Elyria, Ohio - When First Congregational United Church of Christ comes up in town, the shorthand is "First Church," and the name fits. Organized in 1817 with missionaries from Connecticut, it is Elyria's first church, and its stone building on Second Street has watched the city grow around it since 1898.
Two Centuries on Second Street
The congregation marked its bicentennial across 2024 and 2025 under the banner "Blessed by our past, Secure in our faith, Embracing our future." Special events included commissioned music for handbells and choir with members of the Cleveland Orchestra, a community celebration on Ely Square, and a historical tour of the church's previous downtown locations. Members continue to build a shared timeline and preserve stories through a community memory project.
The story begins in 1817, when the Missionary Society of Connecticut helped organize what would become Elyria's first church body. In 1824 the congregation formally organized as The Presbyterian Church and met at the Park Courthouse until 1834, when a small frame building went up for the growing group. In 1879 the congregation left the Presbytery and reconstituted itself as a Congregational Church, meeting in the existing buildings until 1898, when both the building and an ivy-covered stone chapel were torn down and replaced by the current structure.
The sanctuary has been remodeled more than once. A major 1940 renovation was followed by further changes through the 1990s. The most recent interior work opened up the courtyard to add a small water feature, a columbarium, and a labyrinth. From early on, the church has been a community space, hosting lectures, performances, and concerts, and once even housed a gym and a bowling alley. The 1964 addition of an adjacent school building housed generations of Sunday School, Youth Forum, and community events including the Advent Workshop and the Madrigal Feast. In 1981 members considered relocating outside of downtown but voted overwhelmingly to stay, and that downtown commitment remains in force.
Sundays at Ten with a 1949 Holtkamp
Sunday worship gathers at 10:00 a.m. in the sanctuary and is streamed online, with an archive of services available on the church's YouTube channel. The organ loft houses a 1949 Holtkamp pipe organ, a three-manual instrument built by the Votteler-Holtkamp-Sparling Organ Company of Cleveland, that anchors music each week. On a Sunday morning, the Holtkamp is paired with handbells and the Chancel Choir in a worship tradition refined across more than a century and a half.
Director of Music and Organist Dylan Sanzenbacher conducts the choirs and provides music for worship and special services. The Chancel Choir is the church's primary vocal ensemble, singing multiple times a month and rehearsing at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday in the Choir Room just outside the sanctuary. No previous singing experience is required, and the repertoire is selected to be accessible to all ages and abilities.
The Campanella Ringers, named for the Italian word for "little bell," make up a five-octave handbell choir that adds special music to services throughout the year. The group has visited other churches and handbell conferences, and performances are announced on the church's Facebook page. Special Music performances featuring area soloists and ensembles continue the church's long tradition as a community gathering space.
A Welcome Without Limits
First Congregational is an Open and Affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ. Its welcome statement reads, in part, that the congregation extends "an extravagant welcome, hospitality and God's love to ALL." All are welcomed regardless of gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, mental and physical ability, age, race, nationality, economic and social status, faith background, marital standing, and family structure. Members also commit themselves "to offering openness, understanding, justice and healing to each and every person we encounter."
The welcome reaches beyond the written statement and into the building itself. An elevator in the atrium serves every floor for visitors who cannot climb stairs, and parking is available on Court Street. Worshippers are invited to share in the life, leadership, ministry, fellowship, sacraments, and responsibilities of the congregation.
Food, Fellowship, and Recovery
The church describes itself as mission-driven, and good neighbor work centers on food security. The food pantry is a Partner Charity Distribution site of Second Harvest Food Bank of North Central Ohio and is open three days a week: Monday 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. and Tuesday and Wednesday 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Visitors are asked to bring a picture ID and proof of residency in Lorain County, such as a utility bill.
On Mondays, the Lunch Bunch serves a hot midday meal to anyone who walks in, using the Second Street pantry entrance. Church Women United partners in this work. The church also runs periodic collections of hygiene and health items for donation to local and national organizations; calls to the church office share the current list of needs.
A longstanding recovery ministry hosts Alcoholics Anonymous, including a women's sobriety group meeting Thursdays from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Pastor Patrick is available for hospital visits and pastoral calls when illness, hospitalization, or other life events arise; members can leave a message at the church office during business hours.
The Pastor and Wider Mission
The Reverend Patrick Nicolino has served as pastor of First Congregational. Born in Akron, he makes his home in Ohio City with his husband, J. Gary. Completely blind, he has built a wide-ranging academic and professional life: a B.A. in History and a B.A. in Philosophy from the University of Akron, an M.Div. from St. Mary's Seminary, an M.A. in Psychology from John Carroll University, and A.B.D. status toward a Ph.D. from Union Institute. He is an adjunct faculty member in the Sociology Department at John Carroll University. The motto he tries to live by is, "Love one another as God unconditionally loves us."
Beyond the local congregation, First Congregational supports Our Church's Wider Mission, the United Church of Christ's wider work across conferences, national ministries, and related institutions, and partners with Save Our Children and the Elyria Teens Achieve Success mentoring program for high schoolers. The story that began with missionaries from Connecticut in 1817 now stretches into a third century in downtown Elyria, still proudly First Church and still rooted on Second Street.
Office hours are Monday through Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The church is at 330 Second Street, Elyria, Ohio 44035.