A 1715 Congregation at the Heart of Killingly
Westfield Congregational Church sits on Main Street in the Danielson village of Killingly, Connecticut, a town the locals call the Quiet Corner of the state. The congregation traces its roots to 1715, when a Harvard graduate named John Fisk rode into the frontier settlement of Kellingly to organize the area's first church with ten male congregants. More than three centuries later, the people at 210 Main Street still describe themselves, with a glib wink, as caring for the heart of Killingly. That phrase shows up on virtually every page of the church's communications, alongside banners reading Love God. Love People. It captures both what the congregation does (a flock of programs and partnerships aimed at a town of about seventeen thousand people) and what it claims to be: a steady presence in a place that often feels overlooked.
The newer name Westfield only took hold in the early 1800s, after members of the original 1715 gathering built a new meetinghouse on what was then called the west field of Killingly. The vintage brick church on Main Street, with its tall steeple, was built in 1854 and 1855 on land donated by Captain Samuel Reynolds, deliberately designed as a bookend to Main Street and the showpiece of the downtown. A century and a half later, members still drive past it to know they are home.
Three Centuries, Five Names, One Community
Westfield's official timeline tells the story by names. The first gathering was the First Church of Kellingly, founded when the town was a wilderness settlement. As the congregation moved, revived, and merged, it became first the New Church of Christ in the West Society of Killingly, then the Westfield Ecclesiastical Society, then Westfield Congregational Church, and finally, after the 1957 union of the Congregational Christian Churches with the Evangelical and Reformed Church, Westfield Congregational Church, United Church of Christ. The 1960 vote to formally join the new denomination was a formality: Westfield's roots, theology, and congregational self-rule were already Congregational through and through. In the church's own language, it is big C Congregational historically and little c congregational in practice, meaning each congregation runs its own affairs without a bishop or superintendent calling the shots.
The road between 1715 and the present was not always smooth. In 1772, on the eve of the American Revolution, regular services were discontinued after what the timeline calls a period of widespread religious declension. A few former members mortgaged their homes in 1796 to raise three thousand dollars for a continuing support fund so a new church could be organized in the west field. By 1801 the New Church of Christ in the West Society of Killingly was officially organized, and by 1804 the Reverend Gordon Johnson was called as the first Westfield pastor. Another giant of the early record is the Reverend Roswell Priest Whitmore, who arrived in 1812 and wrote the extensive history members still consult today.
Major milestones since include the 1901 Tiffany gift toward the Parish House, the 1923 and 1938 restorations of the steeple (the second undone by the Great New England Hurricane of 1938, just a year after it was rebuilt), a half-century fight to sponsor the first public housing for elderly residents in Killingly, which became Westfield Village in 1979, and a long interim period between settled pastors that ran from 2005 to 2012. That interim ended when the Reverend Dr. Jonathan Chapman, a Georgian by birth, accepted a part-time call in 2012. He was installed as full Pastor and Teacher in May 2013, and in December 2014 he married his husband Greg, then pastor of Enfield Congregational UCC, in a worship service at Westfield that itself was a public statement about the congregation's welcome.
Sunday Morning at 10
Worship happens at 10 a.m. on Sunday mornings in the Sanctuary on Main Street. Doors open roughly thirty minutes before the service, and arriving ten to fifteen minutes ahead of time is plenty for parking, getting children settled, and finding a seat. The service itself runs anywhere from fifty minutes to eighty minutes, depending on what is happening that day, and it blends elements of traditional and contemporary worship. Members describe it as structured yet warm, progressive yet grounded, with music, prayer, scripture, a sermon, and a children's message woven together with intentional variety. The order follows the seasonal liturgical calendar of the wider church.
Holy Communion is served on the first and third Sundays of every month. The pastor makes the theology plain: it is Christ who invites us to gather around his table, and so that table is open to everyone, everyone, everyone. Guests and non-members, adults and children, regulars and first-time visitors all share the same bread and cup. The cup holds nonalcoholic grape juice, in keeping with the congregation's long-standing welcome of any who come forward, regardless of age or background.
Children are explicitly welcome. Most kids stay in the Sanctuary through the Children's Message and then head to Sunday School, which serves children ages four through fifth grade. Donna Bartholomew, the Director of Children, directs this programming along with Sunday School teachers Melissa Card and Kristin Gray. Nursery care is also available for infants and toddlers during the service. There is no formal dress code: members wear everything from suits to shorts depending on the season.
