2016 is a special year in the history of First Baptist Church, Wallaceburg. We will mark 150 years as a church family with several special events spread over the year.
How did it all start? We are fortunate to have a written record of that. It goes like this…
“In the home of James McDonald, on May 4, 1866, eight people led by a student pastor organized a church. The church was formally recognized by the Western Association of the Baptist Convention of Ontario and Quebec on June 2, 1866.” The pioneers of the church met in the Old Town Hall (which at that time was also used as a school) and were joined by interested adherents. A decision was made to build a church in March 1872, and a brick building was erected on the corner of Wall and Nelson streets. The main part of the church was lighted by two clusters of oil lights and heated by a wood stove.
How are we going to celebrate?
The celebration is separated into two phases:
The first phase stretches from now until December 31st and is designed to celebrate our past. We are starting June 5th with the dedication of a special commemorative window and a memorial walk. The window is special because most of the stained glass used in it comes from the stained glass windows that graced the church building that was our home from 1903 until 1969.
In October, we will be re-hanging two smaller stained glass windows from that church into windows in the Christian Education building.
A celebration weekend is planned for November 19-21. Plans include a Friday night “Meet and Greet”. We continue the November celebration weekend with an Open House on Saturday afternoon, followed by a catered meal and ending with a concert. Sunday will be a special church service with a very special speaker, Dr. Tim McCoy, Executive Director, Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec.
The second phase will begin January 1st, 2017 and focus on our future. We will be introducing a very special Canadian Baptist Ministries project that we hope you will be a part of.