Our Mission & History
Our Mission
We are a fundamental independent Baptist church. It is our mission to work for the glory of God, through preaching His Word, teaching His worship, and reaching His world. We are a community minded and family oriented ministry and we hope that by getting to know more about us, that you will want to visit us.
Our History
1857 saw the country being divided over issues that would eventually lead to the bloodiest war our country would ever fight on its own soil. Here in Newark Valley, however, issues were uniting people, causing them to establish a Baptist church in their community for the purpose of ministering to the area.
Men and women desired a local Baptist church in our community to meet the needs of their families. After meeting and discussing the possibility, they decided to organize themselves and called a church council of area churches on October 27, 1857 (8 churches were in attendance). A charter membership was established with 26 men and women. They formed an independent Baptist church and adopted the New Hampshire Articles of Faith for their doctrinal statement, and thus began the First Baptist Church of Newark Valley.
The following year, they applied for admission into the Northern Baptist Convention. According to the records, the first church building was built in 1868 on Main Street. Our current building on Whig Street was built in 1869 for a cost of $10,000. By the early 1930's, the church became aware of a loss of spirituality in the Convention and so voted to withdraw from it uniting in March 3, 1937 with the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches.
During the 40's, the church did some needed renovations, and purchased the property north of the church where the current auditorium now stands and A Sunday School annex was added to the facility in 1956. A few years later, the auditorium was renovated to seat 300 and a gymnasium was built. In 1972 a new auditorium was built, and the original church building was remodeled into the educational wing. The church has maintained its doctrinal position through the leadership of godly pastors which came, each in their turn, to lead the congregation and to strengthen their convictions found in God's Word.
The church today continues to act as a lighthouse in the Valley, spreading the light of the gospel to the residents of the area.
We are a fundamental independent Baptist church. It is our mission to work for the glory of God, through preaching His Word, teaching His worship, and reaching His world. We are a community minded and family oriented ministry and we hope that by getting to know more about us, that you will want to visit us.
Our History
1857 saw the country being divided over issues that would eventually lead to the bloodiest war our country would ever fight on its own soil. Here in Newark Valley, however, issues were uniting people, causing them to establish a Baptist church in their community for the purpose of ministering to the area.
Men and women desired a local Baptist church in our community to meet the needs of their families. After meeting and discussing the possibility, they decided to organize themselves and called a church council of area churches on October 27, 1857 (8 churches were in attendance). A charter membership was established with 26 men and women. They formed an independent Baptist church and adopted the New Hampshire Articles of Faith for their doctrinal statement, and thus began the First Baptist Church of Newark Valley.
The following year, they applied for admission into the Northern Baptist Convention. According to the records, the first church building was built in 1868 on Main Street. Our current building on Whig Street was built in 1869 for a cost of $10,000. By the early 1930's, the church became aware of a loss of spirituality in the Convention and so voted to withdraw from it uniting in March 3, 1937 with the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches.
During the 40's, the church did some needed renovations, and purchased the property north of the church where the current auditorium now stands and A Sunday School annex was added to the facility in 1956. A few years later, the auditorium was renovated to seat 300 and a gymnasium was built. In 1972 a new auditorium was built, and the original church building was remodeled into the educational wing. The church has maintained its doctrinal position through the leadership of godly pastors which came, each in their turn, to lead the congregation and to strengthen their convictions found in God's Word.
The church today continues to act as a lighthouse in the Valley, spreading the light of the gospel to the residents of the area.