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| Officially, the church
is over 125 years old. Yet, the records seem to indicate that it
was a merger between a group of Baptists in Milford and the Zion
Baptist Church of Vernon that prompted the beginning of the First Baptist
Church. If that is so, then our roots actually predate the revolutionary
war.
At any rate, this church was formally established on June 14, 1873, with 19 members. The Baptists in the area saw the need for a strong Bible-centered Gospel witness in the community so they announced that an organizational meeting would be held on that day and the First Baptist Church of Milford became a reality. Their first priority was to purchase a church building that was owned by a Methodist group. They began with a 'Recognition Service' which was held on July 10, 1873, to raise funds to buy the building. On Thanksgiving day, 1875, a special service was held as the church dedicated their completely refurbished church building on Second street in downtown Milford to the Lord. The photo to the right is one of the few still existing pictures of the inside of the building as it appeared back then. The history of the church has been one that includes many ups and downs through the years. There was even a time early on in January of 1889 when only three members were on the church rolls due to their overemphasis of legalism and church discipline. Yet, in time, they were able to bounce back and by 1892 there were 20 members now attending the services. For the first half of the twentieth century the church struggled through the first world war and the Great Depression. Having 40 in attendance would have been considered a high day. Then, in the mid-1950s, a new pastor and leadership caught a vision for God that would propel the church into many years of growth as the premiere church in the area. A tract of land was purchased just south of town and a new 8,440 square feet buiding was erected to house the membership that now had over 100 on the roll. By the early 1970s, the church was seeing over 400 attending the Sunday morning services with the help of an active bus ministry. A new sanctuary was built in 1972 that would seat over 500. In 1981 a two-story school building with a gymnasium was constructed behind the church facility. The church continues to be a vibrant witness in the community and around the world through it's 73 missionaries and missions projects. You are cordially invited to come and visit the friendly congregation of the First Baptist Church of Milford, Delaware--an old church with a new vision. |
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