Danbury Church Offers Water to All Who Want It
How You Can Help the Water Ministry
Any donation of cash, checks will assure that water will be available to anyone who needs it this summer. You may add your donation of cash or checks to the collection plate on Sunday with a note that says "Water Ministry." You may also mail your donation to:
First Congregational Church of Danbury
164 Deer Hill Ave.
Danbury, CT 06810
Attn: Water Ministry
You may also donate bottles and cans that we can redeem for the deposit. Please drop them off at the church office. Every last cent that you donate will purchase more water!
DANBURY CT, July 2, 2024 -- The First Congregational or Danbury is giving away free water to anyone who wants it. This year’s program started on June 18 just as the season’s first heat wave moved through the state.
The familiar blue and white cooler (photo, above) bears a simple sign in English and Spanish: “Free water. Please Take One.” And the water flows – 40 or more pint-size bottles a day when heat index spikes.
“All kinds of people use this water to get through their days,” said Rev. Dr. Pat Kriss, pastor of the First Congregational Church. “Homeless people. People whose only transportation is their feet. People working in the heat of the day like delivery drivers, postal workers, as well as runners and emergency workers.”
Water Ministry Launched in 2023; Community Rallies
This ministry was launched in July , 2023, and has gained attention in Danbury. Facebook posts have drawn positive reactions and comments, as well as donations of water, ice and an ice chest.
“We’re also fortunate to receive ice from the Sesame Seed restaurant,” digital outreach coordinator Gregory Pings said. “Support from the wider Danbury community has been positive across the board. Not a single negative comment, emoji, email, letter or phone call”
Last year, the congregation purchased 60 cases of water and nearly 400 pounds of ice. In addition, Pings calculated that the Sesame Seed restaurant donated about 2,000 pounds of ice in 2023.
Water Ministry an Expression of "Samaritanship"
In 2024, the church plans to keep the cooler stocked with ice-cold water through the month of September when temperatures begin to moderate.
“Good Samaritans show themselves through deeds great and small,” Rev. Kriss explained. “They save lives, much like the Samaritan on the road to Jericho did in Jesus’ familiar parable in Luke 10. Other Samaritans provide food, rides, jobs, smiles and even water to people who need it most.
“The road to Jericho runs past our church as well as our homes,” she added. “It’s up to everyone in Danbury to become a neighbor in meaningful ways large and small.”
First Congregational Church of Danbury Serves the Community
Programs at the First Congregational Church of Danbury are open to everyone in the greater Danbury community. In addition to Sunday worship, the church offers free movie nights, a thrift store with high-quality clothes, accessories, housewares, books, music DVDs and more. Our Deer Hill Thrift Shop also rents costumes to theater programs at area schools and non-profits.
Space in our former church school is available for rent. We invite community-based or faith-based organizations to explore opportunities to host their events or meetings in these rooms. Current tenants include Alcoholics Anonymous. the Dominican Community Center’s Art Explorer program, and WestConn Toastmasters.
Our sanctuary is an affordable and sought-after concert venue that features regular performances from the Danbury Music Centre, and Connecticut Master Chorale.
Founded in 1696, the First Congregational Church of Danbury is a community of people who come together to serve God the way that Jesus did -- by working to make God’s vision of a peaceful, just and inclusive world a reality.
The church is a member of the United Church of Christ, which believes that God is still speaking in ways that are grounded in ancient Christian understandings, but which are fresh expressions of the Divine presence in contemporary life.
Learn more about the First Congregational Church at Facebook and YouTube.
Media contact: Gregory Pings, 203-744-6177