Hartford First Church of the Nazarene

Click here for the History of the Church of the Nazarene

Here is the History of Hartford First Church of the Nazarene

Hartford First Church of the Nazarene was started by Rev. Robert J. Dixon, who was born in Ireland and came to the United States as a lad with his family who settled in Avon, CT. When Robert became a young man, he moved to Hartford and became a Born-again Christian. While attending a Holiness meeting in a home on New Park Avenue, he was gloriously sanctified. He soon felt the call of God upon him to preach the Gospel, and began his ministerial training at God's Bible School in Cincinnati.

After coming into contact with the Church of the Nazarene, he attended Pasadena Nazarene University, then University of Southern California, later becoming Head of the Dept. of Philosophy in Pasadena Nazarene University.

Despite his academic success, his heart burned with a burden for the people of Hartford, and on August 12, 1912, he began holding nightly meetings in a hall at the corner of Park and Heath Streets in Hartford. After a month, the meetings moved to a store front church on Franklyn Avenue. On October 28, a permanent home for that congregation was found at 20 Wells Street in downtown Hartford.

Two years later, on June 20, 1914, the congregation was officially organized with 32 charter members, and the Hartford First Church of the Nazarene was born. Rev. Robert J. Dixon served as the pastor of the Hartford First Church until 1917.

On September 1, 1915, the congregation moved to a hall at 235 Asylum Street, with a membership of fifty-two. That property was sold, and the church was forced to move to 431 Zion Street on March 1, 1917. The church bought property at 153-157 Hungerford Street which became the home of the Hartford First Church for several years.

On November 1, 1937, the church bought the present property at 932 Capital Avenue. The current congregation is approximately 220. The church membership is 109, and our average Sunday morning Worship attendance is 148.

Hereunder is a list of the Pastors who served in the Hartford First Church:

1912-1917
1917-1919
1919-1923
1923-1924
1924-1926
1926-1927
1927-1929
1929-1933
1933-1936
1936-1938
1938-1965
1965-2000
2001-2009
2010-????

Rev. Robert J. Dixon, Founder
Rev. C. H. Lancaster
Rev. Robert J. Dixon (returned)
Rev. H. V. Miller
Rev. N. H. Washburn
Rev. H. H. Stahl
Rev. A. B. Anderson
Rev. C. H. Hopkins
Rev. J. D. Thomas
Rev. Elton B. Stetson
Rev. Herman W. Keeler
Rev. Keith E. Smith
Rev. Aaron L. Blache
Rev. Dr. Augustus Sealy