The First Baptist Church
“The church is the only real thing that links us to the future and heaven. The Church was before us and will be after us...May the past be but the earnest prophecy of what we are to be for time to come.”
-Centennial Committee, 1893
-Centennial Committee, 1893
Taking The First Steps
First Baptist Church facebook page
The founders of the Baptist Society in
Saratoga came from the Kayaderosseras Branch of the Stillwater Church located
at Bemis Heights. In the 1790s great religious fervor swept across the United States. During this period, known as the Second Great Awakening, New York state became a major center for Baptist teachings. In the Burnt Over District of Western New York Baptist preachers converted huge numbers of people to the Baptist sect of Christianity. Saratoga Springs was located not too far from the Burnt Over District, and experienced a climate of great Baptist religious fervor. On January 28th, 1792, ten members living on the west side of
Saratoga Lake were dismissed from the Stillwater Church and formed the First Baptist church congregation, the first church congregation to form in Saratoga Springs.
Following Baptist tradition, this small group of Baptist devotees set up an autonomous community and severed all ties with their original church. In 1792 the Baptists community had virtually nothing but their own fervent dedication to Baptist religious teachings in both their and the town of Saratoga Springs' earliest years. They began to meet in private homes and at the schoolhouse at The Geysers. The schoolhouse had no heat, and in the winter months, Pasto, Reverend Elisha P. Langworthy preached with his overcoat and gloves. Other sacred spaces were built before the Baptist meeting house officially opened, but the congregation was the founding religious society in the town.
Following Baptist tradition, this small group of Baptist devotees set up an autonomous community and severed all ties with their original church. In 1792 the Baptists community had virtually nothing but their own fervent dedication to Baptist religious teachings in both their and the town of Saratoga Springs' earliest years. They began to meet in private homes and at the schoolhouse at The Geysers. The schoolhouse had no heat, and in the winter months, Pasto, Reverend Elisha P. Langworthy preached with his overcoat and gloves. Other sacred spaces were built before the Baptist meeting house officially opened, but the congregation was the founding religious society in the town.
Transformation
Centennial Committee, 1893
Twenty years after its founding, the Baptist community could finally begin to build its own space. On the fateful day of December 1, 1812, Gideon Putnam, one of the founders of Saratoga Springs fell to his death. His will allotted a plot of land "for the worship of the Almighty God.” The Baptists vowed that they would carry out Putnam’s wishes, and the executor transferred the land to Zachariah Curtis, William Waterbury, and Harman Betts, the first trustees of the Baptist Church. The land transfer took place about a decade after Putnam had successfully built the first hotel in Saratoga Springs, when he had expanded influence he used to build up the city. His land donation reveals a dedication Putnam had to the foundation of the city. Even after he his death, his land decisions were still having an impact on the formation of Saratoga.
The first church cost $2500 to build and had no gas lighting, so the members illuminated the hall with candles “provided by the good sisters from their own candle boxes.” (Centennial Committee 1893) However, the church continued to grow into an influential religious space in Saratoga Springs, regardless of its economic limits. The church's second pastor, Rev. Francis Wayland Sr., preached in the new house. Church records from 1893 recall Rev. Wayland as widely regarded by church members as a wise counselor and trustworthy friend. His fatherly benediction was considered a boon to the community and his good reputation attracted many new members, improving church finances.
The first church cost $2500 to build and had no gas lighting, so the members illuminated the hall with candles “provided by the good sisters from their own candle boxes.” (Centennial Committee 1893) However, the church continued to grow into an influential religious space in Saratoga Springs, regardless of its economic limits. The church's second pastor, Rev. Francis Wayland Sr., preached in the new house. Church records from 1893 recall Rev. Wayland as widely regarded by church members as a wise counselor and trustworthy friend. His fatherly benediction was considered a boon to the community and his good reputation attracted many new members, improving church finances.
