Our Team
Pastor Martin Shott and his wife Sondra (Sonie) have been with Harvest Baptist Church since December of 1985, when Pastor received a unanimous call from the five members of assembly to be their Shepherd. On December 14, 2025, Pastor Shott stepped into the role of Pastor Emeritus, marking his 40th anniversary of ministry at Harvest Baptist Church.
He and Sonie both graduated in 1981 from Maranatha Baptist Bible College in Watertown, Wisconsin. Upon graduation they taught in a Christian School for one year in Frankfort, KY at Frankfort Baptist Tabernacle, and then for two more years at the Berean Christian school and Berean Baptist Church in Rockford, IL, where Pastor Melvin Swanson has been since 1953.
Pastor Shott ”borrowed” Berean Baptist’s Church Theme for our church: “A Going Church for A Coming LORD”. Certainly, we have been a “Going” church since that time. Three weeks after becoming Pastor of Harvest Baptist Church the church moved from its rented hall at 48 Butler Street near downtown Torrington, up to “on the hill” at 624 Torringford W. Street, where the church would make its home for the next 13 years and 8 months. The 2,200 sq. ft. church building was rented until August of 1987 when it was purchased for $100,000. Our congregation slowly, but faithfully grew over the next several years. Multiple services, fourteen different meeting locations, including tents, buses, bookstores, hair salons, business buildings, living rooms, a restaurant, school classrooms and eventually a school gymnasium were all used as meeting places due to growth. That is when in September of 1999 Harvest Baptist Church relocated just outside city limits of Torrington to its present location in New Hartford, 1440 Litchfield Turnpike.
A little history of Pastor Shott, he was saved at an old-fashion Revival meeting as a boy, growing up in northeast Ohio. He was baptized at 16 at the New Lyme Baptist Church in New Lyme, Ohio. Upon graduating from high school he went off to Bible College in the fall of 1976, and during his freshmen year he felt a call from God to the ministry. Sonie grew up in Marshalltown, IA and was saved at the age of five at the Fellowship Baptist Church. Upon graduating from Central Iowa Christian Academy, she too went to M.B.B.C. They were married on August 15, 1981. The Shott’s are proud parents of three daughters, all of whom are married; Kristen their oldest and her husband Keith Pelletier, Laura their second, and her husband Jonathon Vasaturo, and Jessica, their third, and husband Shawn Anthony. The Shotts are proud grandparents of 16!
Caleb Schnurr has been faithfully serving in Christian ministry for over ten years. He and his wife Jennifer were both raised in Geneseo, Illinois, where Jennifer’s father pastored for 22 years, and Jennifer had the privilege of being raised in a pastor’s home, giving them a strong foundation in local church life from an early age.
After earning his Bachelor’s degree in Pastoral Theology from Bible College in 2015, Caleb married his high school sweetheart, Jennifer. Together, they are raising five children: Reagan, Ryan and Ryder (twins), Rowan, and Renley.
Throughout his ministry, Caleb has been actively involved in a wide range of service, including Bus Ministry, Jail Ministry, Christian Radio Ministry, School Bible Teaching, and Youth Ministry. His desire has always been centered on preaching the Word faithfully, discipling believers, and helping people grow in their walk with Christ.
Caleb previously served on staff at Harvest Baptist Church from 2017 to 2019. In May of 2023, Caleb and Jennifer moved back to Harvest, returning to what has always felt like home. He now serves as the Lead Pastor of Harvest Baptist Church, grateful to continue the work God has been doing through this church and committed to leading with humility, clarity, and a strong focus on the gospel.
Daniel Neal grew up attending Harvest Baptist Church with his family and accepted Christ at a young age. However, it wasn’t until he joined the youth group that he truly began to understand the significance of living for God. After high school, Daniel pursued a degree in Church Music at Bible college, where he met his wife, Lehuanani (Lei), who was studying Music Education. Lei, originally from Hawaii, also grew up attending church and dedicated her life to Christ as a teenager in the youth group. Following their college years, Daniel and Lei moved to Connecticut to serve in the Youth and Music ministries at Harvest Baptist Church. Their passion is to provide young people with the spiritual care and guidance that helped shape them into who they are today.