The First Congregational Church of Darien

What The First Congregational Church of Darien does

The First Congregational Church of Darien is a 275-year-old mainline Protestant congregation founded in 1737 when members broke away from Stamford Parish, and it is affiliated with the United Church of Christ (UCC). The church operates from a single historic 1837 Greek Revival Meetinghouse at 14 Brookside Road in Darien, Connecticut, in lower Fairfield County approximately 40 miles from New York City. It is explicitly an 'Open and Affirming' UCC congregation, welcoming congregants regardless of sexual orientation, race, marital status, or background, and offers two Sunday worship services (8:30 a.m. and 10:00 a.m.) from September through June, a single 9:00 a.m. summer service, communion on the first Sunday of each month, and livestream/archived video access via LiveControl.tv and Vimeo.

The church delivers a comprehensive program portfolio across all ages: nursery school (a wholly-owned subsidiary operating since 1960), Kidventures children's Sunday school (preschool through 5th grade), middle and high school youth groups with an 8th-grade Confirmation program and summer mission trips, a music ministry (Chancel Choir, bell choir, children's music, and seasonal concerts including an annual Christmas concert and Messiah Community Sing), adult formation (Wednesday Bible study, Thursday sermon-discussion Zoom, and small groups including men's, women's fellowship, gardening, knitting, and a Classics book group), and pastoral care including a Care Circle Ministry. Community service is a stated pillar, with active partnerships with the Connecticut Institute for Refugees and Immigrants (CIRI), Stamford Norwalk Immigration United (SNUI), Pacific House Emergency Shelter, and Person to Person (P2P), supported by over $55,000 in grants to more than 20 local charities in 2023, formalized as 10% of all paid pledges.

The revenue model is entirely donation-based and voluntary, with no products or services sold. Income streams include annual member pledges (with biblical-tithe guidance suggesting 10% of income or a minimum of 5% to the church), online giving through Breeze and Tithe.ly (with a 3% add-on to offset transaction fees), check donations, transfer of appreciated securities, and Qualified Charitable Distributions from IRAs for donors aged 70½ and older. The church employs approximately seven staff members—a Senior Minister (Rev. Anthony Weisman), Director of Children and Youth Ministries, Director of Music and Organist, Associate Director of Music and Pianist, Office and Operations Manager, Treasurer, and Nursery School Director—and is governed by its congregation through a Church Council and Board of Christian Education. No proprietary software, AI/ML systems, patents, or external funding rounds are disclosed; the technology stack is entirely composed of commercial third-party SaaS.

Name

The First Congregational Church of Darien

Legal name

The First Congregational Church of Darien

Website

https://uccdarien.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1737

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The First Congregational Church of Darien is a 275-year-old United Church of Christ congregation in Darien, Connecticut, serving local families and individuals through Sunday worship, children's and youth programs, a nursery school, music ministry, adult formation, and community outreach partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Religious Organizations (813110), Civic and Social Organizations (8134)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Child Day Care Services (8351), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Congregations & Worship Communities (Churches, Mosques, Temples, Synagogues) (BPAGAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Faith-Based Social Services & Community Outreach (Food Pantries, Shelters, Counseling) (BPAGAJAG), Faith-Based Preschools (EDACABAF)

Keywords

• Religious services
• Faith community
• Worship services
• Youth ministry
• Community outreach

Headquarters

HQ city

Darien

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Member Pledges and Offerings: Members pledge annual financial contributions to support the church's operating budget, staffing, programming, and outreach. Weekly Sunday offerings are collected during services. The church encourages members to tithe 10% or at least 5% of income to the church.
2. Online and Electronic Donations: Donations accepted via the Breeze online platform and Tithe.ly. The church requests donors give 3% more to cover transaction fees when donating online.
3. Check Donations: Members and visitors can donate by check, either handed in during services or mailed to the church office.
4. Transfer of Securities: Donors can contribute appreciated securities, which offer long-term capital gains tax advantages. Transfer instructions are provided via a downloadable document.
5. Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs): Donors aged 70½ or older can make QCDs from their taxable IRA, which may have tax advantages over regular charitable donations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The First Congregational Church of Darien provides weekly Sunday worship services (8:30 a.m. and 10:00 a.m., with a single 9:00 a.m. summer service), faith formation programs across all ages including the Kidventures children's program, youth groups with confirmation and mission trips, and an FCC Nursery School. The church supplements worship with a music ministry (Chancel Choir, bell choir, seasonal concerts), adult Bible studies and small groups, pastoral care, community outreach service projects with 20+ local charities, and a memorial garden. Funding comes from voluntary member pledges, online donations, securities transfers, and qualified charitable distributions.

