On South State Road in the village of Briarcliff Manor, just north of the Hudson River, a 19th-century church sits behind a much-photographed sign whose simple handwritten sayings have made it a small landmark in Westchester County. The Briarcliff Congregational Church has been rooted in this village since 1896, when the philanthropist Walter W. Law, who shaped much of Briarcliff Manor, helped establish a community of worship that has welcomed people of many faith backgrounds for more than a century. The congregation calls itself Open and Affirming, an identity it formally adopted in 2012, and the welcome begins on a blackboard out by the road and continues into a sanctuary filled with stained-glass light.
A House of Light: The Tiffany Windows
The most striking feature of the building is its stained-glass collection. The sanctuary holds 17 windows installed between 1898 and 2001, seven of them by Tiffany Studios. The oldest, a Tiffany masterpiece called Joseph and his Brethren, was given by Walter Law in 1898 in memory of his business partner W. J. Sloane and is the most complex window in the collection. Other Tiffanys, installed through 1906, show designs by two of the studio's pre-eminent artists, Frederick Wilson and Agnes Northrop, and reveal the firm's extraordinary range. Beyond the Tiffanys, the collection includes windows by J&R Lamb of New York, William C. Willett of Philadelphia, John Hardman Studios of Birmingham and London, and Woodhaven Studios of Bermuda. Most represent specific biblical stories; some show historical figures; others carry symbols that have carried multiple interpretations over the years.
By the early 2020s, after more than a century of light and weather, the windows needed attention. A multi-year, three-phase restoration project, guided by Liberty Stained-Glass Consulting and carried out by Femenella and Associates, has already addressed the East Transept window, a Tiffany landscape, and the Reformation window. The Joseph window returned to the sanctuary in summer 2025 with renewed color, releaded panels, and lettering reworked so the words could be read without looking new. Phase II focuses on a 1906 Tiffany landscape by Agnes Northrop at a projected cost of about $150,000, and the church is raising funds from members, friends, and the wider community to see it through. The "Glory in Glass" public tours, held on Saturdays, walk visitors through a century of stained-glass history and the windows' deep connection to the village of Briarcliff Manor. Tours are free, wheelchair accessible, and last about an hour; private tours for groups of up to 20 can be arranged through the church office.
Open and Affirming, by Conviction and Practice
The church's identity as Open and Affirming grew out of a longer story. When the congregation was organized in 1896, it joined the Fellowship of Congregational Churches because of that tradition's democratic, non-creedal spirit. By the 50th anniversary in 1946, members represented 23 different denominations, a sign that the door had always been open. In 2012 the church formally adopted an Open and Affirming statement, declaring welcome to all regardless of race, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, family structure, ability, faith background, or economic circumstance. Congregationalist practice means no creedal test for membership and a congregational vote on major decisions, including the calling of ministers. While independent, the church finds checks and balances through the United Church of Christ, whose motto, "God is Still Speaking," the congregation echoes in its own phrase, "We are still listening."
That conviction shows up in public life. The pastor, the Rev. Todd B. Farnsworth, joined the church as its 12th pastor on November 19, 2017, having led a previous congregation to become Open and Affirming in the early 2000s. He has also signed his name to an interfaith statement from the Briarcliff Ossining Ministerial Association opposing immigration raids, joining rabbis, priests, ministers, and other leaders in declaring that the enforcement of immigration policy must never come at the expense of human rights.
Sunday Morning at BCC
Worship gathers at 10:00 a.m. every Sunday in the sanctuary and is also livestreamed on YouTube, beginning at 10:05 a.m. The service lasts about an hour and blends choir music, hymns, prayer, a sermon, and a children's message. About 15 minutes in, the pastor invites the children forward for a short children's message; afterward, they are escorted across the street to age-appropriate Sunday School classes. On the first Sunday of each month, the congregation shares Communion, and the table is open to anyone who wishes to receive it, regardless of membership or age. Greeters hand out a printed bulletin as worshippers enter, and seating is open. A ramp on the right side of the building offers an accessible entrance to the sanctuary.
Parking is available on the street in front of 30 South State Road and in the lot across the street at 25 South State Road. Most people enter through the historic tower entrance. After the service, fellowship continues across the street in Beebe Hall, where coffee and tea are served and visitors can meet members at an easy pace. The dress is "come as you are," and visitors are greeted warmly.
