A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH
ROCKAWAY BEACH, NEW YORK

The First Congregational Church is the oldest house of worship in Rockaway
Beach. Our Sunday school was formed in 1881, and on December 29, 1885, a vote
was taken to formally organize a church. In 1886, we were first fully
recognized as a Congregational Church, with eleven original worshipers,
including our founder, Fannie R. Holland. The first pastor was Rev. John E. Fray.

Our original church building was located at 92-13 Boulevard (now called
Rockaway Beach Boulevard), on the south side of the street just east of the
present Peninsula Library. It was built in 1888 at a cost of $4,000, and
the yearly mortgage payment was then $1,200. To help defray the mortgage,
The Ladies Aid Society of the First Congregational Church was formed at
that time. In the late 1890’s, the church moved to the southwest corner of
Beach 94th Street and the Boulevard.

By 1896, the church had grown to 49 members. Rev. John C. Green became the
fourth pastor, and a parsonage was built in 1904, at 94-11 Rockaway Beach
Boulevard.

In 1934, when it was learned that New York City planned to take over much of
the land in the vicinity, including the church building, for the development
of the plaza and exit ramps for the Cross Bay Bridge, our congregation
built the John C. Green Chapel at a cost of $16,000. The last service in
the original church occurred on May 29, 1938, followed by the tolling of
the church bells 52 times, for each year of our church’s existence.
The congregation worshipped in the John C. Green Chapel from 1938-1941. In
1941, the present church structure was built, at 320 Beach 94 Street. In
1951, Rev. Henry Childs, Jr. began his ministry. The following year, the
present parsonage was built, at a cost of $24,000.

In 1959, First Congregational Church voted to affiliate with the United Church
of Christ, a mainline, progressive Protestant denomination which had just
been formed in 1957 through a merger of the Congregational Christian and
the Evangelical and Reformed churches.

In 1989, we extended the “call” to our first female pastor, Rev. Sharon Solt
Joseph. She served until 1999, followed by the Rev. Jan Powell. In 2008,
our congregation welcomed the Rev. Joseph C. Medlin as ninth pastor of the
First Congregational Church. We look forward to celebrating our 125th
Anniversary in 2011.

First Congregational Church of Rockaway Beach - circa 1914
(Congregation worshipped in this building, located at the southwest corner of
Rockaway Beach Boulevard and Beach 94 Street, from about 1895 – 1938).

PASTORS OF FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH
ROCKAWAY BEACH, NEW YORK