About Us

Our Church

The Highbridge Community Church has had a continuing ministry in the Highbridge section of the Bronx since 1860, initially known as the Union of Highbridge Reformed Church. One of the oldest sites in High bridge, a landmark, the church was replanted in 2006 as the Highbridge Community Church, a congregation of the Reformed Church in America, recommitting its commitment to serving the Highbridge Community.

When Union Reformed Church of Highbridge ended its ministry in the Bronx, New York City, in December 2005, five families were left. January 1, 2006 those five families joined with five families from The Fordham Manor Reformed Church, also in the Bronx, to start the Highbridge Community Church. Cora Taitt, an elder at Fordham at the time and working toward her Master of Divinity degree served the congregation as Assistant Pastor under Rev. Irving Rivera. Rev. Cora Taitt was ordained and installed as the Senior Pastor December 2011.

Our weekly Sunday service at 10:00 am is a blend of contemporary and traditional worship and we invite people to come as they are. In additional to Sunday Service, we have a weekly Sunday school, Wednesday mid-day and evening prayer meetings, a 2nd Saturday monthly Outreach Program, an Afterschool program, Highbridge Enrichment Program under HCNC, and a Christian 12 step Recovery Program called Hunger for Healing.

Some History of the Community

The Union Reformed Church of Highbridge in the South Bronx was constructed in 1887-88 to the design of Alfred E. Barlow, a little-known architect who began his career in suburban residences. Highbridgeville (later known as Highbridge) developed along the high ridge of land along the Harlem River located to the south and east of High Bridge (1838-48, John B. Jervis, engineer), part of the Croton Aqueduct system that brought New York City its first adequate water supply. The village was initially populated with the workers (mostly Irish) who built the aqueduct, bridge, and also the railroad along the river. A Protestant “Union Sunday-School of Highbridgeville” was established in 1860, and a chapel was built in 1866 on Highbridge (later Ogden) Avenue.

As the congregation grew, a larger building was needed. The significant firm of D.C. Weeks & Son was the builder. The Union Reformed Church of Highbridge (now Highbridge Community Church), one of the Bronx’s significant 19th-century religious structures, is also one of the finest surviving churches in New York City in the Richardsonian Romanesque style, named after one of the greatest American architects, Henry Hobson Richardson (1838-1886).

The village was initially settled by the workers who built the Croton Aqueduct and High Bridge, as well as the railroad along the river. Almost entirely Irish originally, these workers were followed later by other European and Jewish immigrants. The Bronx shore of the Harlem River began to be subdivided in the later 19th century for building lots along the main thoroughfare, Highbridge Avenue. It was re-named Ogden Avenue in 1876, in honor of William B. Ogden (1805-1877), the first mayor of Chicago and first president of the Union Pacific Railroad, who after his retirement owned a Highbridge estate called “Villa Boscobel.”

As no church was located within several miles of Highbridgeville, the area’s Protestants organized a religious congregation in October 1860, which was led by William Newton Clark and incorporated in 1864. The “Union Sunday-School of Highbridgeville” held classes in various neighborhood buildings until funds were donated to purchase property and to construct a chapel on Highbridge Avenue. After its completion in 1866, it became the religious center of the community with regular Sunday School meetings. In order to establish a formal church, the congregation called a meeting in June 1874 to vote on a specific Protestant denomination. The Reformed Church of America was chosen, and, after official recognition, the church became known as the Union Reformed Church of Highbridge (now the Highbridge Community Church).

In the late 1960’s the residents of Highbridge were predominantly Irish, Italian and Eastern European Jewish descent. They have since been replaced by a large number of Hispanic or Latino, African and Africans Americans descent.

High bridge has a population under 38,000 and for decades has been one of the most underserved and challenged communities in America, yet it’s a place of great resources and opportunities. Our Call to this community is to carry out the Great Commission…to preach, teach, and make disciples and as Jesus did, strive to meet the total need of our neighborhood by providing and connecting them to resources that will help improve their quality of life.

Our Vision

Carry out the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:19-20…Go, Preach, Teach, Baptize and Make Disciples!

Advocate for social change and act in ways that promote respect for all persons and demonstrate compassion for those who are powerless
Cultivate the resources entrusted to us for kingdom building and expansion
Partner with other evangelical churches and community agencies to build, cultivate and extend Christian community and provide social services to the community at large
Love and Serve as we stay connected to community!