"Our House"
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This is the History of:
"The First Baptist Church of Saltillo, PA”
Name of Church: First Baptist Church of Saltillo, PA
Address: PO Box 142, Saltillo, PA 17253
Pastor: David “PD” Oldham
Denominations and Affiliations: Independent Baptist, in affiliation with
American Baptist Churches of Pennsylvania and Delaware
Services: Sunday School – 9:00 am / Worship Service – 10:00 am
Special Services and Bibles Studies are held periodically
Church History: In 1876, the First Baptist Church of Three Springs
under the leadership of Rev. D. J. R. Strayer secured a plot of land in
Saltillo, PA for the purpose of establishing a Mission Church there. In
November, 1878, the church building was dedicated to the Lord; Rev.
Strayer being the first pastor and Calvin Greene being the church clerk
for the Saltillo branch. The Saltillo Baptist Sunday school had been
organized earlier that year with an enrollment of 54. Sam McVitty was
the first S.S Superintendent and John Senft was the assistant. The first
collection was .21 cents. In October, 1880, the Saltillo Mission was
organized with 13 members.
Being a branch of the Three Springs Church, it was never thought
necessary to keep separate records until the year 1891, when for the
sake of convenience it was voted to keep records of meetings at Saltillo.
In 1891, the 61st anniversary of the Centre Baptist Association convened
with Three Springs Baptist at Saltillo. On January 27, 1894, at a special
meeting of the Three Springs Church, 65 members in good standing
were granted letters of dismissal for the forming of a separate church as
Saltillo and the two congregations became independent of each other.
Early pastors include: D.J.R. Strayer, 1900; J.W. Harpence, 1901; D. J.
R. Strayer, 1904-1908; W.A. Stevenson, 1909. The Rev. George Hine
served as pastor 1926-1928. Rev. James Taylor was pastor 1931-1938.
Rev. Roland Wilkinson served as pastor 1940-1941. From 1942-1945
Dr. Clem E. Hershey was the pastor. During the early 1940’s a
parsonage was erected beside the church. In 1945, Rev. Richard Myers
became pastor. After a split of the congregation, restructuring began.
In October, 1951, with the help of the PA Baptist Convention, much
prayer and untiring work and determination of Ralph Cornelius,
Newton Drake, and Glenn Brodbeck, true Baptists gathered the little
flock together and continued services in our Lord’s House. The church
was reorganized under the pastoral leadership of Rev. Lloyd Newlin.
Church membership in 1955 was 56. The basement was completed in
1955 making it fit for S.S classes and social gatherings.
In 1956, Mrs. Edwin Hoffman resigned as church clerk with nearly 30
years of service. Daily Vacation Bible School was held in the 50’s with
the Saltillo Methodist Church, this being a tradition for many years. In
1959, Rev. Paul Bomersbach was called as pastor.
On September 26, 1963, the church hosted the annual meeting of the
Centre Baptist Association, the host pastor being Rev. Marion Yost.
The Rev. David Allen assisted Rev. Yost. During the mid-60’s, the
church cooperated in a parish structure consisting of four churches;
namely: Saltillo, Three Springs, Mt. Union and Centre Union. In 1968,
Rev. Richard Medlock, pastor and revivalist conducted successful
evangelistic services assisted by Rev. Green.
During the 70’s the Saltillo and Three Springs Churches were aligned
with the Church of the Brethren congregations in Rockhill Furnace and
Blacklog Valley. The yoke-parish was dissolved after several years.
Brethren pastors serving at Saltillo were Rev Ronald Beverlin and Rev.
David Webster. The Rev. Richard Paniczko became pastor in 1980, as
the church functioned as a single charge. Saltillo and Three Springs
came together again in 1981 under Rev. David E. Ford.
On November 25, 1984, dedication services for the renovation of the
sanctuary were held. Rev. Ford pastored at Saltillo for many years to
come.
