FAITH LIFT: Happy 180th anniversary

Fonthill Baptist Church will celebrate its 180th anniversary on Sunday, Sept. 13, with a 10:30 a.m. service at the corner of Church Hill Street and Pelham Road. Pelham has 18 Christian congregations of various sizes and theological stripes. Fonthill Baptist is one of them and (as far as I know) the second oldest. The Pelham Friends (Quaker) Church was founded in 1799 so beat us by almost 50 years! Next Sunday (Sept.13) the big, brick church at the corner of Church Hill Street and Pelham Road will celebrate its 180th anniversary. We've sent out invitations to all our founding members… but so far no one has replied! Our guest speaker is Pastor Ken Martin who grew up in the church and is one of four men God called to pastoral ministry over the years. An Interesting History The Fonthill Baptist congregation was founded on the first Sunday of January 1846. Elder David Way came from the Baptist church in the village of Canborough (37 kms away). His mode of transport had only one horsepower (his horse). January is wintertime so I'm sure Elder Way had some snow to trudge through. Originally the new place of worship was known as 'The Baptist Church in the Short Hills' (this was Fonthill's first name followed by 'Temperanceville'). Evangelistic meetings during the winter of 1851 added over 30 new believers. They had no baptistry so baptisms took place at an old mill pond at St. Johns (hopefully in the summer). The central location of the church never changed but its size, shape and appearance did several times. It began with a modest, white, wooden structure with a pretty steeple. Its entrance faced Pelham Street. Worshippers tied up their horse and buggies around the building and in a horse shed. Rent was paid for your favorite gated pew. A photo of this original structure can be seen as you enter the present building. Evangelistic services in the early 1890's brought 65 people to faith. It began as a 3-point charge with the pastor preaching in Fonthill, Welland and Port Colborne. By 1909 (63 years later) the congregation had grown so they upgraded the wood structure to brick and had the entrance face Church Hill Street. The roof was raised and the interior was redecorated including beautiful stained-glass windows (still enjoyed today). With a little imagination, the arched, wood-beamed ceiling looks like the hull of an inverted sailing ship. You can see a photo of the 1912 congregation gathered on the lawn as you enter the church today. By 1921 church membership surpassed 200. By 1932 the Sunday School had over 130. In 1954 the building was expanded to include a Christian Education wing with a two-story hall, kitchen, Sunday School rooms, choir room and offices. In 1961 the other side of the building was extended toward Pelham Road to provide a bigger sanctuary, balcony, entrance and fellowship room. An Illustrious Membership Over the years, many of the members were well-known and influential in the community. Art Wigg was a long-serving public school principal and had a new school named after him. The Gretsingers owned the local furniture store, the Stirtzingers built two large apartment buildings, the Heatons ran the music store and the Buckleys were prominent in business. A long list of members served in the World Wars including Jim Summersides who was part of the 'Devil's Brigade' and was awarded a gold medal for bravery. Some of these names appear on Fonthill's streets in their memory. A total of 43 pastors have served the congregation. Some were interims, one was a seminary student, two were international (Scottish and American) and two had D.D. degrees. Pastor Bill Wismer served the longest (16 years from 1945-1961). The current pastor is Dana Brown who has served with his wife, Jane, since 2018. An Inter-Cultural Future? The Christian movement known as Baptists emerged after the 16th century Protestant Reformation. The only authority for their beliefs was the Bible (and not tradition). They were proud to be known as the 'people of the Book' (referring to Scripture). Their best known distinctive is water baptism by immersion (not sprinkling or pouring). Not surprisingly, they based this belief on biblical commands and examples, and the Greek word 'baptizo' (meaning immersion). Baptism is an important event in a believer's life symbolizing their spiritual rebirth. It points to cleansing from sin, the death and resurrection of Jesus, and the believer's 'death' to his old life and 'resurrection' to his new life as a Christian. As a result, it is only done for adults or youth old enough to understand the meaning of repentance and faith leading to salvation. In more recent years, the congregation has welcomed many international students from our four regional colleges and universities. A Saturday evening 'International Café' has run for over four years with students hailing from over thirty countries. Every Sunday, three congregations (Canadian, African and Indian) use the building for worship at different times. That's why you'll be greeted at the door by a large sign saying 'Welcome' in multiple languages. So, welcome to our big Baptist birthday bash next Sunday at 10:30 am. We'd love to give you a tour, a coffee and a slice of anniversary cake. God is faithful and our past inspires our future! Rob Weatherby is a retired pastor who came to faith at Fonthill Baptist.