Baptist Fellowship sits along Route 6 in Columbia, a quiet town in Tolland County in northeastern Connecticut, less than a mile past Columbia Ford. The church is known locally as a multi-generational congregation that has lived out the Great Commission in concrete ways: it planted three other congregations in its first two decades, runs a preschool out of its original building, and operates a weekly food distribution that has served the surrounding towns for years. The current lead pastor, Brian Keldsen, has been on staff since 2005 and was installed as senior pastor in 2012, carrying forward a teaching ministry shaped by careful verse-by-verse preaching.
From a Tuesday Night Bible Study to a Sending Church
The church's story begins in early 1965, when a small survey of the Columbia area led to a Bible study held on Tuesday evenings in the home of Fred and Mrs. Calderwood. By August of that year, thirty-four people gathered for the first Sunday morning worship service. The next year, Jack Schneider became the first pastor. In 1967 a Bible study initiated by Baptist Fellowship grew into the First Baptist Church of Tolland, the first of three mission churches the congregation would help start. Lester and Grace Cooper donated land in Columbia for a church building in 1970, and the original structure, now used as the chapel and offices, was dedicated in 1971.
The second, larger building that houses the current sanctuary was dedicated in 1978. Two more mission churches followed: Scotland Christian Fellowship in 1976 and Iglesia Bautista de Willimantic in 1981, the latter using Baptist Fellowship's facilities for the next twenty years. Lighthouse Christian School, now Lighthouse Exploration and Learning Center, was started in 1983 and still shares the campus. Dennis Reiter joined the staff as an associate pastor in 1997, and Brian Keldsen came on as an associate pastor in 2005 before being installed as senior pastor in 2012.
The Bible verse that anchors the church's self-understanding is Matthew 28:18-20, the Great Commission: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe to all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
Sunday Mornings on Route 6
The Sunday worship service runs from 10:30 AM to noon, and worshipers can join in person or watch the service livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube. Before the service, at 10:00 AM, there is an open prayer time in Cooper Fellowship Hall that anyone is invited to attend. Adult Sunday School classes have resumed in person as well. The church's mission statement places the Sunday gathering at the center: "We are a community committed to demonstrating the love of God as we gather together in worship and serve our community in the name of Christ."
The campus has two parking areas. The Upper Lot sits directly off Route 6 near the church offices, and the Lower Lots are accessed from the Roses Bridge Road side of the property. Handicap and guest parking are available in both lots. From Hartford, the route is 84 East to 384 East, then the Route 6 exit toward Willimantic for about ten miles. From Glastonbury, Route 66 east runs through Hebron and the center of Columbia, ending at a light where a left turn onto Route 6 leads past Columbia Ford to the church, about a mile further on the right.
What the Church Believes
Baptist Fellowship teaches historic, evangelical Christian doctrine in confessional terms. There is one God, Creator of the universe and sovereign over all, perfect in character and knowledge, and He exists eternally as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is God in the flesh, the Second Person of the Trinity, born of the virgin Mary, who lived a sinless life and died an atoning death on the cross. His literal, bodily resurrection is the basis for confidence in His words, His power, and His eternal authority over the church and the world.
The Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Trinity. He inspired the sixty-six books of holy scripture, regenerates believers by His power, illuminates the mind to recognize truth, carries out the work of sanctification, and seals believers unto the day of redemption. Salvation is a gift of God, by grace alone, through faith. It is accomplished by the Holy Spirit, on the basis of Christ's finished work, and to the glory of the Father. It is God's work, not man's, and can only be received by faith.
The gospel is centered on the historical facts of Christ's crucifixion for sin, His resurrection as the source of believer's hope, and His promised return as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Receiving the gospel means believing in the heart that God raised Jesus from the dead and confessing with the mouth that Jesus is Lord. There is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord.
The church practices believer's baptism by immersion. Baptism is described as "an act of obedience symbolizing the believer's faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior." The only prerequisite for baptism is faith in the risen Christ, and all true believers are encouraged to be baptized.
Children, Youth, and the Lighthouse Preschool
Wednesday evenings from 6:00 to 7:30 PM are the centerpiece of the children's and youth ministry. Awana Clubs, for children from PreK through sixth grade, meet September through May, with the slogan "Where We Play with a Purpose." Engage Youth Group gathers grades seven through twelve in the Youth Room of Cooper Fellowship Hall at the same hour. A free Vacation Bible School called SonTreasure Island runs in late July each year, half-days from 9:00 to 11:55 AM, also for PreK through sixth grade. The children's ministry also maintains a closed Facebook group where daily content is shared and parents choose what their kids view.
Sandi Caldwell, who has attended Baptist Fellowship since she was seven years old, directs both the Awana and VBS programs and serves on the Tech and Worship teams. She and her husband Gavin, who serves as Treasurer and on the Board of Elders, have five adult children and three grandchildren.
Sharing the lower level of the original 1971 building is the Lighthouse Exploration and Learning Center, a preschool program founded in 1983. Classes currently meet Monday, Wednesday, and Friday as half-days. The preschool operates as a separate ministry of the church and maintains its own Facebook page.
