Our Mission

To renew, to serve and to accept all people as we grow together in Christ

A Brief History

1797 – After a quarrel within the Congregational Church, a group of residents created an Episcopal parish.  A Church is built at the corner of Church and Kelsey Streets.

1872 – Newington just became an independent town.  A group of Episcopalians who have been meeting informally for over ten years decide to apply to become a parish, and Grace Church Parish is formed. Our legal name of record is Grace Church Parish, but along the way we became known as Grace Episcopal Church.  That name is what we are known by today within the community and the Diocese.

1919 – Parish is under the authority of the Cathedral in Hartford due to the retirement in 1915 of Jared Starr, a founding member and Deacon of the parish.

1952 – The parish had grown enough to build a rectory and call its first rector, Brendan Griswold.

1957 – The town is growing fast and Grace is too; it’s time to build the current church building on Maple Hill Avenue.

1965 – The Brinley building addition is built to house the overcrowded Church School due to the post war WWII baby boom. The addition also houses the office, meeting room and library.

1972 – Grace Church celebrates its Centennial year.

1989 - Called our first woman rector, the Rev. Martha Hedgpeth.

1990- The wooden cross in front of the church was installed.

2002- The Memorial Garden was completed and dedicated. The garden is a beautiful, well-landscaped, quiet reflective space with an outdoor altar and benches.

2005- The church receives a Green Circle State of Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection Award for being environmentally conscious and is known within the Diocese as a green church.

2012- Grace Episcopal Church becomes an Episcopal Believe Out Loud congregation.