About Us

Union Congregational Church is a LGBTQ+ Open And Affirming Church.

Click here to sign-up for more information about the church, LGBTQ+ events, small groups, and justice work.

Rev. Katrina At Sunday Worship - June 25, 2023

"People of God, let us pray:

Good and gracious God,

God whose mercy is ever-expanding, and wider than we can imagine.

We pray, as this Pride month comes to a close,

giving thanks for all of the LGBTQ+ people who have, over the centuries,

helped us understand our vision and understanding of your love.

We give thanks for those who fought so that others would find a world more accepting –

those who have been loud and proud so that all could find belonging.

Help us to continually draw the circle wider, deepen our affirmation and

embody a more extravagant welcome for all."

Union Congregational Church Members At Montclair Pride 2023

What does LGBTQ+ Open And Affirming Church mean?

We welcome God’s people and celebrate the many images of the Divine manifested in differing gender expressions, identities and sexual orientations. Union Congregational Church has welcomed LGBTQ+ people into the full life and ministry of the church since 2001.

For more information:

Please check out this Letter From Rev. Katrina Forman About The Trans Day Of Affirmation Celebration March 16, 2023

Please check out our 2023 Pride Sunday #1 sermon from Rev. Andrea Vassel with this link

Please check out our 2023 Pride Sunday #2 sermon from Rev. Ron Verblaauw with this link

Please check out our 2022 Pride Sunday service with this link

Please check out Opening Remarks From Community Leaderes At The Trans Day Of Affirmation Celebration March 16, 2023

Please check out the United Church Of Christ's Open And Affirming LGBTQ Ministries by clicking this link

INTRODUCING PRIDE CHOIR:

Out Montclair and Union Cong Pride Choir have come together to launch an inclusive LGBTQ+ community choir. The purpose of Pride Choir is to provide a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community to gather, be celebrated, and make music together. Instilled with a culture of diversity and inclusion, the Pride Choir will foster acceptance and entertain audiences with inspiring musical performances. There is no audition required for entrance into the ensemble.

About Out Montclair: Out Montclair is dedicated to fostering community and providing support and solidarity for the LGBTQIA+ population of Montclair, New Jersey. Out Montclair offers educational and charitable activities and events to promote inclusivity and equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, non-binary and gender-fluid youth and adults. They are a safe space where the LGBTQIA+ community and allies can come together and celebrate who they are. All of Out Montclair’s programs and events are open to the public.

About Union Congregational Church: Seeing an opportunity to invite and lift up our neighbors in the LGBTQ+ community, and live into the church’s 2001 Open and Affirming Covenant welcoming all LGBTQ+ people in to the full life and ministry of our church, Union Congregational Church is overjoyed to partner with Out Montclair and launch Pride Choir in August. By hosting a LGBTQ+ non-religious community chorus, the church strives to celebrate and affirm the lives of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender individuals and foster greater celebration of and support for LGBTQ+ people in the wider community.

Please Click Here To View The Governance Bylaws For Presentation At The June 11 Annual Meeting

Please Click Here To View The Resolution Authorizing The Implementation Of A New Governance Structure For Union Congregational Church, United Church Of Christ

For more information related past governance proposals and presentations, please visit the Governance Tab Of Our Strategic Visioning website, by clicking here or going to https://loveunionsjourney.com/governance-history

Rev. Katrina Forman, Lead Minister

Katrina joined Union Cong as the Youth Minister for the 2018-2019 year and was called as an Associate Minister in July 2019. Growing up in Ohio and Wisconsin, Katrina has been a lifelong UCC member. Through youth groups, service and worship, Katrina was instilled with an early love for the church's community, message of grace, and commitment to justice. After several years working for immigration justice and then in the labor movement, she came to realize that God was calling her to bring her skills of organizing and leadership development to the church. She is a graduate of Oberlin College and Union Theological Seminary.

Together with her husband Dan, who is a union organizer, she can often be found chasing their toddler and infant sons around a playground. Their family is new to New Jersey and always happy for recommendations of fun outings - especially if they involve food, the outdoors, or history!

973-744-7424, ext. 203 church office This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Jon Thomsen, Executive Director

Jon Thomsen joined Union as the Executive Director in April 2021. His primary responsibilities include managing the facilities, human resources, and finance, as well as supporting various board committees and taskforces.

Previously, he served as the Chief Operating Officer of Family Promise of Morris County for nearly 11 years. He oversaw a time of exponential growth and expansion of community services. Jon holds a BA in History from Messiah University, while also spending time at Temple University. He also holds certificates in Non-Profit Executive Leadership and Human Resource Management. Jon lives in Bergen County with his wife, Erin, who is a development and marketing professional, and their dog, Jack.

