Statement of PurposeStatement of Purpose
As a congregation of the body of Christ in downtown New Haven, we have been and remain committed to being a caring and diverse church, which is reflected in our worship, prayer, and action. We welcome persons of every race, culture, class, age, ability and disability, and sexual orientation into our congregation. We encourage members to celebrate the expression of the many gifts individuals bring to this community.
    We pray for the grace to be a people reconciled in God’s love. Our congregation aspires to be a nurturing community, supporting one another in our journeys of faith. We work in the hope of sharing in God’s power for good among the powerless of this world.
     With other Christian communions and religious faiths, we reach out to all God’s children in dialogue, mission, and ministry. We ask for God’s love, forgiveness and power as we struggle to do God’s will.
Opportunities for Service & GrowthOpportunities for Service & Growth
 Missions and Outreach provides opportunities for service to the wider community, including Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers, the Awareness, Benevolence, and Concerns (ABC) Committee, the Singbe Pieh Awards, the Peace Vigil, and the Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen, to name a few.
 The Education. Our education program, including Sunday School, Sermon Reflections, the Intern Committee, the Youth Group, and the Young Adult Group are central to our membership.
 The Board of Trustees is charged with maintaining the long-term assets of the church, including our building and various trust funds.
 The Membership and Evangelism Committee strengthens and spreads our faith through programs such as member visitation, welcoming new members, Women’s Forum, and other activities.
 The Finance & Stewardship Committee oversees collections, pays the bills, coordinates the work of the Treasurer and the Financial Secretary, prepares financial statements, arranges for period audits of our finances, and prepares the church annual budget.
 The Staff-Pastor-Parish Relations Committee (SPPR) oversees the personnel functions of the church and coordinates the needs and expectations of our congregation and our paid staff, including the Pastor, Property Manager, Office Manager, and Organist. While the Committee actively seeks comments from the congregation, its meetings are generally not open to the public, due the confidential nature of personnel issues.
The Methodist Social CreedThe Methodist Social Creed
We believe in God, Creator of the world; and in Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of creation. We believe in the Holy Spirit, through whom we acknowledge God’s gifts, and we repent of our sin in misusing these gifts to idolatrous ends.
We affirm the natural world as God’s handiwork and dedicate ourselves to its preservation, enhancement, and faithful use by humankind.
We joyfully receive for ourselves and others the blessings of community, sexuality, marriage, and the family.
We commit ourselves to the rights of men, women, children, youth, young adults, the aging, and people with disabilities; to improvement of the quality of life; and to the rights and dignity of racial, ethnic, and religious minorities.
We believe in the right and duty of persons to work for the glory of God and the good of themselves and others and in the protection of their welfare in so doing; in the rights to property as a trust from God; in collective bargaining and responsible consumption; and in the elimination of economic and social distress.
We dedicate ourselves to peace throughout the world, to the rule of justice and law among nations, and to individual freedom for all people of the world.
We believe in the present and final triumph of God’s Word in human affairs and gladly accept our commission to manifest the life of the Gospel in the world. Amen
How to contact us...How to Contact Us
Mail:

First & Summerfield United
      Methodist Church
425 College Street
New Haven, CT 06511
Phone: (203) 624-2521
E-Mail: fsmethodist@sbcglobal.net
reconciling Congregationreconciling Congregation
Our commitment to being a caring, diverse church is reflected in our worship, prayer, and action. We are a reconciling congregation, supporting the Reconciling Ministries Network.
We welcome persons of every race culture, class, age, ability and disability, and sexual orientation into our congregation.
Our HistoryOur History
For we have celebrated our presence in New Haven with histories every 50 years. The most recent, 200 Years of Methodism: 1789-1989, is reproduced here in digital form:
 Introduction & Foreword
 The First 150 Years: 1789-1939
 The 1940s and 1950s
 The 1960s
 The 1970s
 The 1980s
 The Summerfield Story
 The Building
 Timeline
 List of Ministers