About

About Wellspring

Wellspring has a rich 130+ year history and an exciting future here in the heart of Connecticut. Our mission is to be a Wellspring of life for our church, in our communities, throughout Connecticut, and to the world.

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HISTORY & MISSION

Swedish immigrants to New Britain gathered in 1883 to form Elim Swedish Baptist Church. In the last 130+ past years, many things have changed. For one, our services are in English (a change made in the 1930s). Our name, style, culture, and size are different, but the core Gospel message of Jesus and the presence of the Holy Spirit continues to be our source of life.

“Elim” is the name of the oasis the Lord led the Israelites to when they left Egypt and entered the desert (Exodus 15:27). The water at Elim sustained their lives. We desire for the Lord to continue to be our Wellspring of life. We want to encounter the depths of God’s presence (like an oasis in the desert) and release the flow of God’s kingdom (John 7:38).

Our mission is to be a Wellspring of life– for our church, in our community, throughout Connecticut, and to the world.

BELIEFS & AFFILIATIONS

What We Believe

We desire to be a community that lives by faith, is known by love, and is a voice of hope. These characteristics prevail in and through the heart of the good news, known as the gospel of Jesus Christ. At the very core of God’s identity rests two intertwined qualities: God’s total goodness and limitless creative capacity. This the source of our faith, love, and hope and is the reason we can all walk in forgiveness, freedom, and wholeness.

This peace, which overcomes evil, is possible because of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. We gather on Sunday mornings to worship and thank God for this and for all of who God is. Our desire is to spend time with each other in the presence of God, who meets, heals, teaches, and directs us. This is a powerful and amazing exchange.

Through it, God’s goodness and love transforms our lives, and we partner with God to transform the world. Around Wellspring, we like to say it is about “encountering the depths of God’s presence, and releasing the flow of God’s Kingdom.”

Belief Statements

We believe in the love and goodness of God the Creator.
We believe every person is made in God’s image and has great worth. We are designed for a personal relationship with God.
We believe that Jesus Christ is the expression of God’s love to this world. He came to show us who God is and bring forgiveness of sin. This is accomplished through his death on the cross and resurrection from the dead, which brings newness of life.
We believe this forgiveness and new life are offered to us by God’s grace and received through faith.
We believe that the Holy Spirit is given to every believer as the expression of God’s presence and power for this new life.
We believe that the life of following Jesus is best-lived in a community of believers. We walk in relationship together, providing encouragement and support for our shared mission.
We believe that the Bible is our authoritative word and direction for our lives as followers of Jesus.
We believe that the message of Jesus brings hope to individuals and to our world. This message of hope is embodied in what Jesus calls, “The Kingdom of God” or God’s saving work and gracious rule brought into our world where men and women welcome him.

Click here for the more formal and full Statement of Faith contained in our by-laws.

Affiliation
Wellspring is affiliated with Converge Worldwide, a larger movement of like-minded churches and ministries. We are also in close relationship with many churches and ministries in Connecticut and throughout the Northeast.