About Us

NewLife Christian Fellowship began public worship in the basement of the Gallery Restaurant in Glastonbury in July of 1992 with Peter Dewberry as pastor. Several families were also involved in starting the work with the encouragement of Pastor Mark Santestefano of the Worship Center in Hebron. These founding families had a vision of a church in greater Hartford that would worship the Lord in spirit and in truth, care for each other with the love of Jesus, and reach out to others with the good news of His saving love.

Today, NewLife is a loving family of Christians who are committed to fulfilling that vision in Wethersfield, greater Hartford, and the world. Under the leadership of their pastor, Eric Stillman, and their elders and ministry leaders, NewLife is committed to seeing God transform lives as well as our community and world by the gospel of Jesus Christ. In June of 2013, NewLife moved into our new space at 1155 Silas Deane Highway in Wethersfield, and we believe that God will use this location as a catalyst to an even greater impact on our community and region.

We believe that the Bible, consisting of the Old and the New Testaments, is the inspired word of God, without error in its original writings. We believe that it is the complete revelation of God’s will for the salvation of mankind, and that it is the final authority for belief and life.

We believe in One God who eternally exists in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

We believe in the full deity and the full humanity of Jesus Christ; that he was born of the virgin Mary, and lived a perfect and sinless life. We believe in his miracles. We believe that He died as a substitute for sinners, that He rose bodily, ascended to the right hand of the Father, and now exercises a priestly ministry on behalf of His people.

We believe that God created man in His own image, both male and female. Man willingly sinned and, therefore, is lost and in need of salvation through the completed work of Jesus Christ and through regeneration by the Holy Spirit. This universal Church is visibly expressed in local congregations.

We believe in the continuing ministry of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church; that He bestows His gifts as He wills and produces spiritual fruit for godly living.

We believe in sanctification and the victorious life as God’s design for the Church, and that the Holy Spirit anoints and empowers the Church for service.

We believe in the reality of Satan as an evil personality; and therefore, the church is engaged in spiritual warfare. We believe that God has given the authority to the church to stand firm and to claim the victory that has been won by Jesus Christ.

We believe in the imminent, visible, and personal return of Jesus Christ in power and great glory.

We believe in the resurrection of the saved and the unsaved; the saved to everlasting joy and glory, and the unsaved to everlasting punishment.

We believe in two ordinances given by Christ to the Church:

• Baptism, which is by immersion in water and shall be administered to those who have     repented of their sins and believe in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
• The Lord’s Supper, in which the Christian receives elements of bread and wine, signifying the body and blood of Christ. This ordinance is to be regularly observed.

Our values define who we are and what makes our church unique.

The Gospel is the hope of the world – Everything we do points people back to Jesus and His life, death, and resurrection that saves us from our sins, and we want to see this message proclaimed to the whole world.

Biblical teaching & discipleship - We believe the Bible is God’s Word, and so we want to be faithful to what we believe the Bible actually says and submit to that at every generational level

Active relationship with God – We believe God’s desire is to transform us into the image of Christ, and so everything we do is with the goal of seeing people growing and transformed

Deep community – The gospel frees us up to be honest, to live lives marked by confession and repentance, and to care for each other
All hands on deck – Find your areas of giftedness, your passions, your abilities, and use what God has given you to serve each other and our world

Safe place – We are hospitable, welcoming, come-as-you-are, wherever you are along your journey so that all might experience love, healing, and transformation

Our Mission is to join God in his mission of transforming lives, transforming our community, and transforming our world, by the gospel of Christ, to the glory of God.

Our Vision is to become a church where people are being transformed by the gospel of Christ into His likeness, who in turn bring the gospel of Christ into our community and world, calling others to be transformed by the gospel of Christ.

Our Strategy is to create gospel-centered environments where people can:

• Connect to God, other Christians, and those outside the church
• Serve others
• Grow spiritually

The elders of NewLife work alongside the pastor to shepherd, equip, and lead the church towards the fulfillment of NewLife's mission.