Good Night Lights” to shine a light of hope to children in hospital. Every Monday night First Congregational Church “Good Night Lighters” travel to the Squantum Association in East Providence to send a good night signal to children at Hasbro Children’s Hospital. Anyone is welcome to join the…

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News

FCC Bristol’s Historic Mite Box Inspires Children

This past Sunday, November 10, was Stewardship Sunday, the day when members of the congregation bring their pledge cards for their support of the next year’s budget and projects. We were blessed to have as our visiting pastor the Rev….

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Service to others brings its own joy

On October 20, 2024, some two dozen members of the church donned their orange vests. Then they bowed their heads in prayer and blessing of their morning’s work and set out to various locations in Bristol to carry out a…

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Confirmation Class Starts

This past Sunday, there was something pretty exciting happening. I don’t mean when the fire alarm started blaring out in the sanctuary and everyone emptied out onto the church lawn to await the arrival of the police and the fire…

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Worship Service Videos

Worship Service for Sunday Dec 15, 2024

Worship service by: Dr. Nancy Hamlin Soukup; Scripture: Isaiah 12:2-6 ; Scripture: Luke 3:7-18 ; Sermon: “Practicing the Art of Hope”; Click here to view the Bulletin in a new window; https://vimeo.com/1037204682 For Closed Captions, click the icon and select…

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Worship Service for Sunday Dec 8, 2024

Worship service by: Dr. Nancy Hamlin Soukup; Scripture: Baruch 5:1-9 ; Scripture: Luke 3:1-6 ; Sermon: “There Is Hope in Waiting”; Click here to view the Bulletin in a new window https://vimeo.com/1034960919 For Closed Captions, click the icon and select…

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Worship Service for Sunday Dec 1, 2024

Worship service by: Dr. Nancy Hamlin Soukup; Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13; Scripture: Luke 21:25-36 Sermon: “Hope Floats”; Click here to view the Bulletin in a new window; https://vimeo.com/1032829143 For Closed Captions, click the icon and select EnglishFor Full Screen video,…

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Worship Service for Sunday Nov 24, 2024

Worship service by: Dr. Nancy Hamlin Soukup; Scripture: Joel 2:21-27; Scripture: Matthew 6:25-33; Sermon: “When All Else Seems to Fail—Give Thanks!”; Click here to view the Bulletin in a new window; https://vimeo.com/1030490279 For Closed Captions, click the icon and select…

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