About Us
The Ministry of First United Church of Jesus Christ (Apostolic) East Hartford date as far back as the late 1980’s when a small group started conducting prayer meetings in the home of Bro. Easton & Sis. Hazel Redway. They were supported by a group from NY Headquarters who visited weekly to worship with them. During one of these services Pastor, then Bro. Roy D Wright, was invited to join this group of worshipers and as divine guidance would have it he became a part of the group then later the primary leader. The lack of a building and other circumstances caused the initial stage of the ministry to go into a dormant state for a few years without any further efforts to build the ministry of First United Hartford.
The summer of 2004 marked a pivotal point in the life of Min. Roy D. Wright regarding the ministry of First United Church in Hartford. During the forgoing years he had continued to labor in the service of the Lord working with the First United Ministry in Springfield for several years, and functioning in various district positions. The latter two years were spent laboring in the Ministry at Pentecostal Tabernacle (Apostolic) Church where he worked closely with Pastor Lloyd Russell in building that Ministry. August of 2004 was a defining period in the life of Min. Wright. The calling of the Lord moved in such a powerful way that he could no longer ignore the call to leadership that he for so long sought to evade. He first met with his diocesan bishop, Leslie J. Barnes, accompanied by Evangelist Joan Smith and unfolded to him the charge that God had placed upon him. He then met with Pastor Russell and declared to him his decision to be obedient to God’s leading.
Pastor Roy D. Wright parted from PTA with Pastor Russell’s blessings and proceeded to start having Sunday school in his home as instructed by his Bishop to do until an appropriate place could be secured. The group of eight that started this phase of the work in Pastor Wright’s home rapidly grew; in the space of about a month and a half they rented a building and began to worship at 1160 Burnside Ave. Rental of the space was extremely high accompanied by a high maintenance cost. However, the mercy of God prevailed, the ministry continued to grow, and the three year lease was accomplished. The building was sold about four months prior to the expiration of the lease and the new owners did not renew it.
A favorable arrangement was presented by the new ownership which Pastor Wright accepted by faith and trusted God to provide a new location. The arrangement was made the first week of September 2007 which required First United to vacate by the end of September. Trusting God Pastor Wright and the Saints adhered to the deadline and moved out with no destination in sight. At this point we felt like we were much like the children of Israel sojourning in the wilderness. The first week of October the church held services at the Holiday Inn on Robert St in East Hartford and by the following weekend God provided a way that was nothing short of a miracle. Pastor Wright contacted the Pastor of St. Isaac Jogues Catholic Church which is located in the center of the community they have been evangelizing. Without so much as a lease agreement or prepayment, the bishop in charge agreed to rent us a space and handed us the keys urging that we start occupying the building immediately.
It was truly a glorious experience as we witnessed the hands of the Lord manifesting in our midst. The rent was set forty percent less than we were paying at the other building and all the facilities we were lacking to function in our targeted ministry were made available. The two years spent at this location was truly the move of God and a confirmation of his purpose for this ministry. The establishment of the Food Bank, Food share and Soup Kitchen were set in place and are currently highly functional and meeting the needs of the community. Throughout this period the ministry encountered some fierce attacks by the enemy but was always victorious as promised by the word of God, “…the gates of hell shall not prevail,” against God’s Church. The membership fluctuated and declined at times, but the Spirit of the Lord remained strong and those who remained continued to grow in God’s Word as they continued relentlessly to build the ministry.
At the conclusion of two years at the St. Isaac building, Pastor Wright and the Saints once again moved in obedience to God’s spirit and relocated to our current location at Temple Beth Tefilah, 465 Oak Street, East Hartford. The building for the most part had been unoccupied, so when Pastor Wright contacted the owners; the favor of the Lord prevailed once more and they agreed to rent the building to First United Hartford. Also, once again the mighty hand of God was witnessed working on our behalf in the reduction of our rent by 33%. This further assisted the administration of the ministry of FUCOJC.
As children of faith we trust God and need not see evidence of his hands in the process of our lives to continue our walk of faith. Our belief, trust, and absolute obedience to God are not contingent on our understanding of the process by which He chooses to mold us into his ultimate vessel. God alone is omniscient and infinite; therefore, His will dictates our purpose and should be the only guiding force in accomplishing our existence.