Manchester Church of Christ sits on Tolland Turnpike, one block east of Interstate 84 in Manchester, Connecticut, north of Hartford. Since 1961, the congregation has gathered for worship, Bible teaching, and service in central Connecticut. A written history of the church from 1961 to 2023 has been kept up to date by a longtime member, and the congregation marked its 60th anniversary in 2021. Today, families from many language backgrounds and countries of origin worship together in a closely-knit community.
Worship on Sunday Morning
The Sunday service begins at 9:30 AM. The order of worship is simple and sincere: the congregation sings, prays, reads from the Bible, hears a lesson taught directly from Scripture, and shares the Lord's Supper, also called Communion or Eucharist, to proclaim the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Members take time to rejoice with those who are rejoicing and to weep with those who are weeping. Worship is planned to help worshipers glorify God and encourage one another rather than to entertain, and the Lord's Supper is observed each Sunday in keeping with the New Testament pattern the congregation follows.
After the service, the body lingers for conversation, and at 11:00 AM the church disperses into Bible classes for every age, from infants through adults.
An Imperfect Family Trying to Grow
The mission of the church is to join God in the work of calling all of creation back home, loving what God loves and doing what Jesus modeled. Six values shape the life of the body:
- Love is lived out through action rather than words, supporting one another in times of joy and sorrow.
- Grace meets people where they are, even when they are not yet perfect.
- Truth comes from the Bible, which guides believers in who God is and what he calls his people to do.
- Community is a closely-knit family bound by faith in Jesus and a desire to live like him.
- Diversity welcomes people of all ages, languages, and countries of origin into the same brotherhood.
- Sincerity means worship that flows from the heart rather than from showmanship.
The leadership describes the church as "an imperfect family that is still trying to grow in Christ."
Bible Study on Sundays and Wednesdays
Adults, students, and children gather for Bible classes twice each week. Sunday morning classes meet at 11:00, and Wednesday evening classes begin at 7:00 PM. Each season brings a new adult study, with recent topics including a class called The Struggle. Throughout the year, preaching walks the congregation through books of the Bible one at a time, from Genesis to Revelation, alongside topical series on church leadership, mental health, foundations of faith, and other themes.
Sermons are recorded each Sunday and posted to the church's online library, where they can be watched or listened to. The sermon archive stretches back many years. An online worship option allows those who cannot attend in person to follow along remotely.
Children's Ministry
All ages are welcomed in worship. The building has an equipped nursery for infants and a private space for nursing mothers. Sunday school-style Bible lessons for children are taught each week, often paired with a downloadable coloring page, a teaching video, and at-home activities. Mrs. Stice teaches Sunday school lessons, and an overview video introduces the ministry to new families. Online resources for families include Susie and Camila Learn the Bible, a Life of Paul video series, Current Event Puppet Lessons, and seasonal series such as the Armor of God lessons.
Youth and Young Adult Ministry
Under Randall Colson's leadership, the youth ministry gathers middle and high school students for Bible studies, activities, events, and service projects. The aim is a safe and empowering space where young people can build lasting friendships, explore their gifts, and receive support for life's challenges from a place of faith. Youth Sundays, youth-led services, and a youth rally are planned into the calendar.
The young adult ministry centers on a Sunday morning class at 11:00 AM that is participatory and focused on real-life issues and needs. Beyond Sunday, monthly social and service events build community within the group and reach outward into central Connecticut. People fresh out of high school, in college, single, married, with children, and without children share a single table.
Senior Saints
In February 1991, founding member Barbara Brewer helped organize the Senior Saints for members age 60 and older. The seniors have met regularly since then for service and fellowship. Their current projects include welcome baskets for new members, care packages for college students, camperships to a local Christian camp, and meals prepared for shut-ins. Children and teens often serve the seniors in turn, building intergenerational bonds the church considers vital for its future. Many senior saints teach Bible classes for the rest of the body.
Small Groups Across Central Connecticut
To go deeper than Sunday morning, the church hosts small groups in homes across Manchester, Tolland, Vernon, South Windsor, East Hampton, and other nearby towns. Most groups meet on Sunday afternoons or evenings, though some gather on weeknights instead. Each group has its own personality and purpose, ranging from Bible-study-focused to fellowship-focused to service-focused.
DivorceCare and GriefShare
DivorceCare is a 13-week support group for adults going through separation or divorce. Sessions run on Wednesday evenings from 6:30 to 8:30 PM in the spring and again in the fall. The program begins with homework discussion, continues with a 30-minute video on the week's topic, and closes with about an hour of group conversation. The contact person is Gary Yeats. A parallel GriefShare ministry supports those grieving the death of a loved one.
Orphans and At-Risk Kids
The OAKs ministry serves as an information center for church members considering fostering or adopting a child. The ministry maintains a fund that provides supplemental grants to approved families so adoption becomes more affordable. Support teams within the church walk alongside families as they navigate the process. Members can join the information committee or serve on a support team, and local foster-care blessing projects are organized to support children in care.
FriendSpeak
FriendSpeak is a one-on-one outreach in which trained volunteers meet with international neighbors in the community to practice conversational English while discussing short Bible-based readings. Unlike traditional ESL classes, FriendSpeak centers on relationships and meaningful conversations. FriendSpeak has trained more than 400 churches across North America and around the world, and the Manchester church is one of them. Those interested can email friendspeak@manchestercofc.org for session information.
From Manchester to Five Continents
The congregation is involved in mission efforts on five continents. Locally, the church supports outreach in central Connecticut. Domestically, the church partners in a mission effort in Massachusetts. Internationally, the church supports mission work in Scotland, Honduras, Haiti, Bangladesh, and Zimbabwe, and serves as the sponsoring congregation for the AMEN Military Ministry, which connects members of the U.S. Armed Forces with local churches and helps plant churches near military bases worldwide. Dominique McMillian is supported through Adventures in Missions during a two-year mission journey.
For those wanting to find a place to serve, a member involvement form connects members with service paths across Sunday morning preparation, children's education, teaching, hospitality, finance, missions, safety, building and grounds, multimedia, recreation, and more. A short spiritual gifts assessment helps each member find a fitting match.
Planning a Visit
Worship is offered in English and centers on preaching, congregational singing, prayer, and the Lord's Supper. Visitors are invited to come as they are. The building sits at 595 Tolland Turnpike, Manchester, CT 06042, one block east of Exit 63 off I-84. From either direction on the highway, drivers take Exit 63, then turn onto Tolland Turnpike (a gas station sits on the corner) and turn right at the first stop sign. The phone line is 860-646-2903, and the office email is office@manchestercofc.org. Online worship, sermon archives, and online giving are all available.