Remaining Faithful: For the 200th Anniversary of Second Baptist Church

The founders of the Second Baptist Church of Suffield began a new church with the blessing of their own strong First Baptist Church in 1805. But, the origins of the First Baptist Church with its particular beliefs occurred amid much controversy more than fifty years prior to 1805.

In New England, the Congregational Church had lost much of its hold on its members and on government by 1725. Eventually, some of its ministers decided a religious revival was needed. A fiery preacher by the name of Jonathan Edwards became a major stimulus for a religious revival in southern New England; his preaching attracted large numbers of people and his sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," preached in Enfield, Connecticut, in 1740, became well known.

Interest in religion was revived, but, to the consternation of the Congregationalists, other religious groups such as Baptists and Methodists benefitted more in terms of numbers in the short and long run. Some Congregationalists in the Suffield church came to the belief that only those who had experienced a conversion (the “awakened”) could be members and share communion. However, they were a minority and their belief was rejected. As a result, some left Suffield Congregational Church and, led by Joseph Hastings, formed their own church in 1747. They were known as “New Lights”.

As years passed, the “NewLights” suffered internal dissension. Many returned to the Suffield Congregational Church and the others followed Joseph Hastings, who had been immersed in 1752 , in accepting Baptist principles. Hasting’s congregation formally organized as a Baptist Church in 1769 and constructed a building on Zion’s Hill(Hastings Hill). By 1790, the First Baptist Church of Suffield (and the first Baptist church in Hartford County) had become the seventh largest Baptist Church in Connecticut with 112 members and was an influential church.

A few years later, Deacon Ephraim Robbins and Baptists from two other churches received a response to a letter they sent to President Thomas Jefferson in which they expressed hope for support for the separation of church and state. In his letter to the committee of the Danbury Baptist Association dated Jan. 1, 1802, Jefferson stated that “ Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only and not opinions, I contemplate with solemn reverence the act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should make no law respecting the establishment of religion , or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; thus building a wall of separation between church and state.” Jefferson also refers to “ rights of conscience”.

Thus, when some members of the First Baptist Church were granted permission to start a new church in 1805, they had encouragement and support from a strong mother church. The Second Baptist Church of Suffield obtained its first full time pastor in 1810, joined the Connecticut Baptist Convention in 1824 under Pastor Tubal Wakefield, and was recognized as a strong church. And the rest is history.

These early Baptists emphasized certain things: Soul Freedom; Priesthood of All Believers; Congregational Autonomy; Religious Liberty; Believer’s Baptism (rejects infant baptism); The Bible. We American Baptists also emphasize the same things. Early Baptists had great obstacles to overcome and their sacrifices and faith have encouraged subsequent generations to stay the course. We at Second Baptist Church have faced serious challenges, physical and spiritual. Let us pray that sacrifice and faith will be part of our legacy for future generations.

Early Baptist History from England to Connecticut

Quoted Excerpts by Muriel Erickson, Church Historian, Central Baptist Church Hartford, 1974-1978

"In the year of 1611, under the reign of James I, in the old town of Litchfield, England, Edward Wigthtman, a Baptist minister, who was accused by the dominant hierarchy of almost every heresy, and worst of all, the denial of the divine authority of infant baptism, was burned at the stake."

"The thread of history winds from the martyrdom of Edward Wightman in 1611 to his descendant, the Rev. Valentine Wightman, who in 1705 "planted" the first Baptist church in the "Province of Connecticut" at Groton. [This church still serves God 300 years later as Old Mystic Baptist Church.] Among the first "fruits" of this church was the first Baptist Church of Suffield, CT. "

In 1805 Second Baptist Church in Suffield grew out of First Baptist on Hill Street. We still worship there five Sundays every summer beginning in August. While this new congregation endured persecution from townspeople who twice vandalized the construction site, they faithfully endured paying their tithe to the puritan church acrosss the street while also supporing Second Baptist. The wooden beams from the original barn-like building survive today in our sanctuary superstructure.

The American Baptist Churches of Connecticut are proud to name their camp and conference center "Camp Wightman."

What Happend At Second Bapitst in 2006?

The spirit of the Christmas season carried the people of Second Baptist Church into the new year of 2006 under the leadership of Pastor David Reed-Brown. Many dedicated workers young and old contributed to a wide range of programs from January to December and significant maintenance was accomplished on the physical plant. Our building continued to see much use each week and our new Pastor enhanced our spiritual life with his loving approach to sharing the message of Jesus Christ.

Committees, boards and groups were active in January and throughout the year with July and August seeing a slowdown. The Diaconate, Board of Christian Education, and the Executive, Missions, Music, Pastoral Relations, and Calling committees met on a regular basis. Other committees met as needed: House, Flower, Nominating. The American Baptist Women were active. The Clothing Closet was open on Saturdays. Other regular activities were the Special Needs Fellowship, Soup Kitchen, Prayer Shawl Ministry, Prayer Circle, and Men’s Breakfast Fellowship. The choirs, Sanctuary, Handbell and Childrens, gave us meaningful music. The Sunday School was active for all ages and many dedicated teachers were involved. Our Church Librarians, Rachel Powell and Linda Isham, led a number of work days to organize and inventory books and material in the library. Outside groups continued to use our facilities: Brownies, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, the Garden Club of Suffield, and Suffield Academy.

