Our History
A Baptist Church organized in a Presbyterian Church
with ordained Baptist ministers acting as a Presbytery – this was the
unusual beginning of our church.
On March 1, 1877, fifteen men and women of the Baptist
denomination and a few visiting brethren assembled in the Presbyterian
Church house in Kingston for this meeting.
After the Presbytery was set up, the group proceeded with the
organization. The
Declaration of Faith and Church Covenant were read and explained by the
Presbytery and unanimously adopted; where-upon the Presbytery declared
the church duly constituted on the doctrine of the Bible.
By unanimous vote it was agreed to call the church “The First
Baptist Church at Kingston”.
On March 2nd another meeting was held in
the Presbyterian Church when several members were received to join the
fifteen charter members.
That afternoon the church met in the Court House and at that time Elder
T. H. Sturgess was chosen as the first pastor.
A committee was appointed to make arrangements for a house to
meet in for worship and a place to hold Sabbath school.
The church was permitted to use Rittenhouse Academy
for services until its own building on First Street was completed in November
1877. The church continued
in this location until 1913 when property on
North Kentucky Street was purchased, and the
building there was first occupied on August 7, 1913.
This building was soon outgrown, and an educational building was
erected in 1953. When the
church building was destroyed by fire on February 19, 1956, plans were
speeded up for the construction of the present building, and it was
finished in 1958. Extensive
remodeling and redecorating work has been done on this building.
The Family
Life
Center was dedicated
September 6, 1981 and has provided space for worship, fellowship, and
recreation. The church has
grown from a charter membership of 15 to the present membership of 985.
In November 1999 construction began on a three
story wing connected to the sanctuary and designed to provide additional
classrooms, an office suite, and a conference room.
Renovations to the former office area created a Preschool wing.
The congregation dedicated both new areas April 1, 2001.