Growth, Progress & The Role of Women
Centennial Committee, 1893
By 1855, the church had set aside eighteen thousand dollars for the erection of a completely new structure, the building which remains today on 45 Washington Street. As the church reached a height of success, it no longer had to look inward for growth and support. By the 1860s, the Erie Canal had turned Albany into a major port, connecting the East Coast and Midwest, only an hour away from Saratoga Springs. Saratoga benefited greatly from the growing success, and increasingly appealing to settle in. Thus, with an influx to the city' the First Baptists began to welcome greater numbers of people into their congregation. With the growing financial success that came with increased membership, the church began to look outward to spread its influence to the greater Saratoga community and to the world at large.Women played a significant role in this expansion. The Ladies Aid Society, established in 1861 and led by Miss A.E. Wayland, was involved in aiding the needy of Saratoga, and clothing the poor children connected with the Sunday school. The Women’s Foreign Missionary Society, established in 1852 and also led by Miss Wayland, set out to collect sufficient money to fund missions around the world. In a span of 100 years, the church sent members to Burma, Madras India, the Belgian Congo, and El Salvador
New Beginnings
Terra Nova Church members renovating the First Baptist Church 11/29/12
Although the church accomplished much in the past one hundred and fifty years, today the congregation of only three dozen members has trouble raising funds to maintain it. The space is in disrepair. Paint chippings, loose boards in the floors and walls, and sermons with only sixteen people in attendance are some of the major indicators of the church’s deteriorating state. Most of the members are elderly and no new families have shown interest in joining. As trustee chairman Bill Todd told The Saratogian in 2011, “It’s not like we can sell the church and move to a smaller building. That’s in the deed. If we cease to be a church, the heirs of Gideon Putnam would have to decide what to do with it." Putnam's will specifically reserved the land for the worship of God. The First Baptists are thus legally bound to upholding his wish. Recently a city developer offered to buy the church and convert it into a toy store. The church is in such financial hardship that such an offer might have been a way to save the congregation. With the money they might have been able to downsize to a more affordable space and focus inward on reestablishing their influence. However, based on Putnam's will, the building is legally reserved as a sacred space. In 1893, the Centennial Committee declared the importance the space has on the future of the congregation: "The church is the only real thing that links us to the future and heaven. The Church was before us and will be after us...May the past be but the earnest prophecy of what we are to be for time to come.”
Despite these great financial hardships and legal restrictions, there is hope for a new beginning for the First Baptists. In January of this year the church will begin renting the space to the Terra Nova Church of Troy. By welcoming a new congregation of vibrant young Christians into the Baptist home on 45 Washington Street, the First Baptist Church has found a solution to its economic toils and been able to maintain the sacred nature of the space. The Terra Nova community has begun to renovate the space, an effort to bring the church back to life. Baptist members are excited for this new breath of fresh air and welcome the Terra Nova members with open arms. Gideon Putnam can rest easy. The land he allotted in his will, so many years ago, remains to this day a sacred space for “the worship of the Almighty God.”
To hear more about what makes this space sacred, click here for a clip from an interview with site pastor of the Terra Nova Church, Daniel Williams:
Despite these great financial hardships and legal restrictions, there is hope for a new beginning for the First Baptists. In January of this year the church will begin renting the space to the Terra Nova Church of Troy. By welcoming a new congregation of vibrant young Christians into the Baptist home on 45 Washington Street, the First Baptist Church has found a solution to its economic toils and been able to maintain the sacred nature of the space. The Terra Nova community has begun to renovate the space, an effort to bring the church back to life. Baptist members are excited for this new breath of fresh air and welcome the Terra Nova members with open arms. Gideon Putnam can rest easy. The land he allotted in his will, so many years ago, remains to this day a sacred space for “the worship of the Almighty God.”
To hear more about what makes this space sacred, click here for a clip from an interview with site pastor of the Terra Nova Church, Daniel Williams:
Visiting Information
45 Washington Street
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
(518) 584-6301
Rev. Judith Pratt: Current Pastor
Bill Todd: Chairman of the Deacons
Rev. Daniel Williams: Site Pastor of the Terra Nova Church
45 Washington Street
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
(518) 584-6301
Rev. Judith Pratt: Current Pastor
Bill Todd: Chairman of the Deacons
Rev. Daniel Williams: Site Pastor of the Terra Nova Church