HISTORY OF FAITH BAPTIST
In January 1961, five families met to form a Sunday School in the Hazardville section of Enfield, Connecticut. This marked the beginning of Faith Baptist Church.
At first, they met at the Scitico Community Center (Grange Hall) and the Hazardville Fire Station. As their numbers grew, those five families agreed to use their homes as collateral to purchase the property known as 243 Green Manor Road. There were trials, testings, some misgivings, and at one point they prayed and asked if they should disband or go forward. It soon became clear that they needed a leader, and in October 1961, the church was incorporated. Rev. Melville Yorke Stewart was named first pastor of Faith Baptist Church. The word expanded to include a youth program, children's church, ladies fellowship, church nursery, and Sunday School for all ages.
In 1964, Rev. Edwin Adnerson succeeded Pastor Stewart as interim Pastor, and soon after became full time. The search for land began. In 1964, the members knelt under a tree on what is now the current property, and prayed that God would provide the five acre parcel on Broad Brook Road. They bought the land on April 25th, 1965. Pastor Anderson left in August, 1965. The church continued to meet at the parsonage at 243 Green Manor Road until they were able to erect a small white frame building on Broad Brook Road in 1967.
In June of 1966, Rev. Ben W. Sanders was named the new Pastor. He received no salary and worship services were held in his living room. For awhile, he continued to work for Standard Structural Steel Company in Newington, Connecticut. Ground breaking for the first building program was in October, 1966, and was completed in early 1967. Pastor Sanders served as general contractor, and under his leadership from 1964 to 1968, the people of the church built a church structure; enlarged it once, and completed the new building. Dedication of the main church building (46 feet wide by 110 feet long, seating 600) was held on October 4th, 1970. Later, plans were begun on the parsonage located behind the church. As one member of the founding families once remarked in response to a question about the various building programs, "It took a lot of prayer, faith, and hard work!" In September of 1973, Enfield Christian Academy started as a new Christian, private school for kindergarten to twelth grade students.
After nearly a decade of dedicated service, Rev. Ben W. Sanders has resigned as Pastor of Faith Baptist Church in Enfield. His nine-and-a-half-year tenure was marked by significant congregational growth and the successful establishment of a thriving bus ministry. Rev. Sanders leaves behind a legacy of consistent spiritual leadership and impactful community outreach as he prepares for his next pastorate.
On Wednesday, February 18th, 1976, Rev. L. V. Morris accepted a call to serve as the new pastor of Faith Baptist Church in Enfield. Rev. Morris transitions to this role following a ten-year tenure at Southwest Baptist Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Accompanied by his wife and their five children, he is scheduled to officially assume his new pastorate on April 18th, 1976.