A Community of Belonging
By Greg Smith
One Sunday morning in late February, I heard a phrase in Brent’s sermon: “a community of belonging.” It was a great way to describe this congregation, just what I was looking for. You see, I was deep into writing an application for a grant to assist with church building repairs from the National Fund for Sacred Places. I quickly grabbed a pencil and wrote on my worship order the words “community of belonging.”
Writing this application was indeed the work of a community. At least sixteen church members and staff contributed to this project by providing historical documents and information, photos, descriptions of ministries, and writing answers to specific questions.
The National Fund application asks questions about our history, our building and the proposed projects, our congregation, and the ways we serve people in the community and share space with other organizations. They want to know who we are, what is significant about our building, and how we are engaged in serving the people around us.
This was a very enlightening project for me. Jan and I have been in this church just over one year, so I enjoyed learning the history and current ministries of this church. I gathered the information shared with me and wrote brief answers to the questions. Then, Brent and I worked together to edit those answers to best tell the story of this special congregation. We are truly a community of belonging.
Each section of the application was limited to a specific number of characters typed. We had far more information that could have been included, but there was not enough space. Determining what not to include was the hardest task. This blog contains excerpts of the application, giving an overview of our history, community serving programming, and the repair project, providing a good summary of what the grant application is all about. In a few months we will learn if we are chosen to move to the second phase of this year’s application process. Final decisions will be announced in October.
Application Overview
First Baptist Church of Worcester was formed in 1812 by a group of 28 brave souls who stood for religious liberty and social justice. These ideals have guided us for over 200 years. We stood against slavery and for Civil Rights. Later, we ordained women in ministry and included LGBTQ+ folks in all aspects of church life. We provide warm clothing and hot food for hungry people who need shelter. We help immigrants and refugees make a new home in our city. We support groups like the globally known LGBT Asylum Task Force, helping queer folk escape dangerous countries.
A unique aspect of our ministry is our location adjacent to the Worcester Polytechnic Institute. The WPI music groups rehearse and hold concerts in our building. We also share our beautiful worship space for concerts of many area music organizations, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra. FBC is a welcoming center for area music groups and audiences, enriching community life.
After our church burned in 1937, we chose to rebuild near a thriving neighborhood that is now a Historic District. We selected noted architects who had designed Riverside Church in New York to create a church building that would complement the American Antiquarian Society building, now a National Historic Landmark, across the street from us.
After 87 strong years, this building now needs care to sustain our ministry and serve the community. The 19th century bricks need repointing, a repair identified in a Condition Assessment as an Immediate Need. We also have an urgent access need. We no longer can obtain parts to repair our 1993 elevator so church members and community concertgoers can avoid stairs to get to our worship space. Funding needs for these repairs exceed our congregation’s means. Though we are not as large a church as in the past, we are vibrant with strong lay and pastoral leadership. Not giving up, we seek a grant to sustain this beautiful building and its place in the community for future generations.
History of the Building
The Colonial Revival style building was built in 1937-39 by the noted architectural firm Allen, Collens, and Willis of Boston, who had a national reputation for structures such as Union Theological Seminary (1910) and Riverside Church (1930) in New York. The General Contractor was E. J. Pinney Co., of Springfield, Mass. The antique bricks were produced in the early 19th century and acquired by a church member from the demolition of an old mill in Lowell, Mass.
Community Service
FBC is very engaged in community service, encouraging hands-on participation. Community service activities are offered by and in our church or are collaborative with other organizations. We share space with other community service groups. We serve people who are poor, homeless, and food insecure in several ways. For over 50 years we have collaborated with other churches to serve meals at Mustard Seed, a Catholic Workers ministry, that feeds 150-200 people each night with a hot, nutritious meal. Once each month, our members prepare food in the FBC church kitchen, then deliver and serve the food at the Mustard Seed house. The FBC Knitting Group provides homeless people and refugee families with hats, scarves, and mittens knit at the church. Our Little Food Pantry beside the church serves food insecure people. The church donates food supplies, toiletries, and clothing for ministries such as the Shower on Chandler Street for homeless people, and Woo Fridge, a community network of free food refrigerators.
Our Social Justice Action Team supports Haitian refugees by providing an English language tutoring class in the church for up to 15 adults. They also collaborate with the Worcester Area Mission Society and with Friendly House, providing personal toiletries and clothing, social service information, connection with legal assistance for asylum, and empowerment through employment.
FBC very intentionally includes LGBTQ+ individuals in all aspects of church life and leadership, from ordination to staff ministers to lay leaders, church members, and choral singers. Our Chapel House Open Mic serves LGBTQ+ folks, providing a safe space for expression in poetry, music, and drama by people who usually rarely enter a church. As a community of belonging, FBC nurtures a culture of belonging and inclusion.
Music and Arts
The FBC Music and Arts Ministry has a long history of benefiting the community by collaborating with other churches, performing groups, and the Music Department of Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) which is adjacent to the church property. Since its founding in the 1860s most FBC pastors have served as a WPI trustee. In 2024 the Rhode Island Civic Chorale and Orchestra joined with the FBC Choir, Worcester Children’s Chorus, and the WPI Chorus totaling 300 musicians performing Mendelssohn’s Elijah with 500 attending. Begun in 2024, the FBC William Ness Concert Series brings aspiring young musicians to play alongside world class soloists and ensembles such as the Joy of Music, a group of Worcester-area high school musicians who shared a concert with the Brown University Chorus.
For over 10 years, the WPI Choruses with 130 students have held rehearsals and concerts in the church. The Choral Scholars, students who sing with our choir, began in 2016 with 4 students and has grown to include 8 students. Other students receive pipe organ lessons and play for worship. FBC choir members serve a homemade hot meal each week for these students. Being a Choral Scholar is such a meaningful program, after graduation they often return to sing in worship with us. Students describe our building as “a place where they feel safe.”
A Healthy Congregation
Competently led by our pastor for over 10 years, we are a congregation that relates and functions in a healthy manner, serving others with loving kindness and justice. Our pastor’s collaborative leadership style, along with our team structure, empowers and encourages many to be engaged. Lay leaders dream and work together in a variety of ways. Relationships are meaningful and deep with one another and our pastor.
Resilience is a trait our church has consistently embodied throughout our history to the present. The church successfully faced the challenges of two devastating fires in 1835 and 1937, rebuilding both times with no debt. The church suffered the death of a beloved Senior Minister, creating a fund in his honor to support learning. FBC reorganized its structures, governance and priorities to a flatter structure with teams led by a Coordinating Council, embodying a spirit of collaboration and possibility. The church weathered the Covid pandemic with grace, flexibility and compassion. Collaborative resilience is in the DNA of FBC and is the heart of our sustainability.
Our pastor encourages us to connect with God and with each other. Our spirit is not one of fear or despair, but of rolling up our sleeves and getting to work. FBC is a community of belonging; a community to which I am grateful.
