History
Walnut Hill, a daughter church to Black Rock Congregational Church in Fairfield, began as a small group meeting on Sunday evenings in the summer of 1981. A number of these people had been attending Black Rock and felt led of God to establish an evangelical church in the greater Danbury area closer to where they lived. Out of that initial group came a vision that to this day still permeates our congregation. They dreamed of a church committed to:
- relevant, biblically based preaching and teaching
- warm and caring fellowship
- quality ministry for youth of all ages
- worldwide impact through cross cultural missions
The church, initially known as Grace Community Church, held its first service on Sunday morning, February 7, 1982, in the Ramada Inn of Danbury. The first pastor was called the following July. In the years that followed, the church lived out of a suitcase utilizing facilities of local schools.
The property on which our campus now rests (13.5 acres) was purchased in 1988. The first service was held in our original 24,000 sq. ft. multipurpose building Easter Sunday, 1996. In January of that same year, in anticipation of our move to Walnut Hill Road in Bethel, the name was changed to Walnut Hill Community Church.
Spring of 2003 we began utilizing our new 37,000 sq. ft. facility. This new building includes the Fellowhip Mall, Guest Room, 24-7 Prayer Room, Worship Center and Youth Center. Our original building is where our Children's Center is located.
In July 2008 we began occupying the newest parts of our campus: An expanded Worship Center, a Discipleship Wing with seven meeting spaces, a new Nursery Center, a Children's Theatre that seats 200 kids, and a second-level Loft designed specifically for 5th & 6th graders. We also have two new rooms for Special Forces (our ministry to children with special needs). A second-floor office complex is home away from home for our approximately 40 full- and part-time staff members.
The FINAL phase of our latest (and final) expansion culminated summer 2009, as we celebrated the opening of our Windows Cafe - a place where our church family can grow in their relationships over a cup of specialty coffee and refreshments.
Our expanded Resource Center also relocated to this new area - just off the Fellowship Mall - bringing our campus pretty much to its full physical potential.
In 2010, we recognized that God appeared to be up to something special in our area -- and knowing we could not expand further on this site -- key leaders took the better part of 2010 to research and develop plans for a second Walnut Hill campus somewhere approximately 20-25 miles east of our Bethel site. On Sunday, November 28, 2010, the first service of the Greater Waterbury Campus was held at the Chase Collegiate School, 565 Chase Parkway, just off Exit 18 of I-84 in Waterbury. This new congregation has fast become a place where people can enjoy the intimacy of a smaller church, experiencing new friendships and significant community, while still being part of a larger church family.
And now on to the Valley
Our very first worship service in the Valley will take place on November 27, 2011 – at the Strand Theater in Seymour.
God has called our church to share His love in a region where less than 2% of all people are Evangelical Christians. Sensing that call, we've spent the better part of a year preparing the way - spiritually and logistically - for our second satellite campus. We are excited to see what God has in store for this region.