First Baptist Church (Columbia, Missouri)

Last updated
First Baptist Church
First baptist church broadway side Columbia, Missouri 2.jpg
The sanctuary from the North at dusk
USA Missouri location map.svg
Red pog.svg
First Baptist Church
38°57′3.8088″N92°19′26.43″W / 38.951058000°N 92.3240083°W / 38.951058000; -92.3240083
Location Columbia, Missouri
Country United States
Denomination American Baptist Churches USA, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship
Previous denomination Southern Baptist Convention
Website http://fbc-columbia.org/
History
Founded22 November 1823 (1823-11-22)
Founder(s) William Jewell
Associated people Charles Henry Hardin, Edwin William Stephens
Architecture
Style Colonial Revival
Completed1957 (1957)
Clergy
Senior pastor(s) Carol McEntyre [1] [2]
Pastor(s) Michael McEntyre
Laity
Organist(s) Colleen Ostercamp

First Baptist Church is a historic Baptist church in Columbia, Missouri. In 1823, at the time of its founding, it was the first and only church in Columbia. [3] The Church and its members have played a prominent role in civic and religious affairs in Missouri. [4] [5] The church's Georgian Revival style sanctuary sits conspicuously on Broadway in Downtown Columbia; it is the fourth church building and second at that location. Stephens College, formerly a baptist institution founded by church members, is across the street. [6] First Baptist has both a traditional and contemporary Sunday services, and formerly hosted a Swahili-language congregation. [7] The church is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA. In 2001, the congregation joined the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and its longtime affiliation with the Southern Baptist Convention was ended. In 2004, the Odyssey Chamber Music Series was founded as part of a community outreach effort. In addition, the Plowman Chamber Music Competition, Columbia Handbell Ensemble, Esterhazy Quartet, and the University of Missouri School of Music utilize the sanctuary as a performance venue. William Jewell, namesake of William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri, has been described as the leading force behind the creation of the church. [8] The first meeting took place in the home of Charles Hardin, father of Charles Henry Hardin governor of Missouri.

Contents

History

Columbia was founded in 1818 as the county seat of Boone County. A hallmark of frontier life in the Boonslick was lack of organized religion. [3] As Columbia was growing into a proper town, it was natural that like-minded thinkers would join together in Christian fellowship. First Baptist Church was organized on 22 November 1823 in the home of Charles Hardin on Locust street between 4th and 5th streets, now Flat Branch Park. This was the first brick residence Columbia. The founders were formerly members of Little Bonne Femme Baptist Church south of Columbia who granted letters of dismiss after a dispute involving William Jewell. [9] The church continued to meet in homes or outside in fair weather until September 1826 when the church met regularly in the Boone County Courthouse. In 1824 the first dedicated church building was constructed as a union church between the Methodist and the Baptist. Two wealthy men—William Jewell, a Baptist, and Moses Payne, a Methodist—funded the construction. This building was used for twenty years.

A new church building was erected in the 1850s on the Boone County Courthouse square. The congregation continued to worship here for four decades. In 1891 the church moved to its current location, purchasing a lot on Broadway next to Stephens College, at the time a Baptist Women's College. On this lot was erected a beautiful Victorian Neo-Gothic structure, complete with pipe organ and stained glass. In 1927 the addition of the extant educational building was added. Limited seating capacity and poor upkeep lead to the destruction of the sanctuary and its replacement In 1957 with the current sanctuary. This new sanctuary was connected to the educational building in the 1960s.

The founders of Columbia were from the Upland South, largely Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee. As such, many were enslaved African-Americans. Charles Hardin and William Jewell were both slave owners. Until the civil war it was common for slaves to join their masters church. Not until after the Civil War did the congregations segregate, in Columbia newly emancipated slaves formed Second Baptist Church—still a predominantly black church today.

The Stephens family, leaders in business, religion, and civic affairs, were lifetime members. This includes both Edwin William Stephens and his father James Stephens, namesake of Stephens College. The college's historical quad sits across Waugh Street.

