Our Story

Coffee has always been an important aspect of my life. Not only did I work at a coffee shop all through college, I used coffee shops as a safe haven and study hall while getting my MBA.  On top of that, my wedding song was ‘Falling in Love at a Coffee Shop’ by Landon Pigg and when Deb (my wife) and I lived in Europe, our method of exploring all of the new places we were able to visit was by finding those local bakeries and coffee shops to experience local culture.

  • The Vision:  One Sunday after church, in May 2016, I was looking for a place to take my 4-month-old son to get out of the house.  On Sundays in New Jersey, there isn’t a whole lot open so we ended up at a small local coffee shop in Montclair called Java Love.  We had such a good time that I took a little selfie, and thus began our weekly tradition of Sunday Father-Son Coffee.  Since that day I have never missed our Sunday Father-Son Coffee, and it has become a cornerstone of our relationship.  Today’s coffees typically include puzzles, legos and friends, but there are always the critical elements of Kayden, me and a cup of coffee……..and our tradition has survived relocations, vacations, work travel, COVID and numerous life events.  After moving to Germantown in 2019 we continued our tradition together but there has just never been a place for us to go on Sundays.  Debra and I always talked about starting our own coffee shop and one day we ran across the opportunity to purchase the old abandoned Forest Hill Baptist church where this dream started to become very real.  After more than two years of development, we present to you Congregation Coffee.

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Our Location

In 1925 the brick structure at 3048 Forest Hill-Irene Road (at Village Shops drive) was erected under the leadership of Rev. W.L. Smith as the Forest Hill Baptist Church, and a traditional Sapling Red Oak was planted on the southeast corner of the building. The building sanctuary seated 100 people, 8 classrooms, a baptistery, and running water.

The Forest Hill Baptist Church served the purpose of bringing members of the community together and providing them with a place to congregate. In September 1954, the church voted to buy two acres north of the church, to be turned into a playground for the entire community – Baptists, Methodists, Catholics, Church of Christ members, and all other denominations of the area, continuing with their mission of providing a place for the community to congregate. Saturday afternoon ballgames and Thursday night play nights were happy occasions. 

  • In 1999, the Forest Hill Baptist Church relocated to a white-steepled structure on the northwest corner of Winchester and Forest Hill-Irene. The original church was purchased by a member of the congregation and served various purposes, being used as a daycare, a hair salon and as a congregation area for other small denominations.

    In 2021, the church experienced a small fire, which challenged its ability to continue its long legacy of bringing the community together. In December 2021, The Congregation, LLC purchased the property to rebuild the original structure of the Forest Hill Baptist Church and convert it into a coffee shop, Congregation Coffee……..giving the church another chance at fulfilling its original purpose of providing a place for the community to be able to Congregate and come together.