Our History

The founding families of Wading River were Congregationalists, originally from Connecticut. In the 1680s,Presbyterians from Massachusetts also moved to the area and for the next 60 years the people of Wading River worshiped together in their homes, in the open, or wherever space was available.

By 1740 the community had grown to the point that a church building was needed. The first church in Wading River, and the 2nd in Riverhead Township, was built. It was founded as a Presbyterian church and was located across the street from the current building. After the revival known as the Great Awakening spread across New England, Congregational Separatists moved into the area and led a movement to reorganize

the church as a Congregational Church. The church was reorganized and officially became the Wading River Congregational Church in 1785.

By 1837 the original church building was no longer sufficient, so the congregation decided to sell it and build a new one on land donated to the church by local resident Zophar Miller. The new building was dedicated to the worship of God and opened on January 1st, 1838. A church parlor  was later added in 1906 as the church continued to thrive.

In the late 1940s the area began to grow and so did the church. In 1956, and after many years, the church called its first full-time minister, Rev. Reginald Dwight Avery who served until 1960. When he left, the Rev. Louis Tuleja was called by the church and served in Wading River for 36 years until his retirement in 1996. After Rev. Tuleja’s retirement, the church called Rev. Peter Vibert and he served as pastor from 1996 until 2012 when he retired. In 2012 WRCC called Rev. T J Turner, who served as pastor until April of 2020. After a lengthy pastoral search process, WRCC voted to call Rev. John Brock Evans in June of 2023, and he is currently serving as the seated pastor.

Through many years and many changes, WRCC has existed to glorify God and to serve the community around us by proclaiming the good news of new life through Jesus in both word and deed. We remain committed to this mission today.