Notable members

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Columbia, Missouri</span> City in Missouri, United States

Columbia is a city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is the county seat of Boone County and home to the University of Missouri. Founded in 1821, it is the principal city of the five-county Columbia metropolitan area. It is Missouri's fourth most-populous and fastest growing city, with an estimated 128,555 residents in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boone County, Missouri</span> County in Missouri, United States

Boone County is located in the U.S. state of Missouri. Centrally located in Mid-Missouri, its county seat is Columbia, Missouri's fourth-largest city and location of the University of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 183,610, making it the state's eighth-most populous county. The county was organized November 16, 1820 and named for the then recently deceased Daniel Boone, whose kin largely populated the Boonslick area, having arrived in the 1810s on the Boone's Lick Road. Boone County comprises the Columbia Metropolitan Area. The towns of Ashland and Centralia are the second and third most populous towns in the county.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Jewell College</span> Private college in Liberty, Missouri founded in 1849

William Jewell College is a private liberal arts college in Liberty, Missouri. It was founded in 1849 by members of the Missouri Baptist Convention and endowed with $10,000 by William Jewell. It was associated with the Missouri Baptist Convention for over 150 years until its separation in 2003 and is now an independent institution. After becoming a nonsectarian institution, the college's enrollment fell by approximately 40% to 739 students in 2018. Jewell is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Henry Hardin</span> American politician

Charles Henry Hardin was an American attorney and politician who was Governor of Missouri served in the Missouri Senate and the Missouri House of Representatives. He founded Hardin College and was one of the eight founders of Beta Theta Pi fraternity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander William Doniphan</span> American attorney, soldier and politician (1808–1887)

Alexander William Doniphan was a 19th-century American attorney, soldier and politician from Missouri who is best known today as the man who prevented the summary execution of Joseph Smith, founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, at the close of the 1838 Mormon War in that state. He also achieved renown as a leader of American troops during the Mexican–American War, as the author of a legal code that still forms the basis of New Mexico's Bill of Rights, and as a successful defense attorney in the Missouri towns of Liberty, Richmond and Independence.

Hardin College and Conservatory of Music (1858–1931) was a women's college located in Mexico, Missouri.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First African Baptist Church (Savannah, Georgia)</span> Historic church in Georgia, United States

First African Baptist Church, located in Savannah, Georgia, claims to be derived from the first black Baptist congregation in North America. While it was not officially organized until 1788, it grew from members who founded a congregation in 1773. Its claim of "first" is contested by the Silver Bluff Baptist Church, Aiken County, South Carolina (1773), and the First Baptist Church of Petersburg, Virginia, whose congregation officially organized in 1774.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Columbia, Missouri</span>

The history of Columbia, Missouri as an American city spans two hundred years. Founded by pioneers from Kentucky in 1821 to be the county seat of Boone County. Its position astride the Boone's Lick Road led to early growth as settlers flooded into the Boonslick and eventually the West. In the 21st century Columbia is Missouri's fourth largest city and educational center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Jewell (educator)</span> American politician

William Jewell (1789-1852) was a politician, physician, ordained minister, and educator from Columbia, Missouri and namesake of William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri. He served as Columbia's second mayor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downtown Columbia, Missouri</span> United States historic place

Downtown Columbia is the central business, government, and social core of Columbia, Missouri and the Columbia Metropolitan Area. Three colleges — the University of Missouri, Stephens College, and Columbia College — all border the area. Downtown Columbia is an area of approximately one square mile surrounded by the University of Missouri on the south, Stephens College to the east, and Columbia College on the north. The area serves as Columbia's financial and business district and is the topic of a large initiative to draw tourism, which includes plans to capitalize on the area's historic architecture and Bohemian characteristics. The downtown skyline is relatively low and is dominated by the 10-story Tiger Hotel, built in 1928, and the 15-story Paquin Tower.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jewell Cemetery State Historic Site</span> Historic Cemetery in Columbia, Boone County, Missouri, US

Jewell Cemetery State Historic Site is a publicly owned property in Columbia, Missouri, maintained as a state historic site by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Among the notable persons buried in the cemetery, which holds the remains of more than 40 descendants of George A. Jewell, are Missouri governor Charles Henry Hardin and the educator William Jewell. The property became part of the state parks system in 1970.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Bryan Baptist Church</span> Historic church in Georgia, United States

Historic First Bryan Baptist Church is an African-American church that was organized in Savannah, Georgia, by Andrew Bryan in 1788. Considered to be the Mother Church of Black Baptists, the site was purchased in 1793 by Bryan, a former slave who had also purchased his freedom. The first structure was erected there in 1794. By 1800 the congregation was large enough to split: those at Bryan Street took the name of First African Baptist Church, and Second and Third African Baptist churches were also established. The current sanctuary of First Bryan Baptist Church was constructed in 1873.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First African Baptist Church (Lexington, Kentucky)</span> Historic church in Kentucky, United States

