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37-570: In the late 1840s, a group of villagers of the Black Rock section of Fairfield, Connecticut , (later to become a part of the city of Bridgeport) parishioners of the First Church of Christ in Fairfield, Connecticut , decided that they would build a new meeting house in Black Rock , rather than continue the challenging three-mile weekly trip across the creek and marshland that separated the two sections of

74-747: A demo project Brewster had produced. Already impressed with the production work and artistry, the executive also learned that Brewster had played every instrument and performed all the vocals himself. In 2001, Brewster moved back to California to become the worship pastor at Bayside Church in Granite Bay . Brewster was signed to Integrity's Vertical Music label with whom he has released five full-length albums. While working on his self-titled album (with producer Paul Mills), Brewster worked with label-mate Darrell Evans , contributing vocals, guitar, and co-writing on Evans' Freedom project. He also spent some time touring with Michael W. Smith during Smith's 1998 Live

111-737: A drum set his grandfather had given him. At the age of five, his mother introduced him to the mandolin . Quickly mastering the instrument, he began playing for cruise ship tourists alongside his mother in Homer. Brewster's step brothers include John and Andy Hillstrand from the Discovery channel TV show Deadliest Catch . By the age of 12, Brewster had a band called Lincoln and the Missing Links , which included his mother on bass and vocals. In his late teens, he moved with his family to Modesto , California, where he attended Grace M. Davis High School and joined

148-439: A leafy and seaside character which is typically viewed in stark contrast to the more industrial and urban character of Bridgeport as a whole. Despite this, the area is more affordable compared to many of the surrounding towns, partially due to the association of the neighborhood with Bridgeport. The neighborhood maintains a diverse character, with sizable Irish , Mexican , Jamaican , and Indian communities. Many who move to

185-418: A new facility in 1967, and the building was dedicated the following year. The facility was later expanded and renovated as the church continued to grow into the 1980s and 90s. Under Pastor Allaby, the church's membership grew to over 800 people. Dr. Stephen A. Treash, Associate Pastor under Pastor Allaby, accepted the senior pastorate in 1997, and is the church's current pastor. Under Pastor Treash's leadership,

222-836: A service provided in conjunction with the Norwalk Transit District and the Milford Transit District , runs eastbound to the Connecticut Post Mall in Milford and westbound to the Norwalk Wheels Hub in Central Norwalk . Greater Bridgeport Transit's Route 5 runs south along Brewster Street (the primary north–south artery that links the neighborhood to neighboring Fairfield) and provides additional eastbound service along Fairfield Avenue. Route 5's primary terminus

259-691: A shopping, dining and entertainment district. The Black Rock Business Association's activities include: Black Rock has an overall moderate climate, the average January temperature is around 23 degrees (F) and the average high in July is 82 degrees (F). Black Rock has in the past been hit with a number of large winter snow storms. Although the average snowfall is 29", the following is the list of top snow-accumulating winters (October 1 - April 30): 41°09′31″N 73°13′31″W  /  41.15861°N 73.22528°W  / 41.15861; -73.22528 Lincoln Brewster Lincoln Brewster (born July 30, 1971)

296-522: A sound technician for the church for a while, the senior pastor offered Brewster the position of associate music director and youth worship leader. In 1997, the Brewsters moved to Nashville to serve as youth pastors and eventually as full-time music ministers at The Oasis Church. There, Brewster met with executives from Integrity Incorporated who were working on a new Hosanna! Music album. After seeing his guitar-playing ability, one executive listened to

333-488: Is an American contemporary Christian musician and worship pastor . As a guitarist, singer, and songwriter, Brewster became a sought-after session guitarist in the early 1990s. Brewster is the former senior worship pastor at Bayside Church in Granite Bay, California . Brewster has been musically inclined since his early childhood in Homer, Alaska . At the age of one, his mother, Cheryl, noticed how well he could keep rhythm on

370-537: Is located on Old Battery Road. The S. S. Norden Club is a private club founded in 1902, the first of a number of private clubs in the neighborhood. A Carnegie Library was built in the neighborhood in 1932, which would later become the Black Rock Branch Library, a branch of the Bridgeport Public Library system. There are two historic districts in the neighborhood that have been listed on

407-464: Is the intermodal transit center in Downtown Bridgeport, where riders can make connections to several other bus routes and Metro-North . Service along these routes typically run every 30 minutes Monday through Saturday, while Sunday service is hourly. The Black Rock Business Association (BRBA), originated in 2005, is a group of Black Rock business owners who work together to promote Black Rock as

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444-584: The National Register of Historic Places . The Black Rock Historic District was created on March 15, 1979, and comprises a number of houses and other structures from the mid 18th Century through the late 19th Century. The other historic district is the Black Rock Gardens Historic District , created on September 26, 1990. The district comprises 7 acres of emergency housing built for workers during World War I . Black Rock maintains

