Pastor's Notes (February 2010)

“To incite more earnest efforts”
Pastor’s Notes (February 2010)

One of the marvels of the digital age is Google’s ongoing project to scan books, journals, and other print materials for persons to view online. Recently, I came across Henry Crocker’s The History of the Baptists in Vermont, published the P.H. Gobie Press of Bellows Falls, VT.  Rev. Crocker was the president of the Vermont Baptist Historical Society, and he was tasked with the job of finishing what was considered a long overdue by the time the book appeared in 1913.  Crocker’s preface recounts the convoluted history of the book’s many setbacks in research and production since a history was first proposed in 1841.  Rev. Crocker worked through reams of source material to produce this book, now long out of print, and now enjoying another sort of preservation as part of the Google Books collection.

            Like anyone else, my first curiosity was to read the section about matters near to mind and heart.  The section on First Baptist, Bennington, (Crocker, p. 102-105) recounts a few familiar facts: a recounting of the church’s origins in 1827, though it was known as the Baptist church in “East Bennington, or Algiers”.  Interestingly, it would be a year later that the first minister, Henry Baldwin would become the minister.  By the time the Vermont Baptist history appeared, First Baptist had been served by twenty-two pastors, the longest serving being the eight year pastorate of Rev. Z. Martin (1885-1893).   Considering the rest of the 20^th-century’s pastoral tenures (including Dr. Towart’s thirty year tenure), when First Baptist had only six settled pastorates over a 75 year period, the thought of twenty-two pastorates over eight-six years seems quite remarkable.  

            The rest of Rev. Crocker’s entry about First Baptist details a variety of “milestones” about the church fellowship perhaps forgotten in our modern day congregation.  In 1832, a temperance movement began in Bennington with a church committee formed to address the excessive drinking of “cider brandy”.   In the 1840s, William Miller, a Vermont-born minister, was invited to address the congregation about his views on the Second Coming (in Miller’s opinion, to take place on October 22, 1844).  Apparently, Miller’s views held suasion, as Crocker reports his speech “wreaked havoc in the flock”, presumably causing some congregants to take up his views as well.  (After this date came to pass, and our Lord did not, the date became known as “the Great Disappointment”.)   The 1850s brought congregational “resolutions disapproving and discountenancing the amusement of dancing” declaring dancing inconsistent with “the Christian profession”.   If these stories are not amusing enough, Crocker recounts the long history of the church struggling to keep a decent church bell.  Apparently, First Baptist had the first church bell in Bennington installed in 1830, however, the original bell was “said to have been the poorest bell ever shipped into the State of Vermont.  The sound of it provoked the criticism of all who heard it” (Crocker, 105).

            To our ears, these stories of our distant past offer a glimpse of the life of First Baptist no longer in living memory.  The idea of temperance fervor and anti-dancing resolutions might strike us as a product of times gone by.  Certainly, William Miller’s predictions of the end of things in 1844 remind us that modern day Christians chasing after every half-baked “end times” prediction have their antecedents. 

            Studying our past, however, helps us understand our roots.  Given his task of accounting for a brief history of every Vermont Baptist congregation, Rev. Crocker’s account leaves out the congregation’s historic commitment to mission, providing funding for domestic and global efforts, and the commitment to religious education.   The spiritual DNA of First Baptist has a remarkable intertwining of passion for discipleship and the support of initiatives far and wide.

            As with every generation, it is our challenge to live with the best of our past and endeavor to make the future possible.  As we near a century since Henry Crocker’s account of First Baptist, may I suggest we revisit our roots this spring in our religious education?   Starting February 7, 2010, we will explore our Baptist roots, studying the historic distinctive beliefs and practices of our tradition:  Soul Freedom, Believer’s Baptism, the role of the Bible, the priesthood of all believers, local church autonomy, the ministry of the laity, discipleship, evangelism, worship and communion, speaking about issues of faith, diversity, and mission.  Each week, we ponder what makes us “tick” as Baptists.  In the 21^st-century, we American Baptists are part of the most racially diverse denominations in the United States.  We are a people known for having a “wide tent” when it comes to theological diversity, and some of our theological debates make arguments over cider brandy and dancing look pretty tame.

            When it comes time to recount our history, what story would you like to have told about our ministry and mission today?  I am most hopeful we will be recalled as faithful, earnest believers, working for the betterment of our community and growing in faith and love.   Indeed, Rev. Crocker has a good word about the goal of the Christian in search of a past, present, and future.  Near a century ago, Rev. Crocker observed,

It is a satisfaction to know that facts long concealed or known to but few can be known by many, and we may cherish the hope that the backward look will incite to more earnest efforts for the upbuilding of the Kingdom of Christ among the Green Mountains and the fertile valleys of Vermont. (Crocker, 5).