By Olivia Yepez
The First Baptist Church, which will celebrate its 270th anniversary this Sunday, Aug. 28, 2022, shares a lot of Revolutionary War history with Morristown.
It was established in 1752 by the Rev. John Gano, who later served as personal chaplain to Gen. George Washington. The church doubled as a hospital for wounded soldiers of the Continental Army.
Over the years, the First Baptist Church of Morristown (FBC) has continued as a safe haven and healing presence in the community.
That’s something of a miracle.
In 2000, the church burned to its foundation, a suspected arson case that remains unsolved. Rising from the ashes, the house of worship reopened its doors three years later.
Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-11th Dist.) and state Sen. Anthony M. Bucco (R-25th Dist.) are among dignitaries scheduled to commemorate this resilience at Sunday’s 10 a.m. service.
For 88-year-old Mary Ethel Nielsen, who will sing in the choir led by Music Director Peter Favilla, First Baptist is more than a church. It’s home.
“That’s the way I feel about it,” she said. Nielsen lived in the church basement with her father, Charles Ohley, and his third wife, Evelyn, after World War II. They were one of several families the church hosted in the post-war period.
That basement now is rented Mondays through Fridays to Family Promise of Morris County as a homeless shelter. It’s also a collection spot for non-perishable items to help the Morris County Interfaith Food Pantry.
FBC’s outreach to the Hispanic community dates to 1991, when it opened its space to Primera Iglesia Bautista, a Latino congregation led by the Rev. Osvaldo Jimenez.
The two congregations began merging three years ago. Services now are entirely bilingual.
“We’ve been seeing a good number, a growing number, of Latinos in the town,” said Jimenez, 61.
“We are one church now,” said the Rev. Dr. Kathleen Rooney, FBC’s co-pastor. Rooney, 74, previously was pastor for the English-speaking congregation.
Once a month, the church offers bilingual Sunday school. Rooney and Jimenez hope to increase the frequency as the COVID-19 pandemic eases.
But their interest doesn’t stop at the church door.
“We’re a community, we’re a family,” Rooney said. “It’s more than just Sundays.”
The church helps members get to their doctor appointments, and deal with divorce, Rooney said. She and Jimenez have preached in local prisons, and the plight of former prisoners striving to re-enter society is important to them.
FBC also is active on social media, and is working on a new website, in hopes of attracting younger members, said Alberto Vega, 23, the church vice moderator and clerk.
Sunday’s celebration is open to all. The church is at 51 Washington St.
