| Purpose and Mission |
| The Purpose and Mission of Wilton Center Federated Church is to Know, Experience and Demonstrate the Reality of God's love by Sharing it freely, Growing in it faithfully, Expressing it joyfully, Enjoying it completely, and Living it daily. |
| Core Values |
| 1) We believe that God values the worth of every person and desires that they have a personal relationship with Him. 2) We believe that every follower of Christ has the personal responsibility to discover and grow in their relationship with Him. 3) We value the relationships that we have with each other realizing that we belong, can depend on and enjoy each other. 4) Since worship is our expression of thankfulness to God through Jesus Christ, we value all worship that brings glory and honor to His name; whether corporate or personal, quiet or joyful, through prayer, song or any other expression. 5) We value every opportunity to be the hands, feet and heart of Jesus within our community |
| Essentials of Faith |
| 1) Sovereignty of God over all aspects of His creation 2) Lordship of Jesus Christ and the all sufficiency of His sacrifice for sin 3) Ultimate authority and timeless relevance of the Word of God 4) Priesthood of all believers and their ability to discern by the Holy Spirit the Words of Truth |
| Federation of Believers |
| Because Wilton Center is a federation of the American Baptist and Methodist believers, many are surprised at how such a union has existed and thrived for over 85 years. We like to think of it as an example of how it can and should be when we allow Christ to be the center of who we are and apply I Corinthians 13 (the love chapter) to our everyday interaction with each other. We have simply chosen to emphasize that which brings and keeps us together rather than that which separates and keeps us a part. We have found that our theological differences are not subsequent enough to divide the unity of our faith. Praise God! |
| Baptism and Communion |
| Wilton Center recognizes two sacraments or ordinances, Baptism and Communion (The Lord's Supper) and observes them in the following way: We practice what is known as "Open Communion" which means that any one professing faith in Jesus Christ regardless of denominational affiliation may participate in the observance of communion. "We show the Lord's death till He comes." |
| Regarding baptism, our Baptist brethren practice "Baby Dedication" and "Baptism by Immersion" of those professing personal faith and acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord. If this is your practice and you have not yet been baptized, we have a beautiful baptistery located under the front alter and would love to talk to you further. |
| Our Methodist brethren practice "Infant Baptism," seen as a bestowing of God's grace on a child who by their very nature are totally depend upon God's grace for salvation. A baptized child becomes a part of the universal and local Church and is under the sanctions of the Church until he/she by the power of God receive by their own confession of faith the gift of salvation and are then "Confirmed" as full, responsible, professing member of Christ's church. |
| History |
| The history of Wilton Center Federated Church can be documented back to 1852 when six Baptists in the Wilton Center area joined to form a church. In 1861, a similar group of Methodists also formed a church. Both churches met separately until 1918 when they joined for part of the summer in a test union since the area could only support one thriving church. Hence, the historic federation occurred in 1919. Since then, pastors have alternated from both denominations. |
| In 1955, leadership concluded that a new church was needed to accommodate growing
Sunday School attendance. The old church was dismantled and all usable materials
were reused in the building of a new church. The structure was redecorated in 1989
and a celebration weekend was held in June of 1994 to honor 75 years of the joining of the Baptist and Methodist membership. |
| In 1990, a land committee was formed to begin searching for available land to build a facility to better be able to serve the growing community. A site was purchased in 1999 and ground was broke on June 16th, 2004. Because of overwhelming amount of volunteers and contributors, the dedication of the present facility was held on September 11th, 2005! To God be the Glory! |
