Colchester Federated Church sits at 60 Main Street in the heart of Colchester, Connecticut, just a short walk from the town green. It is a federated congregation, joined to both the United Church of Christ and American Baptist Churches, and in 2013 it formally declared itself Welcoming, Open and Affirming. Members describe the church as a caring Christian community of individuals and families who gather to grow in life and faith through worship, learning, and a variety of social and spiritual programs, and to put that faith to work in the wider community.
Sunday worship begins at 9 AM and runs roughly an hour, followed by a coffee hour. The sacrament of Holy Communion is celebrated on the first Sunday of every month, and the rest of the year the order of worship draws on United Church of Christ resources and the Bible, blending scripture, preaching, music, and prayer. Senior Choir sings most Sundays from September through June, and a Children's Choir performs several times during the program year. Worship services are also recorded and shared so that those at home can follow along.
Three Centuries on Main Street
The congregation traces its roots to 1703, when the first Congregational minister, Rev. John Bulkeley, arrived in Colchester. A meeting house was erected in 1706 on Old Hebron Road and served as the center of religious, social, and political life in colonial times. A second meeting house followed in 1714, and a third in 1771, complete with a spire and bell. By the early nineteenth century, repairs were badly needed, so the third meeting house was pulled down - using forty yoke of oxen - and the present sanctuary was built in 1842, reusing timbers from the earlier structure.
A Baptist church was erected on South Main Street in 1835, and a Methodist Episcopal congregation built on Norwich Avenue in 1843. The Methodists later merged into the Baptist body. In 1949, the First Congregational and Baptist churches came together to form Colchester Federated Church, with Rev. Carlton Easton as the first pastor of the combined congregation. The 1842 meeting house has remained the sanctuary ever since.
Major building milestones have shaped the structure members see today. The building was redecorated in Victorian style in 1885, including stained glass windows. A second conference center and chapel - today known as Day Hall - was added in 1858. The steeple blew off in the 1938 hurricane and was rebuilt and hoisted back into place in 1968. A handicap ramp was dedicated in 1988 in memory of Helen Gay. In 2020, a capital campaign replaced the church roofs and addressed other building improvements.
The Sanctuary and Its Worship
The 1842 meeting house has accumulated the visible history of nearly two centuries of worship. The present bell was cast by George Holbrook in 1834. A Hook and Hastings pipe organ, paid for with funds raised by the Sunday School at a cost of sixteen hundred dollars, was dedicated in 1895. The interior took on its current look in a 1929 remodel, and the sanctuary ceiling and overall refurbishment took place in 1974.
Sunday morning at 9 AM opens with a time of gathering, scripture, and music. The choir leads a wide range of repertoire, including spirituals, classical pieces, and more contemporary settings, and instrumentalists and vocal soloists regularly contribute - flute, trumpet, drums, and maracas all appear at various services. A bulletin handed out before worship includes the order of service and announcements. Communion is observed on the first Sunday of each month, when the church gathers around the table as a whole family. Children's Sunday, Pentecost, Palm Sunday, Easter, the Christmas Pageant, and Lessons and Carols on Christmas Eve are among the special days marked through the year.
Welcome, Open and Affirming
In 2013, the congregation adopted a Welcoming, Open and Affirming Statement and joined both the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists in the American Baptist Churches and the Open and Affirming program of the United Church of Christ. The statement reads, in part, that all people are created in God's image and loved and blessed equally by God, and that the church invites all who seek to follow Jesus into the full life of the church, ministry, leadership, worship, sacraments, rites, and fellowship: all persons of every gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, as well as all ages, races, nationalities, mental and physical ability, family structure, and social and economic status.
Those convictions are reinforced by the rainbow God Is Still Speaking banner on the front of the church, a signal that the congregation listens for God's word expressed in its own time and place. The motto borrowed from Rev. John Robinson's farewell to the Pilgrims - that God has yet more light and truth to break forth from God's holy word - sits at the heart of the church's identity.
Baptism and the Lord's Supper
Baptism at Colchester Federated Church is received only once, as God's grace is given once and forever. Baptism may be by any mode that satisfies individual preference and conscience. Infant or child baptism is open to members who so choose; parents or guardians, together with the congregation, express their own faith and their intent to encourage the child to grow into the knowledge of Christ. Believer's baptism is open to any person over the age of accountability who has not been previously baptized and is a public acknowledgment of receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
The Lord's Supper, or Holy Communion, is an occasion to celebrate the sacrificial love of Christ and to rededicate lives to God. The visible breaking of the bread and the pouring of the wine or grape juice remind those gathered that they are one in the body of Christ. All Christian believers are invited and welcomed at Christ's table, and the sacrament is typically observed at the morning service on the first Sunday of each month.
Christian Education for All Ages
The Ministry of Christian Education oversees the church's work of nurture and faith formation from birth through adulthood. Its mission statement commits the ministry to safe and comfortable Christian experiences for everyone at every stage of development, connecting real faith to real life through the messages of the Bible.
Sunday School is offered during the 9 AM worship service for youth in Pre-K through eighth grade, with classes held during the program year from September through May. Sunday School is not held on Communion Sundays so that the entire church family can worship together.