481-563: The "Ministry Expansion Program," which sought a number of solutions to the problem. Additional services were again added, and the church was given the facilities of the Long Ridge Congregational Church in Stamford, Connecticut , where a temporary satellite campus was established in 2007. The expansion team formulated extensive plans to replace the current facility on the same site in Fairfield , which were denied upon submission by

518-518: The Life tour. Brewster's second album, Live to Worship (produced by Jeff Quimby and co-produced by Brewster), was released in 2000. According to his biography on his official website, "Lincoln now combines his talents and determination to record songs that will minister to a new generation of believers." Brewster's album, Today Is the Day , was released on September 23, 2008. The album's first released single,

555-556: The Rev. Henry Collins Woodruff accepted the pastorate of the church and served for 41 years, until his death in 1922. During Woodruff's tenure, a chapel was built, and upon his death, a memorial hall named for him was donated by his wife, Mary Bartram Woodruff. The church's next pastor was Rev. Charles Haddon Spurgeon MacDowell, who introduced a new evangelical direction for the church, encouraging Bible study groups and attendance at Bible conferences and camps. MacDowell served for 21 years. In 1945,

592-890: The Sound and two on the Ash Creek tidal estuary. St. Mary's-by-the-Sea also has a 9-acre (36,000 m ) public park along the Sound with half a mile of sidewalks and an area for bird watching. Fairfield Avenue is Black Rock's primary artery. Black Rock is also accessible from exit 25 on I-95 and from Route 1 , both of which run just north of the area. Black Rock is served by the Fairfield–Black Rock station on Metro-North's New Haven Line , located just across Ash Creek in neighboring Fairfield , which opened on December 5, 2011. Two Greater Bridgeport Transit bus routes run in Black Rock, primarily along Fairfield Avenue. The Coastal Link,

629-762: The album a "new sound", which explained the album's high sense of modern pop music with of course a lot of guitar riffs and solos. In 2015, Lincoln Brewster released his first rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" as a surprise on the USA's Independence Day holiday. He was a part of the Winter Jam Tour 2015 West Coast. His most recent releases include God of the Impossible in 2018, A Mostly Acoustic Christmas in 2019, and Perfect Love in 2021. Brewster primarily uses two different 1957 specification reissue Fender Stratocasters with DiMarzio pickups, one with Aztec Gold finish

666-454: The album. Brewster's guitar technique, tone, and equipment choices possessed similar qualities and texturing to Journey's Neal Schon , and was touted as a favorable feature in the resulting album. He was then married to Laura and soon after toured with Perry for six months from 1994 to early 1995. At the end of the tour, Brewster moved back to Modesto, California to be with his wife where they attended Calvary Temple Church. After working as

703-415: The area of least density being a section called St. Mary's-by-the-Sea, which consists of Resident AA zoned properties (which require a minimum lot of 11,250 SF). Grovers Hill is the highest elevation in Black Rock and some of the most expensive properties in Black Rock are located on this hill with views of Long Island Sound. There are also direct waterfront properties, including two condominium complexes on

740-404: The church dedicated its third building on June 15, 2014. After opening, the new facility became host to widely known Christian recording artists such as Lincoln Brewster , Jeremy Camp , Rend Collective , Kutless , Bethel Music , Stephen Curtis Chapman and Seattle-based pastor, Judah Smith. In 2016, the church's members voted to change the church's public name to, "Black Rock Church," deleting

777-463: The church expanded the number of services to reach out to those in the community who may not normally be drawn to a traditional church, particularly young adults. The church retains a traditional worship service, but also offers services of contemporary worship and a special "next generation" format service called "Sanctuary." In the early 21st century, the church again found itself having outgrown its existing church facility. The church elders instituted

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814-419: The church severed ties to the formal Congregational denomination, making Black Rock a free and independent community of believers. During this time, the church was served briefly by Reverend Leonard S. Pitcher, Dr. Howard Z. Cleveland, and Interim Pastor Reverend Harry L. Cox, who was the first missionary that the church had supported. It was also during this time the church's steeple was blown off, crashing into

851-529: The high school jazz band (playing guitar and drums) and marching band (playing snare drum). Due to connections gained in Los Angeles, he had recording contract offers by 19. Feeling an emptiness in his life, Brewster attended church services with his girlfriend, Laura. He recalls feeling God drawing him close after attending a drama ministry performance with Laura. "I was afraid to lay down a lot of things in my life," Brewster said. "One night, I laid all my cards on

888-527: The neighborhood are retirees, but the area is also home to a small but growing art scene. In July 2009, the Black Rock Branch Library, the area's library, expanded in size from 6,000 to 11,000 square feet, and was renovated to be outfitted with wi-fi and public computers. On December 5, 2011, the Fairfield Metro station opened on, which eased the burden on Fairfield station , and made commuting via Metro-North easier for Black Rock residents. While

