About Us:

The Church in the Wilderness is an Episcopal Church in Killingworth Connecticut. The basis of our church is our foundation in our community and our commitment to each other. WE are a small church that is part of the greater community of god, the Episcopal Community, and the local towns that our congregation comes from.

History:
Listed on the Federal Register of Historic Places and one of Connecticut’s oldest houses of worship, the wood frame Church sits secluded in a woodsy hollow near Route 148. Starting in 1800 a group of poor farmers spent 15 years raising the austere building and called it the Union Church. The church builders didn’t indulge in a lot of frills.

The pure white exterior is without embellishment, and the only ornamentation in its 100-seat interior is a single stained-glass window and a brass chandelier. After enduring a time when the congregation held so few members that selling the building was considered, the church was revitalized in the early decades of the 20th century by the Rev. George Gilbert, whose ministry was chronicled in his best selling book, “Forty Years a Country Preacher.” There was no electricity in the church until 1970 and the Congregation – and visiting bishops – used the outhouse until 1987, when a parish hall, kitchen, and an indoor bathroom were added. Emmanuel Church is now part of the vibrant Middle-sex Area Cluster. Out-reach to the larger community is an important part of its mission.