The Famous Roadside Sign
Long before visitors reach the front door, they meet the church on its own terms. Since 2011, Joan Austin, a retired history teacher and longtime church member, has been the church's "Sign Lady," updating the marquee with messages that mix history, humor, and faith. She has marked the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta, quoted Thomas Jefferson in the wake of the 2015 attacks in Paris ("All men have two countries, their own and France"), and earned the church brief national attention with a World Series message: "God doesn't take sides. The sign lady does, Let's go Mets!" The signs are photographed and shared on social media, and pedestrians often stop to tell Mrs. Austin that a particular line helped them through a hard season. The Nicol family donated the original sign in memory of John Nicol, and the Women's Society helped update it in 2016.
Music as a Living Tradition
Music shapes the worship life of the church under the direction of Dr. Daniel Leguizamon, an organist and choral conductor from Argentina who holds bachelor's and master's degrees in music and a doctorate in education. Dr. Leguizamon has served Protestant churches in the New York area for more than 30 years and also teaches general music in the Catholic Archdiocese of New York. The Chancel Choir rehearses on Thursday evenings at 7:30 p.m. for 90 minutes and sings in Sunday worship; no auditions are required, and singers are welcome to commit for a few weeks, a season, or the whole year. Children's music ministry, known as Grace Notes, gives young singers and players regular chances to take part in worship through Sunday School.
Concerts are a major thread in the church's wider life. The Heim Concert series brings exceptional musical experiences to the community throughout the year, and the annual "Pumpkins, Pipes & Peculiar Stories" autumn event pairs organ music with ghost stories and tall tales in the candlelit sanctuary. The sanctuary has also hosted the Katonah Celebration Ringers, the Westchester Harmony Chorus, the Westchester Children's Chorus, and choral presentations ranging from Mozart's Requiem to Britten's Ceremony of Carols. A series called Cadences extends the music ministry online with interviews and conversations about worship music.
Children, Youth, and Learning
Children and youth are central to congregational life. Every Sunday begins with the children's message at the front of the sanctuary, after which the children head to Sunday School classes. The program offers age-appropriate lessons with trusted teachers, opportunities for music with the Grace Notes, and seasonal events such as the Heifer Fair, a Sunday School tradition in which the children make and sell crafts to raise money for Heifer International, funding livestock and training for families working to lift themselves out of poverty. The church welcomes baptisms during Sunday services and offers a confirmation program for 7th through 12th graders that runs over three months and culminates in each teen's decision about whether to be confirmed.
Adults are not left out. The Adult Education program gathers for Bible study and topical courses through the year. Past studies have included Introducing the New Testament, The Grace of Les Misérables, and a long-running study of the Book of Job. Sessions are held both in person and online, with discussion as a core part of the format. A mid-week meetup runs every Wednesday from 9:00 to 11:30 a.m. in the church building, offering coffee, tea, music, art supplies, and conversation as a way to break the middle-of-the-week routine.
The Women's Society
The Women's Society, often called WoSo, has been a backbone of the church for generations. Open to all women of the church and community, the group meets regularly to plan service projects, fellowship, and fundraising. Its signature event is the annual Rummage Sale, held on a Saturday in early spring, which fills the Parish House with donated household goods, clothing, and other items at modest prices. Helpsy collects unsold soft goods, shoes, and handbags at the end of the sale for reuse and recycling. The proceeds support a long list of local and global causes, with the Society voting, in classic Congregational fashion, on how to disburse the funds each year.
Other WoSo rhythms include a Book Share every February, where members present books that have shaped them; a Greening of the Church celebration in late November that fills the sanctuary with garlands, wreaths, and red and white poinsettias for Advent; a November craft workshop; the Cookie Packing tradition that fills small bags for neighbors at Valentine's Day; a spring outing in May; and ongoing flower arranging for the Communion Table and the planting of the flower troughs at the front of the church. After services, sanctuary flowers are donated to local organizations. The Society also maintains a Spud Squad that takes on potato-related community efforts.