925-459: The neighborhood is overwhelmingly residential, there is a significant commercial presence along Fairfield Avenue, the main thoroughfare, which connects Black Rock to Fairfield and downtown Bridgeport. Fairfield Avenue is in a state of transition with older businesses being replaced by upscale restaurants, cafes, espresso bars, gourmet ice cream shops, and art galleries. The neighborhood's residential areas lie on either side of Fairfield Avenue, with

962-501: The optimistic "Reaching For You". It also includes contemplative radio-ready songs such as the title track "Real Life", and the rhythmic "Whom Shall I Fear". In 2012, Brewster released his first Christmas album, Joy to the World . A deluxe edition was released on November 5, 2013, with seven new tracks and an additional DVD. In 2014 Brewster released Oxygen , his ninth studio album after signing with Integrity Music after 15 years. He called

999-507: The original settlement of Bridgeport. The cemetery known as Stratfield Burying Place is located here and has many of Black Rock's early settlers interred there. Black Rock was incorporated into Bridgeport in 1870. In the late 19th century and early 20th century, wealthy merchants built homes in Black Rock in an array of different architectural styles, including Mediterranean Revival and Tudor Revival . One of these homes, with 3 acres (12,000 m ) of land and 16 rooms ("The Chimneys"),

1036-462: The other on a pearl Olympic white finish both on with an Ash bodies, both with maple fingerboards and necks. They have vintage looking tuners that are actually locking and a special active mid-boost circuit so that the single coil pickups can be made to sounds more like PAF humbuckers . Fender released his Artist signature model Stratocaster in August 2019. Brewster achieves his live tone solely from

1073-435: The roof during a strong hurricane. In 1956, Dr. Stanley R. Allaby became pastor and began a 41-year tenure, under which the church experienced extensive growth. The church's missions program was developed further, supporting a number of missionaries financially and prayerfully with great concern. The missions program was highlighted each year with its annual Missions Conference, beginning in 1958 and continuing to this day. It

1110-494: The table. I asked the Lord to come into my life, all by myself. It was the best night of sleep I'd ever had. I was very peaceful. I think that was what enabled me to blow off that record deal." After receiving a call from Steve Perry inviting him to audition as lead guitarist for his solo project For the Love of Strange Medicine , Brewster accepted and began songwriting and rehearsals for

1147-463: The town of Fairfield's Conservation Commission due to concerns over environmental impact. After the denial, new plans were drawn up with a reduced size building which would be situated exactly where the existing church is located in order to minimize environmental impact. The church received final approvals for these new plans in 2011 and broke ground in October 2012. After a 20-month construction period,

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1184-399: The town. A new church was established, and its meeting house was dedicated in August 1849 at the corner of Ellsworth St. and Bartram Ave. William Jessup Jennings served as the church's first minister. The church grew modestly through the middle of 19th century under the leadership of ministers Rev. Marinus Willett, Abram D. Baldwin, Rev. Frederick W. Williams, and Rev. Howard W. Pope. In 1881,

1221-501: The west, the West Side/West End of Bridgeport on the north and east, and Black Rock Harbor and Long Island Sound on the south. Black Rock comprises census tracts 701 and 702 and part of census tract 703. It includes two historic districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places . Residences comprise 86% of properties in Black Rock, 10% are commercial, and 4% are industrial or other property classes. Black Rock

1258-456: The word, "Congregational," to avoid any perceptions of association with other local Congregational churches. The full, historical name will be retained officially in the church's constitution and bylaws. Black Rock, Connecticut Black Rock is a neighborhood in the southwestern section of the city of Bridgeport, Connecticut . It borders Fairfield and the Ash Creek tidal estuary on

1295-463: Was during this time the church's attendance began to increase. As the church grew in number under the leadership of Pastor Allaby, the original church building became increasingly inadequate in size. Multiple plans for building a new church facility in Black Rock were formulated and later rejected. The church then turned to the town of Fairfield , where a six-acre piece of property was purchased adjacent to Black Rock Turnpike. The church broke ground for

1332-424: Was first settled in 1644 by a group of settlers led by Thomas Wheeler . The region was also inhabited by Native Americans , who relinquished their settlement in the area in 1681. During the early days of Black Rock, the area was also the community of Stratfield, which has also been absorbed into modern Bridgeport . Stratfield was originally known as Pequonnock and was located about midway between Black Rock and

1369-444: Was the title track "Today Is the Day". On September 22, 2009, Brewster released a deluxe edition of Today Is the Day consisting of a CD with the same songs as Today Is the Day as well as a DVD containing two music videos, a few song stories, and a part of his instructional video. Brewster released his latest project, Real Life , on September 28, 2010. The record features upbeat, contemporary worship tracks such as "Best Days" and

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