Baptist Church Rebuilds on Higher Ground
Perth-Andover lost a century landmark when the Perth-Andover Baptist Church was torn down on August 22, 2012. It was not an elegant building but it had stood solidly for more than a hundred years as a testament to the grace of God and the fortitude of the small congregation. It had been witness to countless weddings, funerals, and baptisms, milestones in the lives of families and the community. Its stained glass windows harbored memorials to past generations with names such as Sadler, Sisson, Wright, and Armstrong, affording a bond to the past and an inspiration for the future. The story of the Baptist church in Perth-Andover began 180 ago years when the area was known only as Tobique.
According to history researched by Sheila Cummings, the Reverend Lothrup Hammond, a Regular Baptist minister from Prince William, felt called to minister to the isolated settlers of the Tobique. In March of 1832, he made the 85 mile trip by snowshoes up the Saint John River and stayed in the area for six weeks providing religious instruction in the homes of the settlers. He was received warmly in the Tobique much to the credit of a Mr Murphy who had early begun hosting religious services in his home and in 1826 had donated land for a meeting house and cemetery. Though Hammond’s stay was not lengthy, it proved to be fruitful and he returned to minister on the Tobique in the fall of the same year, this time to stay until his death in 1858.
A new church building was erected close to the site of the old meeting house in 1904 there to stand for more than a century. Damaged by flood waters of the Saint John River several times since the late 1980’s, it finally succumbed to the severe flooding of March, 2012. A decision was made not to repair the building one more time, but to construct a new church on high ground. While the congregation was fortunate to be able to hold services temporarily in the Andover Elementary School, planning was started to build on Barrett Street overlooking the Perth-Andover Bridge. With a mixture of sadness and hopefulness, the congregation held a decommissioning service for the old church and sod turning for the new one on June 24, 2012. Former minister, Rev. Dr. Malcolm Card was a guest speaker for this service.
Designed by Hatchard Engineering, the new church building is to be a modern design with two high gable ends, one over the sanctuary and one over the fellowship hall. All on one level to increase accessibility, it will feature an office, a family resource room, Sunday school classrooms, a nursery, and a large Fellowship Hall with a fully equipped kitchen, as well as a 200 seat sanctuary to accommodate the growing congregation. The membership intends for the new facilities will be available and useful to the community. Steve Cote has been engaged to complete the church construction and every stage of design and construction has been accessed locally creating employment in the community. The construction is expected to be complete in time to celebrate Christmas services, 2012.
The century old stained glass from the old church will be displayed in the interior with back-lighting, linking the new building with its history. Sections of the old wood panelling will also grace the new building. As well, the church bell which was placed in 1905 in memory Jonathan Bridges, a young man who was accidentally killed in Aroostook, will be displayed in the church. The bell had been removed from the church when the steeple was struck by lightning in the early 1970’s.
Though historically Baptists have been noted for their diversity of views on theological issues, on this the members of the Perth-Andover congregation were in complete agreement: the new church would stay within the village of Perth-Andover, and the congregation would carry on with the Christian work begun 180 years ago. It is said that strength comes from adversity. The members of Perth-Andover Baptist Church are experiencing that as they grapple with the issues of new construction and financing. They are growing strong from unified effort and expect to continue ministry in the village for many generations to come.
