On April 22nd, 1792, near the Duffields community, a group of people met at the home of Mr. Christopher Collins, in order to form the Baptist Church of Christ at Zoar.  Over the course of generations, that small congregation grew and evolved to become the Charles Town Baptist Church, currently located at the corner of South Samuel and East Congress Streets.  This year, the church celebrates its 225th Anniversary, and will hold a special worship service at 10 am on Sunday April 23rd. 

As the current pastor of that congregation, I have the privilege of reflecting on the history and legacy of our community of faith, as well as looking ahead to the current and future work of the church.   Each generation that has come and gone has contributed to that work, each pastor has given of his time, service, and love to the people of our community.   We have endured, overcome a variety of challenges, and we continue to build on a foundation of love for people and our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Even our buildings reflect that continual desire to continually improve our ability to reach and serve the community.  The original building on our current site was built in the 1850s, damaged during the Civil War, and eventually torn down and replaced.  Our current worship center was built in 1914, and each generation has expanded our facility to enable us to accomplish more for the Kingdom of God.  A Sunday School wing in the 1950s, a music annex in the 1960s, and most recently a Fellowship Hall in 2009.  We are continually evolving and looking ahead.

Our programs and ministries have continued to grow and expand.  From a simple gathering on Sunday for prayer and preaching, to adding discipleship classes and Sunday School, to midweek Bible Study, home groups, service opportunities, and mission trips to places as far away as South Dakota, Alaska, and Canada.   It is a continual process of growth and an ever expanding reach for the sake of the Gospel.

In every generation, music and worship styles change in ways that reflect the culture in which we live.  Likewise, our congregation seeks to honor the best of classic church hymns and traditions, while still exploring contemporary praise.  Fortunately, we are blessed to have a wide variety of talented musicians that have the ability to sing and play a very broad range of styles, reflecting the best of every genre.  Style is secondary to substance, and the goal is to worship with heart and passion, whatever the format.

Every minister has a few favorite phrases that get repeated.  One of my favorites that I share with the church regularly is this - "We own our history; our history does not own us." By that I mean to say that we seek to honor the legacy of the many generations that have gone before us, but we are not locked into a particular format or ministry simply because we have always done it previously.  Our predecessors continually sought improvement and relevance to the community and culture that surrounded them.  We best honor our history by doing the very same, by exploring new avenues of ministry, new connections to our community, and new experiences that worship our Lord and expand our faith. 

Charles Town Baptist Church is an exciting and unique congregation, with a vibrant and living history.  While we celebrate our 225th anniversary and honor our past, we are also looking to a bright and exciting future of serving our God by serving His people.