First Baptist Church

First Baptist Church. . , Settlers first came to this area of Massachusetts late in the seventeenth century. Jacob Bartlett, a Quaker, and Nicholas Cook, a Baptist were the earliest inhabitants and are generally known as the town pioneers. On November 27, 1719, at the request of thirty-three petitioners, the Town of Bellingham was incorporated. , Though a number of the town residents were Baptist, there was no Baptist Church in Bellingham. Consequently, those of the Baptist faith were members of Massachusetts oldest Baptist Church located in Swansea. Records attest that at a church meeting in Swansea, October 6, 1737. , The desire of the brethren dwelling in Bellingham to form themselves into a church state was communicated to the church by their elder which motion was approved of. , Their desire being granted, the brethren met to organize a Baptist Church at that meeting, fifteen men signed the new church covenant. A portion of that covenant follows. , “We who have hereunto set our names, being in some measure made sensible of our sinful and miserable condition do solemnly profess our deep humiliation for our many sins and adore the full Grace of God in translating us out of the kingdom of Satan into the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ to partake with all them that are sanctified of the priviledges of His house and kingdom and being in some measure made willing to be comformed to Christ do now in the presence of God give up ourselves to the Lord in His everlasting covenant of free grace taking our Lord Jesus Christ to be our great high priest to justify and sanctify us, and our prophet to instruct and teach us, and our king and lord to govern and rule us according to His own laws and ordinances that we may do His will and serve Him in our generation we do solemnly join ourselves together in a visible gospel church relation both to Jesus Christ our head and one another as brethren engaging in the strength and help of His grace to attend all the duties that are required of us in this relation.” Signed at Mendon the 23 day of the eleventh month in the year of Our Lord Christ 1737. , Nicholas Cook Edward Pickering Ebenezer Hayward John Thompson Joseph Partridge Eliphelet Holbrook Samuel Hayward Eleazer Taft Benjamin Force Eleazer Hayward Peter Thompson Samuel Thompson Elnathan Wight Jonathan Thompson Joseph Wight, Thus was formed the fourth Baptist Church in Massachusetts. Nathan Wight was the first pastor and was described as a pious and useful man the first meetinghouse was located on High Street and the present meetinghouse was built in 1826. , The Lord hath done great things for us whereof we are glad – Psalm 126 3 . This historical marker is in Bellingham in Norfolk County Massachusetts