‘Come as you are': Branford church expands to 13 locations in 15 years

Getting people to attend a religious service can be a challenge, but not for Vox Church, a non-denominational Christian church that first opened 15 years ago in Branford.

There are 13 campus locations: 11 in Connecticut and two in Massachusetts.

The Hartford campus recently took over the former Second Church of Christ Scientist on Lafayette Street. It was built in the 1920s and was a church until the state bought it in 2007. It sat empty for almost two decades until Vox bought it.

“We see it being a hub for the city, a beacon of hope for the city,” Jeremiah Johnson, Vox Hartford campus pastor, said. “It’s definitely been something that we’ve been working on for a while, been praying about for a while.”

Vox spent about $4 million renovating the building to be a home for the Hartford campus, which was meeting in rented locations since it began in 2016.

Some interior details from the original building were preserved, such as the stained-glass windows and ceilings. The space was updated with new pews and tech.

“Striking that balance really well of the old and the new was something that was super important to us,” Johnson said.

He said the church can serve the community better, focusing on those who are unhoused, struggling to put food on the table, and young people.

“We want to love our neighbor as ourselves,” he said. “And there’s so many needs in the world right now.”

Leaders of the Vox church credit its rapid growth to a change in what they call spiritual temperature.

“More people are looking for abject truth, as systems and foundations culturally feel like they’re kind of crumbling,” Josh Conrad, Vox New Haven campus pastor, said. “People are coming back to church to figure out what is actually true. Where do I actually find purpose, find identity?”

Opening new locations, also known as church planting, is a part of Vox’s mission. Each location has an employed pastor and volunteers. The sermon each Sunday is broadcast from Branford.

Noting the strong interest from the Naugatuck Valley, Vox planted a church in Seymour.

The church is led by Jermaine Sheppherd, who is new to leadership.

“You’re growing, you’re learning, you’re being humbled,” he said. “The Lord is showing you different things. You’re being stretched in areas. But there’s a joy in that.”

The Seymour church meets in a rented space for now. Leaders said they’re always on the lookout for a permanent building, but their focus is on the people who attend.

“We just love you,” Sheppherd said. “Come as you are. What we truly want to bring to the valley is just hope.”

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