Senior Minister - Rev Dr Charles Hambrick-Stowe
Charles Hambrick-Stowe has served as senior minister of the First Congregational Church since November, 2008. He came to Ridgefield from the Chicago area where he was dean and professor at Northern Seminary. He previously served churches in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and Westminster, Maryland. Dr. Hambrick-Stowe describes his return to pastoral ministry as his answer to the basic question, "What does God want me to be doing at this stage of my life?"
Rev. Charlie, as he is often called, explains his love for Christian ministry in the congregational setting in this way:
- "I am most passionate about designing and leading faithful worship, preaching the Word of God, caring for God's people, teaching the Christian faith, helping believers grow in personal faith, encouraging fellowship and mission, building a sense of membership in the global church, and guiding congregations toward a vital future. My ministry is biblically rooted and centered in the person and work of Jesus Christ."
As the church approaches its 300th anniversary, he believes that exciting days are ahead for First Congregational Church.
Dr. Hambrick-Stowe is a graduate of Hamilton College (B.A.), Pacific School of Religion (M.A. and M.Div.), and Boston University (Ph.D.).
Dr. Hambrick-Stowe has published numerous articles and books in the fields of church history, Christian faith, and American religious experience. Among his publications are The Practice of Piety: Puritan Devotional Disciplines in Seventeenth-Century New England (University of North Carolina Press); Early New England Meditative Poetry: Anne Bradstreet and Edward Taylor (Paulist Press); Charles G. Finney and the Spirit of American Evangelicalism (Eerdmans); and Holding On to the Faith: Confessional Traditions in American Christianity (University Press of America).
He has also been involved in a number of television productions, including the film Mary Siliman's War (a Fairfield County true story during the Revolutionary War); The Scarlet Letter (Discovery Channel); Colonial House (PBS-TV); and God in America (coming to PBS-TV in 2010).
Charles Hambrick-Stowe is married to Elizabeth, has three young adult married children, one in Hartford and two in Baltimore, and is proud grandfather of Zachary and Rachel.