A Discipleship Class, the church's confirmation program, helps high school students explore their Christian faith as they journey toward becoming adult members of the congregation. The class meets throughout the program year for lessons, service opportunities, and retreats, and is led by the Pastor together with the Christian Education Director and mentors from within the congregation.
Vacation Bible School is also part of the education ministry's life, drawing on volunteers from across the congregation.
A Varied Music Program
Music is central to worship at CFC. The Senior Choir rehearses on Thursday evenings at 6:30 in the Sanctuary and sings each Sunday from September through June, plus special services throughout the year. The Children's Choir rehearses and performs several times during the program year. Instrumentalists - flute, trumpet, drums, and maracas among them - and vocal soloists contribute regularly. The music program is led by Music Director Kimberly Lewis, who came to Colchester Federated Church in 2010 and conducts the choirs in addition to playing the organ and piano for weekly worship. Lewis holds a Bachelor's Degree in piano from Ithaca College, lives in Colchester with her husband David and their sons Emery and Elliot, and also teaches piano privately and accompanies choral ensembles in the area.
How the Congregation is Organized
The working groups that other congregations might call committees or boards are called Ministries at CFC, a name that reflects the belief that the work of running the church is itself a vital part of ministry. The structure emphasizes an empowered laity working alongside clergy. Each Ministry is also represented on the Diaconate.
The Ministry of Christian Education fosters the nurture and faith journey of all from birth through adulthood. The Ministry of Church Life plans regular and special worship services, coordinates welcoming activities, oversees the interior floral needs of the Sanctuary, arranges ushering, and cultivates fellowship and group life. The Ministry of Mission and Witness educates the congregation about the church's mission in the local community and through the UCC and ABC denominations worldwide, administers mission funds, and offers opportunities to participate in local, regional, national, and global service. The Ministry of Stewardship oversees the financial affairs of the church and acts as steward of CFC properties and assets, prepares the annual budget, supervises properties, and conducts special fund-raising events. Teams include the Finance Advisory Team, Gifts and Leadership Team, Pastor-Parish Relations Team, and Personnel Team.
The Deacons are the lay leaders of the church, entrusted with the spiritual growth, well-being, and worship life of the congregation. They prepare the Communion elements, assist in the celebration of the Lord's Supper, and welcome new members. The current Deacons are Chair Mark Bosse and Vice Chair Tracy Gale, with Deacons at Large Laurie Gerundo and Cheryl Letendre. Ministry representatives include Avis Hull for Church Life, Jocelyn Nadeau for Education, Wendy Moores for Mission and Witness, and Dick Paige for Stewardship.
Mission, Mission Giving, and Outreach
The church's mission statement is short and practical: "Empowering members for ministries in workplace, home, church and community." The Mission and Witness Ministry carries this out by supporting mission projects in Colchester, across the country, and around the world, and by helping the congregation take part in special offerings and service opportunities. The church regularly participates in denominational mission efforts through both the UCC and American Baptist Churches.
Giving and Stewardship
In addition to collections taken during worship, members support the church through an annual pledge campaign and a number of fundraisers, including Vendor Fairs, the Holly Fair, and a Tag Sale. Funds are used for operating costs and the physical upkeep of the historic church building, salaries of the church staff, and the church's mission work. Online giving is available through the church's PayPal link.
A Season of Pastoral Transition
Colchester Federated Church is in a season of pastoral transition. Rev. Lauren Ostrout was farewelled on June 21, 2026, and throughout the summer various pastors have preached and led worship. The congregation has begun the process of calling an Interim Pastor to serve the community. In the meantime, the church is tended by Music Director Kimberly Lewis, Custodian Dave Hock (who has served since 1978), Treasurer Tom St. Louis, and the Deacons.
The Wider Story
Colchester Federated Church is one of several Protestant congregations in town. It traces its history back to the original Congregational society established at the town's founding, while a separate Baptist church was built in 1835, a Methodist Episcopal church in 1843, and Calvary Episcopal in 1857. The Methodists and Episcopalians eventually folded into the Baptist body over time, and in 1949 the First Congregational and Baptist churches federated, with the present 1842 meeting house as their shared home. The church formally affiliated with the United Church of Christ in 1961. Notable milestones along the way include the calling of Rev. Davida Foy Crabtree in 1980 as the first woman minister, the calling of Rev. Erica Wimber Avena in 1993 as the first Baptist Senior Pastor since the federation, the calling of Rev. Bonnie Haase-Beaupre in 2000 and Rev. Linda U. Barnes in 2006, and the 2017 call of Rev. Lauren Ostrout. The Welcoming, Open and Affirming Statement was adopted in 2013, and new Church By-Laws were adopted at the Annual Election Meeting on May 1, 2022.
Visiting Colchester Federated Church
Worship is offered on Sundays at 9 AM at 60 Main Street, Colchester. The church suggests arriving a few minutes early to find a seat; the service lasts about an hour and is followed by coffee hour. A bulletin is handed out before entering the Sanctuary. Children are welcome in worship, and after the Children's Message, students in Pre-K through eighth grade may go to Sunday School during the program year; a Crib Room is available off the Sanctuary for restless little ones and their parents, with the service piped in via a speaker. Communion is open to all Christian believers and is celebrated on the first Sunday of the month. Church office hours are Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 1 PM, and the office can be reached at (860) 537-5189.