“Rev. Henry (Hank) Yordon was the pastor of the First Congregational Church on the Green for over 42 years. In 2005, he retired and then passed away several months later, leaving a legacy of service, compassion and justice seek-ing.

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During the 1960s civil rights movement, Yordon was among the young white ministers, priests and rabbis who rallied behind the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. He spent the summer of 1964 helping to register Black voters in the Mississippi Delta, a dangerous period when three civil rights workers were murdered. Widely known as "Hank," Yordon dedicated his ministry to interracial justice.

"He was recognized as a major leader by churches in the United Church of
Christ throughout the state and the nation," said Rev. Davida Foy Crabtree, former conference minister of the Connecticut Conference of the United

In September of 2022, the First Congregational Church of Norwalk voted unanimously to memorialize and continue his legacy of service, advocacy, education and training by renaming the Institute in his name.

 

Rev. Tamara Moreland, the senior pastor of the church says of this initiative, “The establishment of this justice initiative is timely, relevant, and consistent with the culture of the First Congregational Church of Norwalk. Rev. Yordon laid the groundwork and left behind a blueprint for ‘such a time as this.’”

 

The Institute focuses on three key areas: Education, Advocacy and Training.

Education: Our Educational activities include panel discussions, featured authors, book studies and virtual and actual cultural immersion events.

Advocacy: Our advocacy efforts will focus on providing human and financial resources to community based organizations who are helping those on the margins in and outside of our community.

Training will focus on training lay leaders and clergy in the community to have sacred and courageous conversations to end racism and to dismantle the notion that there is a hierarchy of human value based on skin color.