Product overview

The First Congregational Church of Darien offers a comprehensive suite of religious and community programs centered around Sunday worship services. The church provides spiritual formation through Kidventures children's programming, youth groups with Confirmation and mission trips, and nursery school (operating since 1960). Music ministry includes Chancel Choir, bell choir, and seasonal concerts. Adult formation includes Bible studies, small groups (men's, women's, book, gardening), and pastoral care. Community outreach encompasses service projects, refugee resettlement, and food drives. The church utilizes Breeze for membership management, online giving, and directory services; Vimeo for video archive; and SignUpGenius for volunteer scheduling.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FCC Nursery School: A nursery school operated by the church since 1960, providing early childhood education with a play-based learning approach.
• Kidventures

Products and services

• Sunday Worship Services
• Kidventures Children's Program
• Youth Programs
• FCC Nursery School
• Music Ministry
• Bible Studies
• Small Groups
• Membership Program
• Pastoral Care
• Outreach and Service Projects
• Outdoor Summer Services
• Concert Series
• UCC Daily Devotional
• Memorial Garden
• Online Giving and Pledging

Quantifiable outcome

• Donated over $55,000 to over 20 local charities in 2023
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Connecticut Institute for Refugees and Immigrants (CIRI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023FCC partners with CIRI to resettle Afghan refugees in Fairfield County. The church organizes volunteer support for apartment move-ins (cleaning, furniture arrangement, hanging pictures/blinds) in the New Haven and Bridgeport areas, collects furniture donations for new refugee households, and runs an Underground Food Drive delivering staples to immigrant families in Norwalk. CIRI move-ins occur approximately weekly, with volunteers signing up as needed.
• Stamford Norwalk Immigration United (SNUI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFCC supports the SNUI Supermarket Sweep initiative, partnering with immigrant community members who shop and donate groceries together each week to support local immigrant families facing food insecurity. Members shop at local stores and donate in Norwalk.
• Pacific House Emergency Shelter (Stamford)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne night each month, FCC members prepare and serve dinner to residents of the Pacific House emergency shelter in Stamford, CT.
• P2P (Person to Person)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFCC volunteers support P2P's ongoing work serving those in need in Fairfield County. Opportunities include staffing the clothing center, food pantry, mobile pantry, food delivery to homebound clients, food warehouse, reception, and van driver duties. FCC provides volunteers and ongoing mission support.
• Darien High School Tudor SingersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Darien High School Tudor Singers participate in the annual FCC Christmas Concert: Tidings of Joy, performing selections alongside the FCC Darien Chancel Choir, soloists, and student musicians from local string ensembles.
• PROJECT MUSICminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPROJECT MUSIC, a local nonprofit providing music lessons to students after school, contributes student musicians to the FCC Christmas Concert: Tidings of Joy.
• United Church of Christ (UCC) DenominationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFCC is a member congregation of the United Church of Christ, a mainline Protestant denomination with roots in colonial Congregationalism. The UCC was the first denomination to ordain an African American (1785), a woman (1853), and an openly LGBTQ-identified person (1972). FCC participates in UCC mission work and receives the UCC Daily Devotional. UCC is a significant international service provider.
• Local Social Service Agencies (20+ charities)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn 2023, FCC donated over $55,000 to more than 20 local social service agencies across five focus areas: Basic Needs (Shelter, Homelessness, Food and Housing), Health & Wellness (Mental Health, Addiction, Disability, Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault), Elderly Services, Youth Services & Events, and Refugees & Immigration Services.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Old South Church in Boston: Historic UCC/Congregational church in downtown Boston and previous placement of FCC Darien's Senior Minister; directly comparable in theology, UCC identity, urban-suburban mainline programming, and progressive social posture.
• First Congregational Church of Greenwich: Neighboring UCC Congregational church in lower Fairfield County serving an affluent suburban membership with comparable worship, music, children's, and outreach programming.
• Plymouth Congregational Church (Des Moines): Large UCC-affiliated congregation where Rev. Weisman completed a Lilly Endowment fellowship; directly comparable as a mainline Congregational church with multi-generational programming.
• New Canaan Congregational Church: Affluent-suburban UCC Congregational church in New Canaan, CT; comparable worship scale, music-program depth, and progressive mainline programming for families.
• Marble Collegiate Church (New York): Mainline Protestant congregation in Manhattan and prior placement of Rev. Anthony Weisman; comparable in worship scale, music-program centrality, urban-affluent membership, and progressive social engagement.
• Stamford Congregational Church: UCC/Consociational congregation in nearby Stamford, CT; comparable denominational alignment, community outreach focus, and suburban lower-Fairfield demographic.
• St. Paul's Episcopal Church (Darien): Mainline Christian congregation located in the same Darien community; competes for overlapping suburban-family membership with similar progressive theological positioning and comparable children's/youth programming.

Broad incumbents

• United Church of Christ (National): The mainline Protestant denomination to which FCC Darien belongs; operates as the broad incumbent providing theological standards, mission infrastructure, and resource support used by member congregations.

Others

• Connecticut Institute for Refugees and Immigrants (CIRI): Regional refugee-resettlement agency that FCC Darien partners with for Afghan refugee support, furniture donations, and food drives; comparable as a faith-aligned community-partner in immigration services.
• Person to Person (P2P): Fairfield County social-service nonprofit that FCC Darien partners with for clothing, food pantry, and volunteer programs; comparable as a community-impact organization but as a programmatic partner rather than a peer congregation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-first-congregational-church-of-darien

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The First Congregational Church of Darien