Our Uniqueness’ are many, beginning in August of 2001. This was the
beginning of a wonderful revival of the First Baptist Church of Saltillo
with the hiring of Pastor David “PD” Oldham. Pastor Oldham has
brought new life to a congregation of 25 to 30 people and in a year
Sunday school and Worship services are filling pews nearly every
Sunday. We have actually extended our parking lot to twice its original
size and bought more pews. One of Pastor Oldham’s visions is not to
increase membership, but to be a “port in the storm” for anyone and
everyone that is searching, lonely, in need of healing, or just in need.
We are here for you! Prayer is our first priority! If you are in need of
prayer, please, stop in. We have been witnesses to answered prayer,
regularly in our services and in the lives of the people who join us.
FBC has many different ministries that include a WEB SITE and
prayer E-MAIL service that is reaching out to thousands and even
millions of men, women and children from all around the world. If
anyone would like to join a prayer ministry please contact us by e-mail.
We also have links to Bible Study, Preaching, Commentaries, Help
Sites, Counseling, Free Downloads, etc. We also invite you to download
the electronic Bible, “e-sword” which is found on our links site,
probably the greatest bible study help in the world! FREE!!! And Oh
Yes, our web site will make you think!!! (Write us for any reason)
Web Site: First Baptist Saltillo, PA
E-Mail: saltillo@mail.com
American Baptist Web Site: (abcopad) www.abcopad.org
We share ministry with churches all over the United States and many
over seas countries. Our Goal is to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to
a hurting and lonely world.
Committees and Organizations: The Helping Hands, the most caring,
dedicated, selfless women’s club we’ve ever had the privilege of being
part. God Bless those ladies! Their purpose is to reach out to local
needs and beyond. And they do.
We have a dedicated Missions Board with a vision to uplift and resource
Baptist Missionaries, American Baptist and local missions, and missions
for growth in the faith and leadership development.
The Deacons, …Robert Kough, Len Cornelius, and Neal Gracey, along
with pastor Dave, and blessings from the church, are at the present time
in the process of re-writing the old by-laws written in 1943. This is
quite an undertaking and involves many challenges. With the guidance
and direction of the Holy Spirit, we will accomplish this goal.
NOTE: The New By-Laws have since been written and voted into power. Two new Deacons have been appointed. The Deacons are Rex Shope and Jeff Shope. Since this writing Neal Gracey and Len Cornelius have been Ordained as "Life" Deacons in the First Baptist Church of Saltillo, PA.
A Short Sermon from Saltillo Baptist
Let us not give up the habit of meeting together, as some are doing. Instead let
us encourage one another all the more, since you see that the Day of the Lord
is coming nearer.
-Hebrews 10:25
To have a close, rewarding relationship with God, you don't have to be perfect.
But there is one requirement: You must be genuinely committed to the
relationship. That includes spending time getting to know Him and His family.
Just as a person can't be "mostly married" or "somewhat pregnant," you
cannot have a casual acquaintance with God. A relationship with the all-loving
Creator of the universe just doesn't work that way. And part of building a
meaningful relationship with God is spending time at His house with His
people …the Church. Here, you can worship Him, learn how to live more
effectively, hear how He is working in the lives of others, be supported by
people who love Him and are committed to you for that very reason.
If you choose to avoid church, will God still love you? Of course. He loved you
long before you were even aware of Him... and before the concept of church
was invented. But if you truly want to grow close to God, to know Him as a
friend, you need to spend some time with Him, and your brothers and sisters
in Christ. Think about it. When are you, as parents, the happiest? Yes, when
your kids are home! So what do you say? Will we be seeing you at our house
this Sunday?
“WE ARE PRAYING FOR YOU”
Story and Picture submitted by: R. Neal Gracey, Deacon, First Baptist Church of Saltillo, PA 17253
Thank you to Rev. David Ford (resigned) for early church history. And PD Oldham for “vision”
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