Anyone unable to attend in person can join at 10 a.m. via livestream. The service is broadcast on Facebook Live and YouTube, with the same bulletin used by the in-person congregation posted online so worshipers can follow along at home. Recordings remain available at westfielducc.org/live after each Sunday.
Baptism and an Open Table
Two sacraments shape the congregation's life: Baptism and the Lord's Supper. Baptism happens throughout the year, always within a regular Sunday worship, because Westfield believes the sacrament is a promise made not just by the individual or the family but by the whole congregation. The language comes from the United Church of Christ Book of Worship: in baptism, God promises to forgive sins, adopt the person into the Body of Christ, send the Holy Spirit, and raise them to eternal life. Practically, baptism here is by sprinkling with holy water followed by the sign of the cross on the forehead. Non-members who come forward for baptism are encouraged to seek membership soon after.
The church does not re-baptize. People who were baptized in another tradition are welcome to mark their journey with a reaffirmation of baptism and the renewal of baptismal vows, but the waters, in this community's theology, run deep enough to cover anyone who has already been christened. To schedule a baptism, a conversation with the pastor by phone, in person, or on Zoom is the starting point.
Holy Communion, celebrated twice a month, is described in the congregation's own words as a feast of remembrance, of communion, and of hope. It is served by coming forward: a piece of bread, a small cup of juice, and a return to the pew. Children may partake if their parents wish, and the entire flow is meant to be welcoming to first-timers.
A Purple Church in a Purple Place
If there is a phrase that signals Westfield's culture better than any other, it is we're a Purple Church. The pastor uses it freely. Politically, members range across the spectrum: blue, red, and the spaces between. What holds them together, in the church's own telling, is a long habit of showing up and sitting next to each other even when it would be easier to stay home. Members will tell you that they do not always agree, that they sometimes blow it, that the body has fought and forgiven and cooked casseroles for the sick. The framework for all of that grace is the Westfield Community Covenant, a document everyone commits to on joining.
The Covenant organizes life at Westfield into three sections. How We Live calls members to approach all things in prayer, to be gentle, to be willing to be inconvenienced for the gospel, to seek what is best for the whole community, and to speak only from their own experience. How We Disagree names conflict as normal, requires that criticism go first to the person and not to others, and asks members to listen with an open and non-judgmental mind. How We Move Forward instructs members to hold each other accountable with grace, to forgive, and to trust the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Each new member is asked three essential questions alongside the historic ones: Will you fight with us? Will you forgive us? Will you bring us casseroles when we are sick? The answer Westfield is looking for is not perfection but solidarity.
Open and Affirming, and Where Westfield Stands
Westfield voted in 2014 to become an Open and Affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ, formalizing what had been true of the community for years. The Open and Affirming statement reads, in part: at Westfield, we welcome everyone as full participants in the life and sacraments of Christ's church. Everyone includes people of any age, economic status, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, race, sexual orientation, faith background, life experience, or physical, emotional, and mental capability. Simply put: everyone, everyone, everyone is welcome. A separate project grew out of the congregation's welcome: the God's Doors Project, a series of colorful doors that have traveled to other congregations and were featured in publications nationwide. The doors carry a simple message: God's Doors Are Open to All.
On matters of public theology, Westfield publishes a Where We Stand list of positions members are willing to declare publicly. The list affirms that God loves queer people, that faith supports reproductive justice, that anti-racism is gospel work, that the planet is sacred, that poverty is a policy choice, that welcoming immigrants is discipleship, that health care is a human right, that the church should be peaceful rather than armed, that voting is sacred, and that church and state should remain separate.
The congregation's own What We Believe page summarizes doctrine in nine short paragraphs. God is loving and made humans in God's image. Jesus is the head of the church through whom God reconciles the world to Divine Love. The Holy Spirit is God's continuing presence. The Trinity is one God in three. The Church is a community in worship, work, and witness, not a building. The Bible is the inspired Word of God, taken seriously but not literally. Service to others is the church's central mission. The two sacraments are Baptism and Communion. And faith isn't not asking questions. It's asking questions, doubting, believing, and trusting. It's messy, it's hard, it's worth it.
Be Our Guest Suppers on the Quiet Corner
Westfield's local mission is centered on Be Our Guest Suppers, monthly community meals offered free to anyone who could use them. The suppers follow the gospel of John's instruction to Feed my lambs, and they happen on the second Friday of every month, with an additional fifth-Friday supper whenever the calendar allows. Members and regulars cook, serve, and clean up; neighbors from across Killingly come in to eat, talk, and sit together. In recent years the church has also worked to position itself as a reliable access point for supplies and food for unhoused neighbors in the area.
