Moses, a free Black iterant preacher, originally led the congregation, followed by Gowan Pamphlet, the first ordained African American preacher in the country. In the early 1800s, the congregation moved from the rural outskirts to the city center, constructing a church in the 1850s. In 1956, after Colonial Williamsburg purchased and demolished the original church to reconstruct an 18th-century town, First Baptist relocated to a newly built church, which the congregation continues to worship in today. The architecture of Colonial Williamsburg greatly influenced architect Bernard Spigel’s Colonial Revival design. The church has welcomed numerous historic icons, including Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr.

First Baptist is a “magnet in the community,” according to the congregation, which ministers to College of William & Mary students, provides a space for civil rights education, and holds trainings and protests. The church hosts organizations that bridge racial, ethnic, and cultural lines, including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. In collaboration with local schools, First Baptist educates students about voting rights and social justice to break down barriers that minority school children face.

To address water penetration and life safety concerns, First Baptist Church will receive a National Fund grant of $100,000 with $200,000 in matching funds raised by the congregation and the Let Freedom Ring Foundation, an organization consisting of church and community members in support of First Baptist’s building, landscapes, and programming. Exterior projects will involve repairing windows and walkways to ensure the safety of all community members. Interior projects will include floor repairs, plumbing and sewer upgrades, and making restrooms and community spaces compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. As a result of ongoing racial violence in the United States, the congregation will install a new security system. These projects will allow First Baptist to keep “inspiring our youth, witnessing to the lost, feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, and working for justice and peace in the 21st century.”

First Baptist Church/Let Freedom Ring Foundation by Let Freedom Ring Foundation