The present Henrietta United Church of Christ is believed to be the earliest church in Henrietta. As early as 1812, Deacon Moses Sperry read sermons to a small congregation in the school house near his home on West Henrietta Road and the corner of Lehigh Station Road.

Records show the organization of the Congregational Church of Henrietta in May, 1816, and in February, 1818, the inhabitants met for the purpose of organizing a religious society by the name of Manville. In October of 1818, members convened for the purpose of building a log meeting house for the Congregational Church and Society in Henrietta.

Property was later purchased from the Monroe Academy in 1831, and by 1832 a frame church was built on Lehigh Station Road.

Antoinette Louisa Brown Blackwell, American minister and reformer, was born in Henrietta N.Y., on May 20, 1825, and began to speak publicly in the services of the Congregational Church at age nine. Her family is found in our early records with Antoinette joining in 1834. In September, 1853, Antoinette Brown Blackwell became the first ordained woman minister in the United States.

The "Union Advertiser of Rochester" reported that a fire on the evening of January 26, 1867, completely destroyed the Congregational Church in Henrietta. Within three days an invitation was received to share the house of worship with the congregation of the First Methodist Church. Immediate plans were made to build a new church (pictured above). The cornerstone was laid August, 1867. At the same time the name was formally changed to the First Congregational Church of Henrietta.

In 1916, the First Congregational Church and the First Methodist Church merged and became known as the Union Congregational Church. The name remained unchanged until February 2, 1959, when members voted to become the Henrietta United Church of Christ, joining the United Church of Christ denomination that was formed in 1957, when the Evangelical and Reformed Church merged with the Congregational Christian Churches.

By the early 1960's the church had outgrown its facilities. Construction on the current site was begun in 1965 with the dedication May, 1966.

As our building expanded, so did our church's ministry. Our church established and operated a child care facility from 1978-1999. We established a ministry to the developmentally disabled. We currently host our Boy Scout Troop 153, Alcoholics Anonymous, Al-Anon, as well as offering a variety of spiritual growth and enrichment groups.

Our history has seen changes in our name, our building, our people, our community, and our ministries. But one thing has not changed -- our church's commitment to love and to serve God and God's people with dedication, unity and joy. This commitment will lead us into a future that is full of hope and promise.

Rev. David Inglis, Sr. Pastor    ~    Rev. Martha Koenig Stone, Associate Pastor Email: henucc@juno.com