The Newington 3 Angels Seventh-day Adventist Church

Churches have been planted in many different ways. This is just a short recount of how God established a congregation of Seventh-day Adventists in the town of Newington, CT.

A group of 4 individuals decided to gather on Saturday afternoons for a study of the gospel. As they studied, word got out and others sought to be a part of it. The group grew rapidly and within 4 months there were now 15-20 people meeting every week. Through a rather interesting turn of events, the Southern New England Conference of Seventh-day Adventists asked this “group” if they would be interesting in planting a church in a town that did not yet have an Adventist presence. 12 individuals agreed that this seemed like an idea that should at least be explored.

The first step was obvious. Where would this church be? They met and talked for a several hours. When there was no clear consensus, it was decided to take a week for prayer and see where the Lord was leading. A side note to this story, there was $20,000+ waiting in the SNEC for a group to be started in Enfield. A couple of people thought that was certainly an indication of where God would want this church.

After the week was over, the group met again. This time there was a unanimous thought of where they should go. Ironically it was in the town of Newington, a town that was not even considered by anyone the week before.

It was determined that mid-September would be the time to start. Now, where to meet? An exhaustive search was begun with nothing to show for it. The group decided they would meet on the next Sabbath {Saturday} even if they had to meet in a living room. On the Tuesday before they were scheduled to begin one last visit was paid to the Congregational Church in Newington to see if there was any way to rent their youth chapel. As it turned out, the secretary of this church was familiar with Adventists. Her mother was in a nursing facility that we had visited many times with a music ministry group. She said her church was meeting the next night and she would take it to the body as a request. When asked how much we could afford the 12 simply said, “We are both Christians. We’ll trust God to help you determine that.” To make a remarkable story short, the request was approved. The amount was less than half what would normally be charged. It was exactly what the 12 could afford. AND, an additional room was added for the children to meet for their Bible study class at no additional cost. Yes, out of the 12 people meeting, there were 3 children.

From the very beginning God blessed this group of 12 with experienced teachers, a treasurer, an elder, and a preacher, etc. Shortly after that an evangelistic series was held. Looking back, the cost was too exorbitant, the goal too preposterous, and God blessed it anyway.

Within a year the group had grown to 20. The Conference now was willing to recognize this “group” as an official “company of believers”. After 2 more years, they were now prepared to recognize them as an official “Church” within the Southern New England Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. The membership was now approximately 35-40. Since then God has continued to bless and our membership has doubled. We now have a weekly attendance of 80-100 people.

In recent years, we have added ministries to reach out to our neighbors and equip the members. The music ministry continues to this day to be a blessing to so many shut ins around the area. A television ministry has been added. The broadcasts include the weekly church service, a program done by the congregation called “The Invitation”, “It Is Written” and others. The number of hours of air time is amazing and continues to grow along with the response from the community. We also have a monthly ministry that goes into a shelter in Middletown to provide a meal. More importantly than that, we try to present the gift of grace that our Lord has provided to us. There is also a Women’s Ministry that addresses the needs of our ladies. A Men’s ministry is being talked about even now. The kids are active in almost all of the projects and then some of their own.

We purchased property in Newington a few years ago. The estimated value of the land was more than double what it was purchased for. {Another miracle} We are hoping to finish the actual construction in the near future. But, one thing we have learned. If God wants that building done, He will find a way. He has led us this far. There is no reason to think He will not see this project through to the end as well.

We are so blessed to have had this experience. We look forward to seeing God’s continued blessings. And we also hope that one day you might visit us.