09/07/2026
6 Facts about Our Church you probably didn’t know!
1. Pitts Chapel was founded in 1934, which means the church is celebrating 92 years of ministry in 2026!
2. The church originally opened in February 1934 at 126 Dixwell Avenue, in what was becoming a thriving Black business district in New Haven. It later moved to its current home at 64 Brewster Street.
3. Building Origins: The older part of the brick church structure on Brewster Street was constructed around 1914.
4. Tiffany Stained Glass Windows: The church houses three original late-Victorian 1890s–1910 Tiffany stained glass windows. According to the New Haven Independent, these windows “were originally part of Center Church, on the Green, but were given as gifts to Pitts Chapel... when Center Church re-designed its interior in the 1960s.”
5. Over the years Pitts Chapel has hosted some legendary gospel figures! Mother Mary Etta Atkinson Joyner (will be 105 this month!!!!!) helped bring National Gospel Artists including Mahalia Jackson, The Staple Singers, Clara Ward and The Ward Singers, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, The Five Blind Boys of Alabama, Rev. James Cleveland, The Mighty Clouds of Joy, The Soul Stirrers and Sam Cooke to the church and New Haven community.
6. The First Consecration of The Unified Free Will Baptist Churches, Inc. In December 1973, Pitts Chapel UFWB Church in New Haven, Connecticut, held the first consecration of ministers to the office of Bishop. Those consecrated were:
Rev. Caldwell Thomas
Rev. Jonathan Powell
Rev. Collie Edwers
Rev. Anderson Adams
Rev. Lawrence Bordeaux
Rev. Lester Coward
Rev. Austin Atkinson
What a legacy! We are not simply attending church! We are standing on the shoulders of pioneers who prayed, sacrificed, served, and paved the way for generations to come.
Pitts Chapel, we have a history worth celebrating, a legacy worth preserving, and a future worth believing in! 🙌🏾🔥
