First Baptist Church of DeKalb turns 180

DeKALB – Tucked at the corner where Third and Prospect streets cross is First Baptist Church of DeKalb, 349 S. Third St., DeKalb.

It is home to what church leaders said is the oldest church community in town.

On Wednesday, members of First Baptist Church of DeKalb celebrated their 180th anniversary with the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce.

The Rev. G. Christopher Hines, senior pastor at First Baptist, said it means a lot to him that the church has reached this milestone.

“It’s a true honor and privilege knowing the lineage of the church and how long we’ve been together and knowing that God’s providential care has lasted 180 years,” Hines said. “It’s only because of Him that we’re here right now. To be here is so humbling at 180 years. I just can’t even fathom being able to be a pastor of a church this old. It’s such a true honor and blessing.”

The congregation got its humble start when they held their first meeting Sept. 9, 1844, in the home of Dorcus Goodell, historical records show. She and nine other people wanted to start a church in Union Grove, which later became known as DeKalb.

On Oct. 15, 1844, First Baptist Church of DeKalb was incorporated, historical records show. The initial 10 years, the congregation met in a schoolhouse.

It wasn’t until 1855 that two of DeKalb’s founding members, Lewis and Russell Huntley, donated a plat of land that the church occupies to start the congregation’s first church, historical records show. The first church built on the property was a wood-framed structure. In 1885, the present brick sanctuary was built and later saw additions in 1924 adding on a fireside room and the upper rooms and again in 1967 adding on the fellowship hall and education wing, historical records show.

More recently, the church’s sanctuary saw renovations in 1996 that involved painting and special work on the benches and carpeting.

DeKalb resident Rosalie Williams, a longtime church member and worship leader, said she was eager to celebrate the church’s anniversary with fellow members.

“We’re a really close family, those congregants that are here,” Williams said. “We’re like a large, small group. It’s a close family.”

Williams said being a part of First Baptist Church of DeKalb has long played a significant part in her life.

“I’ve been baptized, my husband’s been baptized, my daughters are baptized in there,” Williams said. “I got married right up here in 1971. We’ve been married 53 years. This has been my church for a long, long time.”

It’s a tradition that many congregants of the church share as well, Williams said.

“Joan Mosher, who’s the great-great-great granddaughter of Dorcus Goodell – who started this whole thing back on Oct. 29 of 1844 – her granddaughter got married in this church, too,” Williams said.

One such thing, Hines said, that intrigues him about serving as the church’s senior pastor is how fulfilling it is.

“To have people still at our church who I get to preach to every Sunday, that their family started this church 180 years ago, it gives me goosebumps,” Hines said. “I just love it. The lineage of what we’ve been through, to see the people that have been here that have grown up in the church and the kids that have grown up in the church and to be able to be a part of the family, that’s been one of the greatest honors and privileges as a pastor here.”

Hines acknowledged the pressure that comes as a younger, less experienced pastor who is leading the oldest church in town. He said he’s not letting the magnitude of the moment overwhelm him.

“It’s important that we set the legacy for the next generation,” Hines said. “There is that pressure of the generation that we have now so that they can hand off the church to the next generation. I do have that pressure. The next generation would be people even younger than me. Yes, there is that pressure, but I look it like it’s a great challenge. ... As long as we look to Him first, everything around us will all be taken care of. When we’re in the storm, if we look at the storm, we’re going to drown. But if we look up to God, the storm will be taken care of.”