Monroe Congregational Church was built on what is now the Monroe Green in 1847, but its roots run far deeper than that.
The town church was formed at the request of residents who petitioned the state government for it, because they had tired of making long winter journeys to Huntington Parish.
Elizabeth Gray donated Beardsley Hall on Old Tannery Road to the church in 1886 in memory of her late husband, Dr. Edward M. Gray, a village physician.
A few years later, a new parsonage was bought on the Green. The house is rented out to residential tenants.
In 1956, the congregation outgrew church facilities and an early school building was bought at auction to expand Beardsley Hall. Then in 1967, ground was broke for Rexford House, which opened its doors in 1968.
The church itself underwent an expansion in 1985. Pews were installed, a balcony was built, and a handicap entrance was added.
The pastor of Monroe Congregational Church is Jennifer Gingras and the associate pastor is Andrew Courtney.
Stepney Baptist Church holds two services on Sundays: a traditional one featuring classic hymns at 9am and an informal Ignite Contemporary service at 11am. During the services, the church offers a nursery for babies and toddlers, and a Bible teaching and craft or game for children ages 5 to fifth grade. There is a coffee hour at 10:15 in between services.
The church grounds include Step-A-Way Nursery School and the Salt and Light Food Pantry, from which volunteers hand out food to the hungry on Saturdays, 11am-1pm. Visitors to the pantry receive two bags of groceries and a Bible.
Colorful stained glass windows in Good Lutheran Church's sanctuary sparkle on sunny days. These ornate windows take viewers through scenes from the Old and New testaments, and were created by volunteers to honor the memory of Pastor Charlie Schwarz, who served the church for 29 years.
The church is now led by Rev. Bryan Leone. It has more than 225 members and offers Sunday school and adult education. Frank and Anna Gibiser spearheaded the effort to found Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in 1960, contacting Lutherans from Monroe and surrounding towns and hosting a meeting in their home. Good Shepherd was officially organized in 1961, with 145 members from the county.
Located along the historic Stepney Green, Our Lady of the Rosary was spawned from a movement to return to the values of the Roman Catholic Church, preserving the "true" Mass and other sacred traditions against the new Reformation led by the Second Vatican Council in the early '60s. The late Father Francis Fenton of the Bridgeport Diocese and the Orthodox Roman Catholic Movement bought the chapel building from Methodists in 1972.
Our Lady of the Rosary's current pastor is Bishop Robert F. McKenna, a priest of the Dominican Order of Preachers. Bishop McKenna formed a convent of Dominican Sisters, who live beside the chapel and assist in caring for the building and grounds and staff St. Dominic's Academy, a grammar and high school for boys and girls in the chapel hall.
Visitors who follow a dress code stressing modesty are welcome to attend the Mass at Our Lady of the Rosary Chapel, but cannot receive Holy Communion until they join the congregation and "hold fast to the traditions we have learned." The church is well-known in the community for its annual Christmas Craft & Bake Sale fundraiser, held on the first Saturday after Thanksgiving.
The foundation of St. Peter's Episcopal Church was layed in 1802, at the beginning of Thomas Jefferson's presidency, and the building still stands along the Monroe Green today. In fact, St. Peter's is the oldest church in Monroe. "St. Peter's mission is to welcome with God's love all people on their journey of faith," says Rev. Kurt Huber, rector of the church.
Every September, the sweet aroma of homemade baked goods like apple pies, tarts and cookies fills the air as bakers and artisans sell their wares on the Green during St. Peter's annual Apple Festival.
United Methodist Church of Monroe members "take seriously the balance of witness outreach and care of the saints that has been the cornerstone of Christian faith and vitality throughout the history of the church."
It offers many programs as a mission to the Monroe community and "the entire world." Pastor Kregg M. Gabor's church seeks to worship God and reach out to our world with healing in Jesus' name.
Saint Stephen Parish in Trumbull was filling up by the early 1970s and Reverend Walter W. Curtis of Bridgeport decided a new church was needed to accommodate the growing number of Catholic families moving to Monroe. On Dec. 12, 1973, Saint Jude Parish opened. It now has a parish that includes more than 2,400 local families.