First African Baptist Church is a Baptist church at 264-272 E. Short Street in Lexington, Kentucky. The congregation was founded c. 1790 by Peter Durrett and his wife, slaves who came to Kentucky with their master, Rev. Joseph Craig, in 1781 with "The Travelling Church" of Baptists from Spotsylvania, Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington Street United Methodist Church</span> Historic church in South Carolina, United States

The Washington Street United Methodist Church is a historic church at 1401 Washington Street in Columbia, South Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of St. Louis (1804–1865)</span>

The history of St. Louis, Missouri from 1804 to 1865 included the creation of St. Louis as the territorial capital of the Louisiana Territory, a brief period of growth until the Panic of 1819 and subsequent depression, rapid diversification of industry after the introduction of the steamboat and the return of prosperity, and rising tensions about the issues of immigration and slavery. St. Louis also played a role in the American Civil War.

8th Street, more commonly known as the Avenue of the Columns, is an urban street in downtown Columbia, Missouri. It connects the University of Missouri and Francis Quadrangle to the Boone County Court House and the Columbia City Hall. The avenue has long symbolized "town and gown" in this Midwestern college town. Sitting in the center of Francis Quad on the south are the 6 ionic columns of the former Academic Hall, aligned with these on the north are the 4 doric columns of the former Boone County Courthouse. William Jewell, the first mayor of Columbia, is said to be responsible for this decision. The domed Jesse Hall and its corinthian columns are also in the alignment. The street is also home to the Tiger Hotel, the Guitar Building, and the offices of the Columbia Missourian. Civic planning efforts have focused on in-fill development and beautification. In 2014, it became the center of a controversy over the decision to build single-use student housing despite mixed-use and ground floor retail being the focus of community planning. In 5 blocks, the street crosses three National Register of Historic Places districts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edwin William Stephens</span> American journalist

Edwin William Stephens or E. W. Stephens (1849–1931) was an American publisher, journalist, and prominent leader in civic and religious affairs from Columbia, Missouri. He founded E.W. Stephens Publishing Company and published a daily newspaper known as the Columbia Herald. A prominent Baptist, he was president of the Southern Baptist Convention. In 1911 he chaired the committee that designed and built the Missouri State Capitol. He served president of the board of curators of both the University of Missouri and Stephens College, the latter being named after his father James Stephens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Priscilla Baird</span>

Priscilla Baird (1828–1904) was a pioneering teacher in Missouri and Illinois and an advocate for girls' education. She began her career in Shelbyville, Missouri in 1851. She then taught at Liberty Female College and Lancaster schools before relocating to Illinois during the civil war and teaching at the Springfield High School. Returning to Missouri, she taught at Ingleside College in Palmyra, Missouri and at Hardin College in Mexico, Missouri. After completing nearly thirty years of teaching, she founded the Baird College in 1885, where she remained until her retirement in 1897.

References

  1. "Meet Our Staff". fbc-columbia.org. First Baptist Church. Archived from the original on 9 January 2017. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  2. Allen, Bob (25 July 2012). "Historic Mo. church calls women pastor". baptistnews.com. Baptist News Global. Archived from the original on 9 January 2017. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  3. 1 2 Switzler, William (1882). History of Boone County, Missouri. St. Louis, Missouri: Western Historical Company.
  4. Day, John Daniel (1989). How Firm A Foundation: A History of the First Baptist Church of Columbia, Missouri 1823-1865. Columbia, Missouri.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  5. Wamble, Hugh (1973). History of First Baptist Church of Columbia, Mo 1823-1973. Kansas City, Missouri: Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
  6. Crighton, John (1970). Stephens; a story of educational innovation. Columbia, Missouri: American Press.
  7. Jacobi, Alex (16 August 2014). "A year later, African refugee is ordained at First Baptist Church". www.columbiamissourian.com. Columbia Missourian. Archived from the original on 9 January 2017. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  8. Maple, J.C. (1914). Missouri Baptist Biography. Kansas City, Missouri: Western Baptist Publishing Company. p. 99.
  9. Douglass, R.S. (1934). History of Missouri Baptists. Kansas City, Missouri: Western Baptist Publishing Company. p. 181.