973-744-7424, Ext. 201 973-744-7426 (direct) This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

photo john david

John David Whitener, Co-Music Director, Adult Choir Director, Co-Founder And Music Director Of Pride Choir

John David Whitener is a conductor, music educator, and singer who is serving Union as the Director of Music. John David holds a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance from Middle Tennessee State University, a Masters of Music in Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and was a member of the Manhattan School of Music's Opera Studio. John David served his previous church, Bethany United Church of Christ, as the music director from 2016 until he moved to New Jersey in 2021.

John David has worked in several school districts teaching choir and theatre, for which he has received numerous distinctions including "Catawba County's Outstanding First Year Teacher Award" and has led students to achieve state-wide and national recognition. Outside of the classroom, John David has worked with numerous performing arts organizations, including a stint as the Executive Director of the Newton-Conover Auditorium, an organization focused on cultural and arts education and outreach. John David has performed in numerous musical theatre and opera productions.

John David and his husband, Jeremy, also a music and theatre educator. The couple loves seeing as many Broadway and off-Broadway shows as they can, cuddling with their puppies, working in community and political activism, and participating in UCC's vibrant music program.

973-707-3248 (direct) This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Jeremy Whitener - Co-Music Director, Handbell Director

Jeremy received his Bachelors of Music Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro where he focused on choral singing and conducting. Jeremy has conducted church choirs, youth choirs, and handbell ensembles across North Carolina. Jeremy has been performing for over 25 years and teaching music, performing arts, private voice, and piano for 10 years. His love of music and theatre has led him to direct and music direct shows for his community's youngest performers including The Lion King Jr, Frozen Jr, Peter Pan Jr, and The Wizard of Oz. Jeremy has performed around the world with choirs, vocal ensembles, acting troupes, and musical theatre tours. He is currently the Performing Arts Teacher at Liberty Elementary School. When not teaching, acting, or making music, Jeremy loves crafting, cuddling with his dogs, and seeing shows with his husband.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Kristine Hart - Director of Children's and Youth Choirs

Kristine holds a Bachelors and Master’s degree in music education and vocal performance. She has performed at opera houses internationally and was recognized as a National Grand Finals Winner in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in 2001. Kristine is currently an elementary music teacher at Memorial School, in Paramus, NJ. She was recently recognized as “Teacher of the Year” in Bergen County and leads workshops in “Best Elementary Music Practices” in the area.

At Union Congregational Church, Kristine serves as the Soprano Section Leader, Children’s Choir Director, and Youth Choir Director. She believes that children and youth music help to develop a positive spiritual community, as well as a positive environment for the children to develop important musical skills.

B.J. Carter, Interim Coordinator for Children and Youth

B.J.'s first introduction to Sunday School came at a young age, sparked by an innocent question to his mother: "Why did Grandpa turn to stone after he died?" He had misunderstood that his grandfather's headstone wasn't literally Grandpa. From that experience, he understands that even the youngest among us have big questions about life and faith. B. J. grew up in Boulder, Colorado, and later attended the University Of San Diego. After graduating, he became a college minister with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, where he met his wife, Sarah, who was working with the same organization. They have been married for nearly 17 years and have two energetic boys, Jackson and Cole, whom you've likely seen racing down the aisle on their way to children's ministry on Sundays. Recently, B.J. has held the role of stay-at-home dad while also working as a substitute teacher in Montclair Kimberly Academy here in town. Since becoming church members last Spring, he is eager to lead and grow the ministry for young people in our church.

973-744-7424, Ext. 201 email B.J.

Lynn Kulik, Director of the Nursery School

Lynn has been director of the school since 2013. She joined the UCWNS Community in 1998 as a parent, served on the Nursery School Leadership team, and later joined the faculty in 2008. She has taught Kindergarten and a multi-age loop classroom of Kindergarten/1st grade at a progressive public school in Chapel Hill, NC. Lynn has been involved in education for the past 25 years.

She holds a B.S. in Early and Middle Education from Radford University and most recently graduated from the NJ Directors Academy in the fall of 2013.Lynn serves on the Board of the NJEEPRE and is actively involved in the United Way Montclair Directors Network. She is passionate about how children construct knowledge and the Reggio Philosophy Approach to educating children.

973-744-9069 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

photo kim

Kim Crabtree, Member Engagement And Communications Manager, Co-Founder Pride Choir

Kim was a professional Equity stage manager for eight years in Los Angeles, facilitating communication across all creative and technical departments of theatrical productions at the Mark Taper Forum, Geffen Playhouse and Deaf West Theater. She then transitioned into a large-scale event fundraiser/development associate role for the meal-delivering non-profit Project Angel Food. Kim also spent several years in Los Angeles coordinating all of the details needed to transfer new, closing Broadway productions and open them in Los Angeles and San Francisco with original casts, sets, and creative staff.

Kim has created spoken, deck, and printed content, environmental signage, and videos for conferences and large-scale fundraisers across the country and in Ireland. Digitally, she has AD'd live-to-tape shows for PBS, produced livestreams, web content, app content, and social media campaigns. In March 2020, Kim assisted a colleague in helping launch her vision of a virtual event channel to keep women connected and entertained during the pandemic. Since its inception, they have Zoomed over 800 virtual events. Kim and her wife, a deaf and hard-of-hearing educator, live in Ringwood.

