WAUPACA COUNTY POST

July 8, 2004

 

FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH TO CELEBRATE 150 YEARS

By Bobbie Studzinski

 

            First Baptist Church members are busy in preparation for their church’s 150^th anniversary this summer.

            As part of the celebration all the living previous pastors will be in attendance and delivering a short speech.  The church is hoping to attract many of its previous members and visitors to share in the celebration. For those unfamiliar with the church’s 150-year history, a series exploring its roots will be running this summer.

            The pioneer village of Waupaca on the Indian trail between the Wisconsin River and the Fox River Valley was established some years before Wisconsin became a state.  Before any churches were organized, itinerate preachers and circuit riders of various faiths came to hold services in area homes, frequently in the farmhouse of Sheriff Vaughn, near the present airport.

            Often, Rev. D.A. Peck, a Baptist, led in the services, and on Jan. 21, 1854, he organized the Society for Religious Instruction, as noted in the first record book of the church.  Peck became the first pastor, holding meetings in the schoolhouse.

            On Oct. 28, 1854, at a church business meeting, members voted to adopt the “Articles of Faith and Rules of Order,” as contained in the New Hampshire Confession of Faith which is a statement of distinctive Baptist beliefs, together with scripture references upon which all such beliefs are based. Prominent among these beliefs is the right of a church and the individual to be independent of all higher authority, except God.  This action by the church has never been rescinded.

            Later, two lots were purchased on the corner of Randall and Division streets in Waupaca for $200 and the first building was erected on the site.  Kerosene lamps and wood-burning stoves furnished the light and warmth.  Horse sheds were erected to the north and west sides of the building to fill the parking needs of those days.

            By 1863, the First Baptist Church of Waupaca had its own building.

 

 

July 15, 2004

 

FIRST BAPTIST ONCE STRUGGLED TO STAY OPEN

By Bobbie Studzinski

 

            First Baptist Church in Waupaca is celebrating its 150^th anniversary this year.

            A special ceremony is planned for Sunday, Aug. 1.  Former pastors and youth pastors who have served the congregation over the years will be present to share their memories about the church and its members.

            The following is the second part of a series on the history of First Baptist Church.

            With the new church on Randall and Division streets completed in 1863, the future seemed bright for the small congregation. But financial struggles plagued the church from the beginning.  Soon even basic operating expenses were not being met.  Eventually they were told that without a better financial plan they would be unable to keep the church open.

            Upon hearing this, a small group of pioneer women determined to keep the church functioning began holding prayer meetings.  Finding the church doors locked only served to bolster the women’s determination. They found an open window and climbed through to hold their prayer meetings.  The women’s prayers were answered and the church was allowed to stay open.

            In 1892 a furnace was installed and Sunday school rooms were added all during Rev. R.H. Colby’s time as pastor.  Six years later Rev. Henry Robinson was at the helm overseeing an extensive remodeling project. The church building, now almost 30 years old, was given a dramatic facelift.

            In the spring of 1919 the great influenza epidemic, which had killed thousands during its sweep of the nation, settled into Waupaca.  It was successful in accomplishing what the pioneer women had prayed would never happen:  it closed the doors of the church for seven weeks.

            In the summer of 1920, the church united with the Methodists for a six week evangelistic campaign held in the schoolyard.  Similar services were held in 1916 in huge tents fronting Fulton Street. This was the beginning of the now yearly tradition of the church’s evangelistic meetings.

            The church grew and flourished but there were more trials and testing to come for the little church and her members as the Great Depression was just around the corner.

 

 

July 22, 2004

 

FIRST BAPTIST LOOKS BACK OVER 150 YEARS

By Bobbie Studzinski

 

            First Baptist Church is celebrating its 150^th anniversary on Sunday, Aug. 1.  Following is the third in a historical series on the local congregation.

            Last week’s installment ended with the members of First Baptist Church having just survived the great influenza epidemic.  Their faith would be tested again when on the evening of Jan. 27, 1914, the little church building was almost completely destroyed by fire.

            On the night of the terrible fire, many witnesses reported hearing the church bell toll mournfully as it rolled down from its majestic tower onto the burning roof and crashed to the ground.  Later, they were said to have remarked that the old bell seemed to be crying out its sad farewell.

            The day after the fire, the motto that had once hung so stately above the baptistery, “Not to be ministered unto but to minister,” could still be read among the cinders.

            Other churches in the area came forward with offerings of encouragement and goodwill, and graciously provided the use of their facilities.  Preaching services, as well as Sunday school classes, were held in the Methodist, Danish Baptist and Our Savior’s Lutheran churches.

            Everyone went to work to clean up the debris and make ready for rebuilding the church.  On July 12-14, 1914, rededication services were held. Former pastor A.J. Erickson, evangelist E.R. McKinney, along with Methodist pastor S.A. Sheard participated, while the current pastor Rev. Milne waved his hand toward the tower and cried out joyfully, “Let the bell ring out!”

            In this building, stained-glass windows were installed, many given in memory of those who had gone on before, but whose faithful work remained.

            In that same summer Division Street, on which the main entrance was located, received its first paving of macadam, putting an end to the dust and dirt generated by the ever-increasing number of automobiles churning about Waupaca’s streets.

            In 1918, the congregation voted to build the much needed and long-awaited parsonage to supply the needs of its pastor.  During its 52 years of existence the little building was home to 10 of the church’s pastors and their families.

            The stock market crash of 1929 and the Depression years of the 1930s were turbulent times for the church and its members, hitting many of them with financial disaster.

 

(Last two articles of series missing)