In 2016, the First Baptist Church in Williamsburg, Virginia marked its 240th anniversary. The church was established for free and enslaved African Americans by Reverend Moses, a free Black itinerant preacher, and later led by Gowan Pamphlet, an enslaved man who served as the pastor until his death.
The celebration of this milestone led to a call to repair the 1886 Freedom Bell that was in the church’s steeple, a call answered by the members of First Baptist Church (FBC) in partnership with The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (CWF). What started as a single project led to significant research and archaeology around the church’s history, the identification of a burial site in the previous church location on Nassau Street, and the formation of the Let Freedom Ring Foundation (the Foundation).
The Foundation, with Connie Matthews Harshaw as its president, has as its mission “protecting and preserving the historic building, landscape and artifacts of First Baptist.” This mission aligns with Harshaw’s strong belief in the importance of this church and its contribution to the full American story. The Foundation shepherded First Baptist’s collaborations for capital improvements; and in 2021 the National Fund for Sacred Places (a program of Partners for Sacred Places in collaboration with the National Trust for Historic Preservation) awarded the church a $100,000.00 grant.
Learn more about how Harshaw’s membership at FBC gave her the opportunity to combine faith and purpose to preserve the historic church and its unique place in American history.