Wednesday Night Bible Studies and the Grace Chapel
Two adult Bible studies run on Wednesday evenings alongside Awana and Engage. Tracy Bidwell, the church's Christian Counselor, hosts a Women's Bible Study on Wednesday mornings from 9:30 to 11:30 AM in the Grace Chapel on the upper level of the church. Pastor Dennis Reiter teaches the Men's Bible Study on Wednesday evenings from 6:00 to 7:30 PM in the old Choir Room adjacent to the sanctuary. The Women's Wednesday evening Bible study is currently paused while the leaders gather more interest.
On Tuesday evenings from 6:30 to 7:30 PM, the church holds a weekly prayer meeting in the Grace Chapel. A separate Grief Group meets Tuesdays from 10:00 to 11:30 AM in the Grace Cafe, offering a setting for those grieving losses to find encouragement and prayerful support.
Community Groups Across the Region
Community Groups are the church's main vehicle for the "grow" part of its threefold mission of worship, grow, and serve. Groups currently meet in the Willimantic area and at the church campus. Small Groups, listed separately under the same umbrella, are another pathway for discipleship beyond the Sunday gathering and mid-week studies.
Pastoral Care, Counseling, and the Cooper Family
The pastoral staff includes Senior Pastor Brian Keldsen and Associate Pastor Dennis Reiter. Pastor Reiter, who also offers a ministry of pastoral care and counseling, is a certified Christian Conciliator and instructor with Peacemaker Ministries, working both nationally and internationally. He holds a B.A. from Wheaton College in history and philosophy, and three degrees from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School: a Master of Divinity, a Master of Arts in Church History, and a Doctor of Ministry. His wife Judy plays piano, and together they enjoy tennis.
Pastor Brian Keldsen graduated from Golden Gate Theological Seminary in 2005, has training in conflict resolution through Peacemaker Ministries, and is a certified biblical counselor through the Association of Biblical Counselors. He and his wife Nikki live near Columbia Lake; their son Toby plays soccer and basketball.
Tracy Bidwell serves as the church's Christian Counselor with more than thirty-seven years of ministry experience. She holds an MA in Pastoral Counseling and Spiritual Formation and an MA in Intercultural Studies. Her work focuses on Christian counseling and biblical discipleship, offering a safe place to share heart issues, find emotional healing, grow relationally, and find encouragement in Christ.
Sandi Caldwell serves as Administrative Assistant and oversees the children's ministry programs. The pastors are available to meet with individuals by appointment, scheduled through the church's contact form. Appointments with Tracy Bidwell are scheduled through a separate form.
Outreach, Foodshare, and the Great Commission
The mission page frames the church's outreach in Great Commission terms: "Christ commands the proclamation of the gospel to all nations. It is the responsibility of every believer to actively participate in that great commission. The means by which we at Baptist Fellowship endeavor to honor the Lord in serving the great commission is through kindness to community and clear witness to the world." That twofold approach, kindness and clear witness, has been a consistent thread since the church's founding. Three of the churches on the church's own historical timeline grew directly out of its ministries: the First Baptist Church of Tolland, Scotland Christian Fellowship, and Iglesia Bautista de Willimantic.
For years the church hosted a Foodshare event every other Thursday, a community food distribution serving the wider Columbia area. The church's associate pastor and a long roster of volunteers rotate through the work of unloading, packing, and handing out groceries, with the church describing the effort as the kind of hands-on kindness its mission statement calls for. Past members like Gil Pepin, a longtime deacon who passed away in 2020, served faithfully at those Foodshare events for years, along with his wife Penny in the Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child ministry.
The Building, the Campus, and Where to Find Things
The church uses two connected buildings on Route 6. The 1971 original building, donated land made possible by Lester and Grace Cooper, now serves as the chapel (Grace Chapel) and the church offices, and houses the Lighthouse preschool. The 1978 building contains the current sanctuary and adjacent spaces, including the Choir Room used for the men's Bible study and the Cooper Fellowship Hall, which hosts the Awana program, Engage youth meetings, and the Sunday morning prayer time. A Grace Cafe on campus has been a ministry gathering spot, including for the Tuesday morning Grief Group, and was named by Pastor Brian as one of his four favorite things in life, alongside the Lord, his family, and his church.
The YouTube channel hosts video of recent sermons, and the sermons page links to archived messages. A SoundCloud playlist carries additional audio of past teaching. Online giving is available through the church's giving page. Devotional reflections on the Psalms, written primarily by Pastor Brian, are posted online and often tie to current events and seasonal rhythms in the life of the church.
For First-Time Visitors
Anyone considering a visit will find the church straightforward and accessible. Sunday worship runs 10:30 AM to noon. Sunday morning prayer is at 10:00 AM in Cooper Fellowship Hall for those who want to come early. The building is easy to find on Route 6, just under a mile past Columbia Ford, and parking is available in the Upper Lot off Route 6 or the Lower Lots off Roses Bridge Road, with handicap and guest spaces in both. The worship service is offered in English and is livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube for those who prefer to participate from home. Children are well-cared-for through Awana on Wednesday nights during the school year and through a free late-July Vacation Bible School.