Our Lady of Czenstochowa is one of 78 Roman Catholic Polish-American churches in New England, set on a hill overlooking Washington Street in the village of Quidnick, near Coventry's border with West Warwick.
The church was founded by Polish immigrants in 1905, and the building itself, an example of gothic-style architecture, was built in 1907. It was named by Polish immigrants in Quidnick after a famous shrine in Poland.
The church is active within the community, and hosts many events, including the Polish American Food Festival in July. The festival features games, crafts and an opportunity to sample Polish staples such as golombkis, pierogis, kapusta soup and kielbasa.
The Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd was given new life with the completion of its new sanctuary in 2009. The chapel feels like a large living room, complete with high wooden ceilings, lots of windows and chairs.
Good Shepherd has a choir, a youth group and a prayer fellowship. Church members are active in supporting local charities, such as the Jonnycake Center, the Welcome House and the Domestic Violence Resource Center.
Centrally located in Middletown along tree-lined Forest Avenue, Graceway Community Church, a Christian church, prides itself on being a community made up of parishioners from all walks of life and from different socioeconomic, ethnic and denominational backgrounds.
Sunday morning services at Graceway include Bible Class at 9:30 am and Worship at 10:30. Bible Classes are open to all ages, from preschool to adult, and Sunday services typically feature Bible reading, prayer, communion, music and lessons.
Graceway also offers Connect Groups that include Pathfinders, The Way and Sojourners. Other programs include Prayer Room, Third Watch for teens, and youth activities, as well as ministry services that partner with other local area churches.
Lead Pastor Mike Sullivan, a native of Lawrence, Kansas and raised in North Dakota and California, attended Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas before completing his studies at Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas. He has served churches from California to Rhode Island for 21 years.
The United Brothers Synagogue is the second oldest synagogue in all of Rhode Island. The small, unassuming building tells little of the enormous historical significance this synagogue has on understanding the history of Jews in Rhode Island. The migration of Jews from Long Island, NY to Bristol RI at the turn of the Century was the start of the story and over the course of the next 100 years, the congregation transformed as the people transformed from its early Orthodox beginning to Reconstructionism of today. Reconstructionism is a more modern, liberal American-based Jewish movement .
Led by Scott Tepper, an innovative spiritual leader, all are welcomed who are interested in participating in Jewish life. A small synagogue means a close-knit congregation.
Christ Methodist Church, located on Kingstown Road, is a religious institution serving South Kingstown and surrounding communities.
Worship services are held each Sunday at 10:45am with communion service on the first Sunday of each month. Sunday school is also held on Sunday at 9am.
Led by Reverend Peter J. Gower, Saint Mary of the Bay Parish has more than 2,000 Parishioners. A Catholic church, it is affiliated with St. Jean Baptiste Mission Church, located down the road. The Parish performs baptism, communion and confirmation ceremonies. It offers religious education programs for children and the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults. Daily masses at Saint Mary of the Bay are held on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 7:15am.
Founded in 1905, the First Church of God built their house of worship on Allen Avenue in 1938. The Church of God is part of a nationwide network of 2,292 churches headquartered in Anderson, Indiana. The multi-cultural congregation in South Kingstown lends itself to a designation as one of the most unique church congregations in town.
The First Congregational Church was founded in 1680 at the same time the town itself was established. In 1785, Reverend Henry Wight, the pastor at First Congregational, started what is now known as the Bristol 4th of July Parade, the oldest 4th of July celebration in the USA. The Church itself is an impressive structure sitting proudly at the corner of High Street between Bradford and Congregational Streets. Under the leadership of Rev. Daniel Barron Randall, the church has been very active in the community. It provides a number of services such as a Christian education and Sunday school program, the Little Friends Preschool, the East Bay Food Pantry and Stone Soup Thrift Shop as well as hosting folk and bluegrass concerts in the church coffeehouse.
Temple Shalom in Middletown is a strong and growing congregation serving more than 120 families and members of the Jewish community in Newport County. For more than 40 years, the Temple Shalom synogugue has worked to provide a rich spiritual and religious life for its congregation from Aquidneck Island and surrounding communities.
Regular services, along with religious adult education, Bagels and the Book, Women of the Book, holiday celebrations, and various other social activities provide opportunities for the involvement and education of congregants.
Chabad of West Bay is an organization for the Jewish community that provides an atmosphere for nuturing wisdom, understanding and knowledge. Services, study groups and special programs create a foundation through which Jews may seek education and experience their heritage.
Frenchtown Baptist Church has a long history that dates back to 1798. It is an evangelical church that, according to Pastor Mel Bautista, seeks to make disciples of Jesus Christ.
The church is affiliated with the Conservative Baptist Association. It offers a "blended" worship, combining traditional hymns and contemporary praise music.
Before service on Sundays, there are two separate adult study sessions – one that is Bible-based and one addresses topical issues.
Founded in 1665, Stony Lane Baptist Church is one of the oldest Baptist churches in Rhode Island. Though the current facilities were built in 1990, the original meeting house remains on the property across the parking lot.
Stony Lane's congregation sees residents from Chepachet, Cranston, Jamestown, South Kingstown, North Kingstown and even students from the US Naval War College in Newport. Led by Pastor John Wheeler, the church prides itself on its accessibility, integrating Powerpoint presentations into the sermons to engage its parishioners. Additionally, the church offers child care services and has classrooms and a kitchen in the lower level of the facility.
If you happen to meander into this church on a Sunday, you'll find no pastor, no parishioners, no music and definitely no service. The Wickford Seventh-Day Adventist Church celebrates the Sabbath on Saturdays, the original 7th-day of the Judeo-Christian week. This 30-person congregation is led by Pastor William Warcholik.
St. Alexander Church is a Catholic church that hosts Mass, Communion and Confession Sunday through Wednesday as well as Communion and Confession. The church is led by Reverend David W. Masello.
According to St. Peter's records, the worshippers have been meeting since the summer of 1852, when Joseph H. Dulles fathered a group of various denominations for worship on Sunday afternoons at Indian Rock at the shore. The first church was built in July 1869 at a cost of $4,000, only for a "great northeast gale" to demolish the structure in September of the same year.
However, the very next day the church trustees met and resolved to build a new church. This same church, built in English Gothic style, stands today, with the same stained glass Tiffany windows. The church has been in the National Register of Historic Places since 1982.
A preschool is also run by the church on the property. A rector's house on the property was converted into the schoolhouse in the 1970s. An annex completed in the late 2000s connects the church with the schoolhouse, and also provides office space. Sermon podcasts are available on the church's website.
St. Patrick's Catholic Church belongs to the National Catholic Parish. There are a number of differences between the Roman Catholic Church and the National Catholic Parish. The National Catholic Parish allows divorced and remarried Catholics to receive the Eucharist, it permits clergy to marry and support themselves through secular employment and it also allows all baptized Christians to receive the sacraments of Penance and the Eucharist. More of the differences and similarities are explained on the Saint Patrick's Catholic Church's interesting website.
St. Patrick's Catholic Church is a large church that believes in helping the community by organizing and contributing to food banks, Christmas tree giveaways, clothes drives and more.St. Patrick's Catholic Church also has a religious education program for children and adults. The members of this congregation are like family and welcome anyone to join them and experience parties, cook-outs and a wholesome spiritual bond.