 |
The Chepachet Free Will Baptist Church was gathered on May 7, 1822, although the
congregation has roots in a Baptist tradition in Glocester that dates back well into the eighteenth century. Originally denominated "The Church of Christ in Glocester," the congregation was at the
beginning affiliated with the Free Will Baptists and later became known as the Free Baptist Church and the Free Will Baptist Church. We have not, however, been associated with the
national organization of Free Will Baptists for over a century -- our name is traditional. Although we are unaffiliated with any state or national denominational group, our roots historically lie in
the mainstream of the American Baptist tradition. Please see our Statement of Beliefs. Our first pastor was Rev. Reuben Allen; our current pastor is Stephen Crosby. All are welcome to worship with us.
Our services are at 10:00 AM at the Chepachet Meeting House located on Route 44 in the village of Chepachet, about 200 feet west of the town's only stop light, and partly visible from that
light. A coffee hour follows the service. In addition to weekly worship, the Church has an active Bible study group. People join our church upon profession of faith either by baptism or by letter from another
congregation, and will be received by the right hand of fellowship. We invite parents to bring their young children to church for a service of dedication to Christ. We celebrate Holy
Communion and recognize in our services the important events of the Christian calendar. We also participate in an ecumenical Thanksgiving program with other churches in the town. Please see our calendar page for specific times and events.
We are a small, but growing, congregation, and we have an extensive outreach program for a church our size. One of our most popular activities in this regard is the Music at the Meeting
House series which features six or seven musical concerts a year open to the public on a free-will offering basis. These feature performances by a wide variety of musicians, both instrumental and vocal. Again, please see our calendar page for specific dates and times.
We contribute to the support of a missionary family in Africa, and, for home missions, to deserving local organizations. We prepare food baskets for needy families at Thanksgiving and
Christmas, and contribute to the town's needy families program. There is a long and rich history associated with the church, and throughout the years it has
played an active role in bringing fellowship to the community. The congregation was part of the Chepachet Union Church from the 1920's until the early 1950's. For many years early in the
twentieth century, the church sponsored May basket socials, Memorial Day luncheons, strawberry festivals, and harvest suppers. In 1906 it organized a well-attended annual Old Home
Day celebration which featured a traditional Rhode Island clam bake. These continued until World War II; in later years they were sponsored by the Chepachet Union Church, of which the Free Will Baptist Church was then a part. In the original church compact of 1822, the sixteen founders of the church (six of whom were men and ten of whom were women), stated that since they "felt themselves united in the bonds
of Christian fellowship, on proper deliberation, they considered it would be conducive to their spiritual welfare and the advancement of the Redeemer's kingdom to embody themselves as a Church of Christ."
They declared that "having given ourselves to God by repentance and baptism [we] do hereby solemnly testify that we give ourselves to each other by the will of God." They declared further
that "We take the Scriptures of truth as our only rule of faith and practice: engaging to watch over each other for our upbuilding in the most holy faith; to maintain (by practice) all the
ordinances that we consider contained in the holy Scriptures." The Chepachet Free Will Baptist church has attempted to be true to these principles throughout
its history, bringing both to the nearby community and the world beyond, the Word of God and the Message of Christ, as interpreted within the Baptist tradition.
|
|
