A Bezalel in the Woods of Colgate

Set back from Highway 164 in the unincorporated community of Colgate, within the Town of Richfield and just north of the road that climbs toward Holy Hill, Bezalel Christian Church gathers in a single large facility at 777 State Road 164. The church's heartbeat is captured in three words, prayer, scripture, and spirit, and Senior Pastors Theo and Jolie Williams lead a community that prizes the written Word of God, the active work of the Holy Spirit, and a long-standing emphasis on the arts. Neighbors know the address because Sunday worship meets there at 10 a.m., prayer fills the sanctuary on Wednesday evenings, and the doors stay open throughout the week for youth, connection groups, healing services, and craft nights.

The church has been a fixture on this stretch of 164 for more than a decade, but the name on the building is more recent. It came out of a season of prayer, an expansion of artistic ministry, and a fresh vision for what God was calling the congregation to be.

The Story Behind the Name

The name Bezalel Christian Church did not arrive from a marketing exercise. It came out of a season in which the leadership sensed God doing a new thing within the congregation, an expansion of artistic ministry, a bolder proclamation of the gospel, and a steady stream of miracles and salvations that convinced the pastors the church was being asked to lean into something new.

Bezalel is the artisan described in Exodus 31 who, filled with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, constructed the tabernacle and the ark of the covenant. He is also the first person in Scripture explicitly described as filled with the Holy Spirit. The church takes that record seriously.

The Hebrew name itself means Under the Shadow of the Almighty, a phrase that points to God's protection of those who draw close, His sovereign rule over all, and the reflection of His light and glory through His people. Like the original craftsman, the church says it wants to prepare a place to meet with the Lord and to see His kingdom touch every area of life. Worship, in that vision, is what prepares a people to move into the promises of God.

When Theo and Jolie Williams were welcomed as pastors in January 2011, the congregation had a longer history, but the recent years have shaped the present identity. Today the pastors are described as open-armed leaders with hearts to disciple, equip, and commission God's people, both extremely gifted in the arts and committed to creating an atmosphere where creativity follows the Holy Spirit.

Sunday Mornings at 777 Highway 164

Sunday is the gathering point of the week. From 9:00 to 9:55 a.m. the sanctuary fills with people praying before the service begins, and anyone with a need for prayer, a request for healing, or simply a desire to press in is invited to come early. At 10 a.m. the main service begins.

The service itself is led by Pastor Theo, whose preaching is described as thought-provoking, engaging, and rooted in Scripture. Every message points back to Jesus and aims to leave listeners with a take-away they can carry into their week. The order is straightforward: prayer, worship, the Word, and then fellowship.

Casual dress is the norm. Visitors are told to wear what is comfortable and to come as they are. The atmosphere is described as family-like, and after the service the church makes a point of pausing for a meal together. That fellowship time is treated as an extension of the gathering rather than a wind-down, and newcomers are drawn in rather than left to find their way home alone.

Parents of small children are well cared for. Nursery care is provided for children age three and under during the service, and Sunday school follows worship for children age four and up. A nursing mothers' room sits adjacent to the sanctuary, with a live audio feed from the service and an adjustable volume so mothers can hear and see the gathering while they feed or settle their babies.

Worship With Open Hands

Worship at Bezalel is intentionally expressive. The team leads modern music, but the goal is not performance, it is fostering an environment where there is space to follow the Spirit of God. Singing is expected. Dancing and raised hands are common. Visitors do not need to know any of the songs ahead of time.

The worship ministry is also a place to grow. Vocalists, instrumentalists, and other creatives are invited to reach out through the church office if they are looking for a place to use their gifts. The team treats each role as an opportunity to grow in worship, not just to fill a slot on a schedule.

That same openness carries into the Arts Ministry, which is led by Jolie Williams and draws on her twenty years of international work in mime, dance, and physical theater. Once a month the service includes mimes and dances as a regular part of the rhythm of worship. Beyond the sanctuary, the Arts Ministry runs arts camps and workshops throughout the year, with dates posted on the events calendar as they come together.

Wednesday Nights on the Hill

Wednesdays are the second pulse of the week at Bezalel. From 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. the building hosts both adults and youth at the same time, in different parts of the facility.

The Prayer and Worship Night begins at 6:30 p.m. with a corporate time of seeking the Lord together. Healing prayer is part of the rhythm, and anyone who needs prayer is encouraged to come in and be prayed over. The night is open to anyone, whether they attend Bezalel on Sundays or not.