973-744-7424, Ext. 206 973-233-4563 (direct) This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Albert Fenske-Williams, Space Use And Facilities Manager

Albert was born and raised the son of a pastor in the Reformed Church in America. He has learned to love everyone in that community, and been given the opportunity to volunteer and work to help make that community grow. He has been married since 2022 to his beautiful wife Rebecca. They live with their two perfect cats Taco and Margarita. Albert love sports, music, playing video games, movies, and being creative in general. Before being given this opportunity, he had the privilege to work at Warwick Conference Center in almost every facet of their programs since I was 14 years old. He is really excited to be at Union Congregational to do what he loves and now be a part of Union Cong’s community.

973-744-7424, Ext. 207 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Rev. Marie A. Bacchiocchi, Minister Of Visitation And Pastoral Care

The Rev. Marie A. Bacchiocchi was raised in Mansfield, Massachusetts where she learned how to be an ardent Boston sports fan. She currently serves as Minister of Old Brick Reformed Church in a part-time capacity. She received her BA from Mount Holyoke College, her M.Div. from Harvard Divinity School, and her MAT in elementary education from Rhode Island College. Marie is a trained Spiritual Director from the Hesychia School of Spiritual Direction in Tucson, Arizona. She has served congregations in Arizona, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Rhode Island, and New Jersey and has served in regional settings as well. She loves working with individuals assisting them in discovering where God’s spirit is leading them, while contextualizing faith to our current society and culture. Marie lives in Manalapan, New Jersey with her three cats, Bruno, Luna, and Peekaboo, and in her free time, she pursues her passion of competitive ballroom dancing.

732-874-0528 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

What to expect

All are welcome to join us. Currently, the CDC lists the Covid risk status in Essex county as medium. Masks are strongly recommended for in person worship service.
Our worship space is air conditioned. We live stream our worship services to YouTube. There is a camera-free area in the back on the left side, you will not be picked up by any cameras.

Parking

If you are young and able bodied, parking on the street is your best bet. Cooper Ave is ONE WAY on Sunday mornings so enter from Valley Rd or Northview side. There are 18 spots behind the parsonage we like to reserve for seniors or those using the ramp. Enter the driveway to the left of the church building to park there.

Greeters & Ushers

Greeters will welcome you as you enter the worship space (aka sanctuary). Identify yourself as visiting if you like. Ushers will hand you a bulletin so you can follow the order of worship. If you need large print bulletins, headphones, or childcare they can direct you. Sit wherever you feel comfortable. There are red "Wecome" pads at the end of each pew where you can share your contact information if you wish.

Is the Sanctuary Accessible?

Yes. There is an accessible ramp to the left of the church tower that allows you to enter the church through the open Assembly Room and then into the Sanctuary. Ushers will be available to help guide you.

Come as you are Dress Code?

You’ll see it all here, from suits to soccer uniforms, hats to pink hair. Come as you like. Jesus wasn’t that snappy a dresser… although most people do wear shoes.

When do we start and end?

Worship begins at 10:00 AM. The prelude music is a time to center yourself and prepare to worship God. The service concludes at 11:00 and the musical finish (postlude) signals it is appropriate to leave. Many people sit and enjoy the closing music, some are off to the next thing.

Are visitors asked to stand up?

No. We do hope visitors will let our greeters know who they are and join us for coffee hour in the Assembly room after the worship service.

Communion

The sacrament of communion is celebrated the first Sunday of every month and on several other occasions. We have an open table, anyone can take communion including children. We usually serve communion by intinction which means you file up to the front of the church take bread and dip it into the cup of juice then move back to your seat as you eat it. We use glutten free bread and grape juice.

Childcare & Sunday School

Children are welcome in worship at any age. The childcare room is in the main church building. An usher can direct you there. We call Sunday School Learning Centers and they happen in conjunction with the worship service for students through 5th grade. Our web pages can give you an overview of what happens.

Coffee Fellowship

A time to socialize follows each service and happens in the Assembly Room or on the porch. We serve fair trade coffee, tea, & light snacks, in the summer, lemonade. We encourage visitors to join us and speak to the regulars. You can stop to greet the ministers as you enter the Assembly Room and introduce yourself.

Our Denomination

The United Church of Christ is a bottom-up organization, which is exactly the opposite of most mainline denominations. The direction, governance, and finances happen at the local church level and are moved upward to determine the UCC’s direction and passion. That is one reason why you will find UCC churches from many different backgrounds, Lutheran, Baptist, Evangelical & Reformed, Congregational, Korean, Pacific Islander, and Community churches. Congregations like the philosophy of the United Church of Christ, while also maintaining their founding identity. Click here to learn more about the UCC.