Worship & Dedication

With more than a dozen sites on the Connecticut Freedom Trail, Farmington enjoys a reputation as a longtime supporter of Connecticut’s African American community in the struggle toward freedom and human dignity. The First Church of Christ, Congregational, 1652, its ministers, and parishioners played an important role in that history, opening the church’s doors to leading Abolitionists and offering shelter and support to Mende captives. Farmington was also reportedly home to several safe houses on the Underground Railroad, earning itself the nickname “Grand Central Station.”

And yet, this is not the full story. An exploration of records from Farmington’s earliest years shows evidence of the enslavement of African-descended and Indigenous individuals by some of its most prominent residents, including at least one First Church minister.

This collaboration with the Witness Stones Project™ and the Stanley-Whitman House cultivated empathy, compassion, and a sense of social justice among these young Confirmands in their own spiritual journey. We hope you will join us.