Christian Unity Sunday was held on January 15 with a service at Third Baptist Church that celebrated the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. The Annual Meeting was held on January 25. Before the meeting, a dinner was prepared under the watchful eye of Dot Kent but she was not well and had to leave her kitchen. Sadly, our beloved Dot died on the 30th.

In February, the youth had a retreat on the 3rd to the 5th and the 19th was Youth Sunday. A series of church membership classes began this month as did a series of get acquainted meetings with the Pastor(Punch with Pastor Dave).Cindy Reed-Brown(Pastor’s wife) was “showered” after worship on the 26th by “females of all ages.”

The month of March was especially important because our Pastor was officially installed. The Installation Service on the 26th was impressive and enjoyable. It featured a dynamic guest preacher Rev. Betty Wright-Wiggins from the Missionaries and Ministers Benefit Board of ABCUSA. An Ash Wednesday service was held in the Kneece Chapel on the 1st and Lenten Breakfasts began. New members classes continued. Our annual hymn sing (and supper, of course) with the Third Baptist Church occurred on the 19th; as always, it was a joyful fellowship.

The high point of our Christian calendar occurred in April. We celebrated Palm Sunday on the 9th, shared a Maundy Thursday service at Third Baptist and observed Easter Sunday services on the 16th. The youth group held a “Crafts and Fun” night on the 1st and a “Game Night on the 23rd. A memorial service was held for Charlotte Vance on the 1st.

Punch with Pastor Dave continued on the 2nd and 23rd. An American Red Cross blood drive was held on the 26th. The American Baptist Women of the Hartford Association held a dinner meeting at Second Baptist on the 3rd. ABCCONN’s 182nd Annual Gathering was held at Camp Wightman on the 29th. AND a first for our church - a newborn living at the parsonage on North Street. Matthew Reed-Brown was born on the 24th.

A number of special events happened in May. The Annual Meeting of the First Baptist Church was held on the 1st. A teacher appreciation breakfast was enjoyed on the 7th and the Men’s Choir sang on Mother’s Day the 14th. A concert was sponsored by the Music Committee on the 21st followed by a meet the musicians time. Suffield Academy held its Baccalaureate event in our sanctuary on the 26th.

A variety of activities occurred in June. A number of candidates were baptised during the worship service on the 4th. A strawberry supper was held on the 10th and a church team sponsored by the Missions Committee participated in the Relay for Life event on the 10th and 11th. Children’s Day was observed on the 11th and it included a church family picnic after the morning worship service. Father’s Day was observed on the 18th with the Hot Cat Jazz Band playing before and during the worship service. The coffee hour on the 25th was used as an occasion to honor Dan and Allyson Kehoe for their service to our church. The Scouts held a family night in Fellowship Hall on the 6th.

Regular worship services were held in July. On the 31st, a new Pastoral Relations Committee was organized. Worship services in August and Sept. 3 were held at the First Baptist Church; Pastor Dave preached on Aug. 6th. Vacation Bible School occurred Aug. 7-11 at the First Church in a cooperative venture. A few youth attended Soulfest 06 with advisers.

Worship services resumed at Second Baptist on Sept. 10th and “routine” activities were off and running. The 17th was Missions Sunday, the Sunday School “kickoff” and the presentation of a youth play as a fundraiser. The church had a food booth at the Suffield on the Green weekend the 9th and 10th. Pork was the main item on the menu and it was prepared by chef Win Senter who did a tremendous job in getting the booth made, etc. The booth was popular and made some significant money which was used for church projects. A Life Line screening event was sponsored on the 25th.

In October, a new series of movies began on the 15th, Cinema for the Soul. One movie per month will be shown and the series was sponsored by the Adult Education Task Force.

Men’s Fellowship began meeting on Sunday evenings with a supper on the 8th. On the 22nd Consecration Sunday was observed as a kickoff for the financial campaign for our 2007 budget. A luncheon following worship was part of the event. The Scouts held a family night on the 17th and a Turkey Supper for the public was held on the 28th.

The Men’s Fellowship monthly meeting on the 4th was a work period at the church followed by pizza for lunch. Our annual Harvest (Holiday) Fair occurred on the 11th - a lot of people put in a lot of work to make it a success. Thanksgiving Sunday worship was followed by the church family Thanksgiving dinner on the 19th. The youth met on the 26th to put together troop care packages - another example of their concern for others.

The Christmas season marked the beginning of our Pastor’s second year with us. The first Sunday of Advent was Dec. 3rd and the annual Advent workshop began at 5:30pm and a potluck supper was included. The second Sunday of Advent included a community carol sing at First Baptist Church. The Pastor and his wife hosted an open house at the parsonage on the afternoon of the third Sunday of Advent - good food and good fellowship. The fourth Sunday of Advent was Christmas Eve. The Christmas pageant was held at 5 pm and a service of carols and lessons was held at 10 pm. A Red Cross Blood drive was held on the 26th. After many years of service, Signe Wright retired as the volunteer manager of the Clothing Closet. She contributed countless hours of service to make the Clothing Closet a success with a positive and generous spirit. The Missions Committee will assume the challenge for the continuation of the Clothing Closet.

Challenges have been met this past year and more await us as Christians next year.

Barry N. Sisk

Church Historian