About

Our Staff

Heart

Integrating all aspects of the worship experience before and after a person attends a service to assure a welcoming, worshiping environment.

Soul

Connecting and caring for the congregation through regular fellowship and a wide variety of small groups — at church and in the surrounding community.

Mind

Overseeing the faithful communication of God's Word, the spiritual maturity in people, and the identification and training of emerging leadership.

Strength

Assessing the needs and providing identification, training, and pathways to ministries within the church, our communities, and beyond.

Our Core Values

At First Congregational Church of Rochester, we value:

Authentic Worship

We acknowledge God’s supreme value and worth through the centrality of God’s Word in our personal lives and in the corporate worship of our church. (Romans 12:1-2)

Biblical Teaching

We strive to teach and model God’s Word with integrity, authority, and relevance to people of every age so that they may more fully realize the guidance of the Holy Spirit and mature in Christ. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

Open Bible on wooden table

Prevailing Prayer

We believe that through Jesus Christ we can enjoy personal, intimate access to God through prayer, and that persistent, believing prayer is critical to our effectiveness in carrying out Christ’s mission. (Matthew 7:7-11)

Great Commission Impact

We are committed to effectively communicating the transforming power of Jesus Christ to every nation, every people group, and every social concern, beginning with those closest to us. (Matthew 28:19-20)

Loving Community

We are committed to sharing our spiritual journey with others by doing all that we can to help every person we encounter to feel at home with us and in our church. (Romans 15:7)

Missions

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." -- Matthew 28:19

We are a church that believes in fulfilling the Great Commission therefore we strongly support local and international missions. Please click HERE [pdf brochure] to read more about the missions we support.

Our Beliefs

God Collapse

There is one God, who is infinitely perfect, existing eternally in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 5:48; Matthew 28:19)

Jesus Christ
The Holy Spirit
The Bible
Humanity
Salvation of Humanity Collapse

Salvation has been provided through Jesus Christ for all people. Those who repent and believe in Him are born again of the Holy Spirit, receive the gift of eternal life, and become the children of God. (Titus 3:4–7)

It is the will of God that each believer should be filled with the Holy Spirit, growing rapidly in faith, separating himself from sin and the world, fully dedicating himself to the will of God, and thereby receiving power for holy living and effective service. (1 Thessalonians 5:23, Acts 1:8, Romans 6:1–14)

Healing
The Church
Baptism in Water
Communion
The Judgement and End Times

Our Staff

Pastor Colby Olson Portrait

Pastor Colby Olson

Lead Pastor

Bio
Reverend Colby Olson is a native to Massachusetts and lived here the first 21 years of his life. He was born in Weymouth, raised in Halifax, and he attended Silver Lake Regional High School in Kingston. Colby attended Becker College, Asbury University, and Alliance Theological Seminary. In 2003 while already in full-time ministry Colby was commissioned and ordained by the Christian and Missionary Alliance. For over 20 years Pastor Colby has been used by God to revitalize ministries and start churches in Georgia, New York, Florida, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. He served at his last church in Chatham, Massachusetts for eight years prior to arriving at FCCR. Pastor Colby is married to Joyce who grew up on an arable commercial farm in Mount Blanchard, Ohio. She attended Ohio State University and Boston College and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She has her own counseling practice called Metamorphosis Counseling Services. She specializes in trauma work and offers Nouthetic style Christian counseling. The Olson’s have four children three are in their 20's Cecilia, Kelsey, Troy, and Tate is the youngest by 15 years.
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Marcy Smith

Administrative Secretary

Bio
Marcy Smith was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After graduation from the University of Pittsburgh where she earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering, she entered the United States Navy and was designated a Naval Flight Officer. She spent 12 years on active duty and 11 years in the reserves before retiring from the military in 2012. Marcy then worked for five years as Copy Editor for The Wanderer, the Tri-Town’s weekly newspaper before she accepted the position of Church Secretary for FCCR in 2018. Marcy is married to Spence, who grew up in Topsfield, Massachusetts and works as a Marine Scientist for WSP, a globally recognized professional services firm. They met in Antarctica while both were serving in the United States Navy. The Smiths have two daughters, Geneva and Hannah. Marcy is thankful for God's blessing of family and friends and for His continued provision and protection.
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Judy Stoltenberg

Director of Music

Bio
Judith (Judy) Stoltenberg grew up in Fairhaven, Massachusetts in a faith-filled, musical family. She continues to play the cello in the family’s “Furtado String Quartet.” After graduating from Lowell State College, now University of Massachusetts Lowell, with a degree in Music Education, she taught string instrumental music in public and private schools. She has been a longtime member of the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra. Judy is married to Kristian Stoltenberg and they have three children and five grandchildren. She has served in the Music Ministry at First Congregational Church of Rochester as organist, pianist, and cellist for the past 33 years. Prior to joining First Congregational Church of Rochester, Judy was the Handbell Choir Director and a soloist at the First Congregational Church of Hopkinton, MA.