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First Baptist Church in America

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First Baptist Meetinghouse
Front elevation, 2008
LocationProvidence, RI
Built1775
ArchitectJoseph Brown; Multiple
Architectural styleGeorgian
NRHP reference No.66000017
Added to NRHPOctober 15, 1966[1]

The First Baptist Church in America is the First Baptist Church of Providence, Rhode Island, also known as First Baptist Meetinghouse. The oldest Baptist church in the United States, it was founded by Roger Williams in Providence, Rhode Island in 1638.

History

Roger Williams is credited with founding the church in 1638 shortly after his founding of Providence in 1636. Arminian in tone, it not long afterward became virtually what is now known as a Free Will Baptist church. William Wickenden, a colonial dissident, served as one of the first ministers of the church, and nearby Wickenden Street took his name. For the first sixty years the church met in congregants' homes. In 1700 Reverend Pardon Tillinghast built the first church building, a 400-square-foot (37 m2) structure, on Smith and North Main Streets, and the congregation built the second meetinghouse nearby in 1726.

File:Inside Church.JPG
Inside Church
First Baptist Church's meetinghouse

The congregation built current meeting house in 1775 under the leadership of James Manning on the site of an disused apple orchard. The meeting house has served as the site of Brown University's commencement site for all but two Brown's Commencements since 1776.[3] Brown was founded by Baptist colonists from Rhode Island. The building was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1966.[2] The steeple of the current meeting house has a unique history. Due to the closure of the Boston ports following the Boston Tea Party of 1775, out-of-work ship-builders were invited from Boston to Providence to raise the steeple. It took a mere three days. History professor Stan Lemons has published a history of the church, entitled "First."[4]

The Meeting House has hosted concerts, talks, and lectures by world-renowned artists, performers, academics, and elected officials. Brown University continues to hold Commencement services in The Meeting House to this day.

Dan Ivins was elected as Minister December 24, 2006.

Affiliations

The First Baptist Church in America is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches of Rhode Island (ABCORI) and the American Baptist Churches/USA (ABCUSA). The church actively supports the Rhode Island State Council of Churches, the National Council of Churches, the World Baptist Alliance, and the Baptist Joint Committee on Religious Liberty. Many members have served in various denominational, academic, and divinity school positions, including the presidency of Brown University.

References

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2008-04-15.
  2. ^ a b "First Baptist Meetinghouse". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Retrieved 2008-06-28.
  3. ^ "Commencement/Reunion Overview: Brown University To Hold 237th Commencement on Sunday, May 29". Providence, RI, USA: Brown University. 2005-05-05. Retrieved 2009-02-13.
  4. ^ Lemons. "Williams wasn't a 'free-thinker'". Retrieved 2009-01-13. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter | date= ignored (help); Unknown parameter | first= ignored (help); Unknown parameter | publisher= ignored (help)

External links

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