Rev. Jennifer M. Gingras

Senior Pastor

Rev. Jennifer Gingras grew up in Madison, Connecticut attending the North Madison Congregational Church, UCC. She spent much of her youth at Silver Lake Camp & Retreat Center, which is still her spiritual home-away-from-home. After a 12 year career in sports marketing, she followed a call to ordained ministry.

Pastor Jenn earned her Masters of Divinity at Yale Divinity School in 2007 and was called to serve the Monroe Congregational Church, UCC. After five years of service as the Associate Pastor, she was called by unanimous vote in the fall of 2011 to be the church’s 50th Senior Pastor. She is the first woman to serve in that role in their 250 year history.

Pastor Jenn’s passions in ministry include prophetic preaching, emerging church, serving God through mission and outreach, outdoor ministry and crisis response. She has served the wider church as a member of the board of directors of Silver Lake Conference Center, Chair of the Fairfield East Association’s Committee on Church and Ministry and has been a Synod Delegate multiple times. She is currently a member of the Unified Fitness Review committee representing the Fairfield East Association of the historic CT Conference. She is a certified Meditation teacher and has briefly lived in East Jerusalem volunteering with Church World Services Ecumenical Accompaniment Program in Palestine/Israel (EAPPI).

She and her husband Clark are parents of two adult children and a teenager. Jenn’s personal interests include caring for the animals on her hobby farm and creating art. She goes to Maine every chance she gets.

Diane Prall

Administrative Assistant/Bookkeeper

Diane and her husband are longtime members of Monroe Congregational Church. Tony was raised among the MCC community and the two were married here in 1984 by the Reverend Luther Pierce. They have two adult daughters, Kristen and Ashley, who were also raised among the MCC family.

Diane has served MCC as a Sunday school teacher and Junior PF advisor, where she started the Veterans Day Breakfast. She also served on the Fellowship and Outreach boards, and continues to serve in her role as MCC’s Covenant To Care liaison – a labor of love she is passionate about and has dedicated herself to for more than 20 years.

In 2002 Diane left her office manager position to launch a communications company, American Business Communications, LLC with Tony. Diane brings with her a wealth of knowledge not only from her extensive business management career, but also from her work as the administrator and bookkeeper for Christ Episcopal Church in Bethany where she became proficient in serving the specific needs of a church community.

Diane enjoys being creative with cooking, and the outdoors – hiking, biking, and the beach, but is happiest spending time with family, friends and her four grand-doggies. She likes dark chocolate, daisies and the summer.

Diane is deeply rooted in the Monroe Congregational Church community and thinks of it as a second home and it’s parishioners as family. She is thrilled to be able to serve the church and the people she cares about.

Will Duchon

Music Director

Will began studying piano at age 7, in his hometown of White Plains, NY. He earned a BFA and an MFA in music performance at Purchase College (SUNY) and starting at age 15 Will has performed extensively in solo recitals, chamber ensembles, and as a concerto soloist with several orchestras. He also has recorded four albums of solo classical piano works. 

Will began his church music ministry in 1981 at the Memorial Community Church of West Harrison, NY as organist/choir director and eventually was named Minister of Music. He has also served the Presbyterian Church of Pleasantville, NY, United Methodist Church of Rye, NY, and Mision Bautista Hispana of White Plains, NY. Will came to MCC in 2006. 

Will is the father of two grown children, Lauren and Matthew, and the proud grandfather of Olivia and Max. Since 2004, Will has been a broadcaster for WMNR-FM Fine Arts Radio.