Borrowed Blessings is the church's newest and possibly most distinctive local ministry: a free durable medical equipment lending library that stocks wheelchairs, crutches, shower chairs, commodes, hospital beds, walkers, rollators, hospital tables, canes, and braces. Anyone recovering from surgery, facing a long recuperation, or simply needing the right tool to heal with dignity can borrow up to three pieces at a time at no cost, with loans running four months and renewals possible. The program serves Windham County, New London County, and Rhode Island, and is open to anyone regardless of church membership. There is no fee, but the equipment must be picked up and returned by the borrower or their representative.
Weddings and funerals also happen at Westfield. The sanctuary is offered for weddings in what the church calls classic beauty and timeless style, and the building is available for couples of every background. Funeral services are led by the pastor and may be held at Westfield, at a local funeral home such as Tillinghast or Gagnon and Costello, or at the graveside. Pre-planning forms are available from the church office, and bereaved families are invited to reach out by email or by scheduling a chat with the pastor. Some funerals are livestreamed for those unable to attend in person.
Corner Convos Across the Quiet Corner
A newer initiative, Corner Convos, brings Westfield out of its sanctuary and into the wider community. The series features conversations with local leaders about the future of the Quiet Corner, what is working, what is hard, and why people still choose to live and work here. Recent guests have included Killingly's Town Manager Mary Calorio. The conversations happen in person at the church, with doors opening a half hour before each one, and are simultaneously livestreamed across Westfield's streaming channels, in keeping with the congregation's stated role as a crossroads of Killingly, uniting all kinds of folks whether or not they actually belonged to the church.
Joining Westfield and Joining In
For anyone curious about making Westfield their congregation, the church runs a three-evening Westfield 101 course most years, with sessions on the histories that shape the United Church of Christ, the congregation's theology, and the practical expectations of membership. Newcomers and longtime members meet one another, learn the customs, and have a chance to ask anything.
Members also launched a set of advocacy teams in 2025, after a congregational survey asked which issues people felt most called to. Three teams have formed so far, around LGBTQ+ advocacy, mental health access, and homelessness, with more planned. From the Pledge Campaign letter, the framing is straightforward: time, talent, and treasure all widen the table. Pledging is an act of hospitality. Each gift widens the table, ensures space for all, and fuels ministries of justice, welcome, and care.
Annual stewardship is anchored in a fall pledge drive. Pledges fund the music, children, and welcome staff, the livestream, the Be Our Guest Suppers, Borrowed Blessings, Corner Convos, and the building upkeep that keeps the steeple standing. Members can pledge online, by recurring bank draft, or by texting an amount to a dedicated text-to-give number. The church also stocks offering tokens in the narthex for those who like the feel of dropping something in the plate. Giving, including recurring online giving, is available at westfielducc.org's online giving page.
The Team at 210 Main Street
The Rev. Dr. Jonathan Chapman has been Pastor and Teacher at Westfield since 2012 and was formally installed in 2013. He holds a Doctor of Ministry in Biblical Witness and Proclamation from Emory's Candler School of Theology, where his capstone, The Year of Mark, won the DMin People's Choice Award. He also holds a Master of Divinity from Candler, where he received the Hoyt Hickman Award for Outstanding Liturgical Scholarship. He graduated from Elon University in 2007 with a degree in Religious Studies and was ordained through Elon Community Church, UCC.
He was a participant in the UCC's Next Generation Leadership Initiative, a decade-long program for young clergy committed to parish ministry. He also consults with other congregations on revitalization, worship, and church communications, and serves on the boards of the Westfield Cemetery Association, the Westcott-Wilcox Home, and the Windham Association Council.
Alongside the pastor, the staff team includes Sue Theroux (Director of Music), Kevin Williams (Director of Welcome), Jess Payette (Church Administrator), Donna Bartholomew (Director of Children), and Sunday School teachers Melissa Card and Kristin Gray. The church is governed by an elected Board currently led by Lay Moderator Missy Bryer and Assistant Lay Moderator Jaylee Stokes, with Treasurer Cherie Trahan, Clerk Denise Nault, and at-large members representing worship and ministry, property, missions and outreach, fellowship and development, fundraising and stewardship, faith formation, and pastoral relations. Board meetings are generally held on the third Monday of the month at 7 p.m. and are open to all members.
The office at 210 Main Street is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to noon, with visitors using the blue door off Reynolds Street. The sanctuary door opens thirty minutes before each Sunday service. Phone (860-774-8438) and email (office@westfielducc.org) reach the office, and a chat with the pastor can be scheduled online through the Calendly link on the church's care page.