Reaching Into the Wider Community
The church's outreach work runs through a Benevolence committee and through individual members who serve on local boards. Grateful for the wider community that surrounds it, BCC gives financial support, volunteers, and in-kind help to a wide network of partner organizations. Neighbors Link, a strong partner, helps new neighbors with English language learning, workforce development, legal assistance, and crisis support; the church's contributions have included direct grants to the community law practice. The Ossining Food Pantry, fighting food insecurity in the area since 1988, is supported through direct grants, volunteers, and a Peanut Butter Sunday on the first Sunday of every month, when the congregation is encouraged to bring jars of peanut butter or an equivalent cash gift. Twenty-five percent of the proceeds from the annual CROP Hunger Walk, held each mid-October at Mariandale in Ossining, are also directed to the Pantry.
Other partners include the IFCA Housing Network, which develops and manages affordable housing; the Ossining Micro-Fund, which provides interest-free loans and financial education; the Ossining Children's Center, an educational childcare program that the church supports with grants and an annual Christmas gift drive; the Emergency Shelter Partnership, an interfaith effort in which BCC has helped provide winter shelter, home-cooked meals, and to-go lunches for more than ten years; Hope's Door, which offers shelter, counseling, and a legal center to survivors of domestic violence; For All Seasons, which closes gaps in social services for families facing critical needs; the Grandparents Coalition of Westchester County, whose holiday gift drive the church supports each year; and Open Arms for Refugees, an organization founded with substantial involvement of BCC members that helps resettle newcomers through the Westchester Welcome program. Career Closet Westchester, which provides interview-appropriate clothing free of charge to women seeking employment, has been housed within the church since 1997, with all rent and utility charges covered by BCC and clothing shared with the Rummage Sale.
Events Through the Year
Beyond the regular worship calendar, the church hosts a steady rhythm of community events. The Rummage Sale each spring, the Heifer Fair in late spring, the summer concert series in Law Park with the Briarcliff Chamber of Commerce (where BCC offers a children's tent with arts and crafts), the CROP Hunger Walk in mid-October, the contemplative Blue Christmas service, the monthly Cooking Classes with local celebrity cook Kana Mahadavin from October through May, the "Glory in Glass" stained-glass tours, and the autumn Pumpkins, Pipes & Peculiar Stories event all keep the doors open and the calendar full. Cooking classes are held from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. and ask for a $10 donation to help defer ingredient costs.
Weddings, Funerals, and the Building
The sanctuary and Parish House are also used for life's major transitions. Couples preparing for a wedding at BCC meet with the pastor two to four times and with the director of music once, working together on a ceremony that reflects the couple's own story within the life of the congregation. Funerals and memorial services are planned with the same pastoral care, recognizing that incorporating faith into a time of grief can be a source of comfort. The Parish House, with its recently renovated commercial kitchen, large reception hall, classrooms, and accessible restrooms, hosts meetings, recitals, exercise classes, receptions, and parties for both church members and outside groups. Downstairs, the Garden House School, a respected nursery program, makes its home in the building. The Eastman Room, adjacent to the sanctuary, suits smaller meetings and receptions.
Pastoral and Administrative Leadership
The Rev. Todd B. Farnsworth, the church's 12th pastor, earned his BA from American International College in 1984 and his MDiv from Andover Newton Theological School in 1987. His messages often connect faith with daily life, and he involves young people in services, supports members in their own intentional ministries, and makes pastoral needs a priority. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he led the congregation into Zoom worship, online Bible studies, online cooking programs, online BINGO parties, and a six-hour live telethon that highlighted the church's outreach. He and his wife Martha are active in the Kitten Academy community and live in the area with their two adult children. Dr. Daniel Leguizamon brings more than three decades of experience as an organist, pianist, choral conductor, and music educator to the church's worship and concert life. Jodi Margolis, the office administrator, keeps the church's day-to-day operations running and connects visitors with the right people in the congregation. Yasna Olivares, the church's custodian since 2006, brings a wide range of practical skills, from cleaning to carpentry to plumbing, and is a beloved part of the team that makes the Rummage Sale happen each year.
A Church That Listens
From the Tiffany windows that flood the sanctuary with color, to the roadside sign that greets drivers with a daily thought, to the long list of partner organizations across Ossining and Westchester, Briarcliff Congregational Church sees itself as both a house of worship and a neighbor. The church's motto, "No matter where you are, where you've been, or where you're going on life's journey, you are welcome here," is not a slogan but the working brief of a congregation that has spent more than a century figuring out what welcome looks like in practice. Whether one comes for Sunday worship, a concert, a tour of the windows, a rummage table treasure, or simply to stand by the sign and read, the invitation is the same: you are welcome here.