New Life Church was born out of a dream to serve the community of Meriden and the surrounding area. Will and Ann Marotti began planning the church with three others on a Wednesday evening in February 1999. The group met in their home on Easter Sunday 1999 for the first time as New Life Church. The core group had grown to nine people when God gave them the opportunity to renovate and move into a six-thousand-square-foot building formally used as a pharmacy. The small group opened for public service on December 19, 1999. Since that time, the church has grown and God has added many new friends.
After six years of consistent growth, God opened the door for a merger with two other churches, both of which broadened the ministry impact of New Life in significant ways. First, God led The First Hispanic Baptist Church of Meriden to unite with New Life Church. This gave New Life a Spanish Language outreach in a city with the fastest growing Hispanic population in CT. Next, Calvary Baptist Church felt led to merge with New Life as well. Calvary’s strength in spiritual gifts discovery would help us prepare for the future. The merger with Calvary also provided New Life Church with additional property on which to expand by adding a primary ministry center on 262 Bee St. in Meriden.
After outgrowing the Bee St. campus, the church began offering additional services at the Oakdale Music Theater in Wallingford. Following two successful years at the Oakdale, a magnificent fifty-six acre campus in Wallingford formerly known as Mountain Ridge became available. The church made a miraculous purchase in May of 2012. Following seven months of renovation, New Life held its first official service there in December of 2012. A forty-seven thousand square foot worship center, an office building, swimming pools, basketball and tennis courts, softball fields, and a fishing pond all make this location a wonderful place for the New Life Family to grow for years to come. The future is very bright!
Will and Ann have been married since 1988 and have two children, Andrea and William. The family plans to live and minister in Meriden/Wallingford area for the rest of their lives.