In the same window, Youth Nights welcome kids from fourth grade through twelfth grade. The evening opens with worship and prayer until 7:00 p.m., then students are dismissed for age-appropriate teaching and games. The goal is straightforward: come make friends, dive into the Lord, and have fun. The church is explicit that the doors are open to youth from any background.

Men's Breakfasts, Women's Tables, and Craft Nights

Beyond Sunday and Wednesday, Bezalel runs a small constellation of connect groups designed for real conversation and discipleship.

The Men's Connect Group meets on the first Saturday of every month at 9 a.m. The pattern is breakfast first, the Word second. Senior Pastor Theo Williams leads the discussion, and the room fills with men who share a meal and then build one another up around Scripture.

The Women's Connect Group gathers on the second and fourth Thursday of each month at 6 p.m. at a home in Menomonee Falls. Women of all ages are welcome, and children are welcome to come along. The purpose is encouragement, connection, and prayer for one another.

Seasonal gatherings fill in around those rhythms. A monthly Healing Service is held on a Friday evening, with prayer teams ready to lay hands on anyone who comes with a need. A women's craft night meets seasonally in the evenings, with recent projects including mosaic coasters, materials provided and kids welcome to come along. Testimony Time, hosted in the church cafe, gives space for someone in the community to share their story over snacks. The events calendar and the events page list the next dates as they are scheduled.

For those who want to read along with the church, a Bible reading plan is offered through the YouVersion app, allowing members and visitors to stay on track reading together with the wider Bezalel community. A church Spotify channel hosts weekly sermons for listening on the go, and the church blog carries both written sermon pieces and longer-form reflections from Pastor Theo and guest writers.

What We Believe

Bezalel describes itself as a non-denominational church, and its statement of faith gathers around a classical, evangelical core.

The Bible is the inspired, infallible, and authoritative Word of God, the whole revelation of God's will for salvation and the divine and final source for all faith and life. God is one being in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, identical in nature, equal in power and glory, and sharing the same attributes and perfections. The Father is perfectly holy, just, loving, and truthful, the initiator of salvation and the provider of all good things. Jesus is the Son of God, both fully God and fully man, sinless, conceived of the Holy Spirit from the Virgin Mary. The Holy Spirit lives in each Christian from salvation and gives gifts for the service of the body.

Humanity, the statement teaches, was created for fellowship with God but became separated through sinful disobedience, bringing sickness, death, and judgment into the world. The blood of Jesus Christ provides the only way of salvation, received through repentance and personal faith in His shed blood and resurrection. People will exist eternally either separated from God by sin or in union with Him through forgiveness, with a bodily resurrection of all humanity, the saved to eternal life and the unsaved to eternal judgment.

Every believer is empowered through Christ to live a supernatural life and has been given authority in His name to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, and drive out demons. Two practices are marked as essential for every believer: baptism, following the example of Jesus in water, and communion, observed regularly.

The statement of faith also teaches that marriage is a sacred covenant between one man and one woman, and that the church's calling is to demonstrate God's transforming love and power by preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, making disciples of all nations, and partaking in the work of the Spirit to establish the kingdom of God on the earth.

Weddings, Rentals, and a Door That's Always Open

The same Highway 164 building that hosts Sunday worship is also available to the wider community in carefully defined ways.

Weddings are considered for couples who stand in full agreement with the church's statement of faith, who will use the facilities for religious purposes, and who have completed the premarital counseling required by the pastor. Because Bezalel holds marriage to be a sacred covenant, every wedding held in the building is treated as a Christian worship service.

The facility can also be rented for special events that align with the mission of the church and its statement of faith. The building includes a large sanctuary, several classrooms, and gathering spaces, and the office team responds to rental inquiries by email.

Beyond weddings and rentals, the pastoral team is available for the quieter kinds of ministry. Prayer is offered after Sunday services for anyone who needs it, and personal prayer can be scheduled by calling the office. A team of intercessors is willing to visit homes and bless them. The church also maintains a prophetic team that will meet, by appointment, to interpret dreams that are weighing on someone's mind. Visitors who want to follow along with the church's prayer ministry can reach the office directly by email to get involved.

Online giving is available through Vanco, the church's preferred platform, with a simple text-to-give option by messaging a dollar amount to 844-379-3865. Tithe.ly and PayPal are also available as alternative methods. Bezalel Christian Church is a 501(c)(3) organization, and donors receive a tax deduction form in January for the previous year's gifts.

The Address

Bezalel Christian Church meets at 777 Highway 164, Colgate, Wisconsin 53017, in the Town of Richfield. Sunday worship begins at 10 a.m., with pre-service prayer from 9:00 to 9:55 a.m. The church office can be reached at 262-628-7770 or office@bezalelchurch.com.