Historic downtown church celebrates 160th anniversary
Mary Diedrick Hansen
Staff Writer
When contemplating the beginnings of First Baptist Church, Pastor Bill Englund gets goosebumps thinking about how the spirit can move hearts. He looks back to the founder of the church, Harriet Bishop, who as a young Baptist woman from Vermont, wanted to be a missionary. If her name sounds familiar, it is because she was the first public school teacher in Minnesota, and Harriet Island Regional Park is named in her honor.
In the 1820s, harrowing accounts were being printed in Baptist newsletters based on the journals of Ann Judson and her husband Adoniram who were working as missionaries in the jungles of Burma. The accounts may have inspired young Bishop to respond to a call from a medical missionary requesting a teacher to work with him with the Kaposia Indian tribe in the Minnesota territory.
The thought fascinates Englund because today First Baptist is ministering to members of the Karen tribe, refugees from Burma (Mynamar). Englund sees these people as the spiritual sons and daughters of the Judsons, and the reason Bishop moved to the unsettled lands of the west, which resulted in the birth of First Baptist Church.
First Baptist had its humble beginnings in 1847 when, after teaching for one week, Bishop started a Sunday school. She invited all 25 of her students, which was a diverse group that spoke Dakota, English and French. Seven children showed up and became the nucleus of what would become First Baptist Church.
When the congregation was formally organized into the First Baptist Church of St. Paul on December 29, 1849, it immediately built a small church on an elevated plot (the present site of Mears Park) that became known as "Baptist Hill."
As the newly formed State of Minnesota and St. Paul surged in size, so, too, did the church. A new building was constructed in 1862 near Wacouta and English, and an even larger building went up in 1875 at its current site at Wacouta and Ninth.
In the 1870s, the city was booming. The arrival of the railroad would connect St. Paul to both the East and West coasts, and citizens were optimistic that their city would be the "new Chicago." In 1875, the church was located in what was then the posh Layfayette neighborhood, home to Henry Sibley, Horace Thompson, the Wilders and E.F. Drake. James J. Hill’s home was located across the street, where the church parking lot is now located. When Hill moved up to Summit Avenue, his wealthy peers followed, and the next 25 years brought a decline in property values to the area. The large homes surrounding First Baptist were divvied up into small apartments and, over time, replaced with businesses and factories.
Suddenly, church leaders were contemplating whether to stay in Lowertown or follow the trend of other congregations by moving outside of the core of the city. Rather than move, the congregation decided to stay and launch several "daughter" congregations for newly arrived immigrants. It helped start Trinity for Swedish Baptists, and Redeember for German Baptists, and as early as 1864 was reaching out to others, including a group of ex-slaves, who helped formed Pilgrim Baptist.
By 1910, First Baptist had five daughter churches in the city. In 1912 it started a Chinese Bible class, and during World War II hosted 25 Japanese individuals who came from relocation camps or who were stationed at Fort Snelling. Furthermore, with aid from the American Baptist Home Mission Society, the church became home to a Spanish-speaking congregation and supported the Wacouta Christian Center at 583 Mississippi St., which sponsored weekday activities for children and families from 1921 until the area was cleared for freeway development in the 1950s. While First Baptist was also in the crosshairs for demolition due to that project, a group of historic preservationists saved the building by having it placed on the National Register of Historic Places. However, to accommodate its members living on the East Side and in Maplewood, it branched off, forming Woodbury Baptist.
With all the changes, the church has stood the test of time and has always been anchored in the Lowertown area of St. Paul. Trusting in God and their future, the church built an addition in 1959, including offices and a gym that was put to use with the first day care center in downtown St. Paul, which operated for 40 years.
"It seemed that for a long time, downtown ended at Seventh and Wacouta at the Union Gospel Mission and didn’t exist much past Wabasha Street," said Englund.
The church was surrounded by abandoned or rundown buildings until the arts community discovered the neighborhood and began transforming the negelected buildings into studios and apartments. Today, the area surrounding First Baptist has come alive once again.
Englund has seen significant change in the neighborhood in the last six or seven years. For example, the Union Gospel Mission has moved, and now located across the street from the church are new townhouses and a park. Also, Lyon’s Court senior living center, with an attached hallway to the church, has replaced an old parking lot.
What hasn’t changed is First Baptist’s commitment to serving the needs of those living and working in Lowertown and beyond. For example, Family Place, a homeless "overflow" shelter, is renting space at the church, in partnership with the St. Paul Area Council of Churches and its "Project Home" program. When Ramsey County Family Services’ shelters are full, churches, synagogues and schools take turns housing and providing food for up to 40 people each night, at each location. Families are welcome at First Baptist’s Family Place during the day, where meals are served and kids are transported to their schools to prevent interruption of their education. Computer rooms are also available, along with a comfortable family room and play area for children.
The work of welcoming and assisting new churches continues as First Baptist supports the resettlement of Burmese refugees from the Karen tribe, the largest ethnic group in Burma, and the formation of a Burmese Church. The long-running civil war in Burma, in which several tribes are seeking independence, has forced 400,000 refugees into neighboring Thailand. Now 80,000 Karen tribe members are headed for the United States. Having fought with the Allies in World War II, while Burma sided with the Japanese, the Karen thought that Great Britain would reward them with autonomy once the war was over. However, when Burma achieved independence in 1948, the Karen were forgotten. A large community already exists in the Twin Cities. Many are finding shelter and security at First Baptist. The church is providing food, household goods, financial assistance and temporary shelter in the building. For one period of three months, the church housed 16 women, men and children in the church basement until permanent housing could be found. The First Burma Christ Church meets at 4:30 p.m., Sundays. The Karen Baptist Fellowship has about 250 to 300 members.
"The life and ministry of First Baptist Church has been extraordinarily blessed by the arrival of refugees from Burma," said Englund. "It’s a credit to the parishioners that they are able to get outside of their comfort zone and stay out until being outside becomes comfortable."
First Baptist stands as a symbol of faith. Throughout the years it has provided stability and permanence to St. Paul, ministering to the community and providing a place for people to discover their own beliefs. Today, it continues the task initiated by Harriet Bishop 160 years ago, to be open and receptive to all.
A formal celebration of 160 years will take place July 27 at the original church site in Mears Park. Harriet Bishop and the Judsons will be honored. A procession of the First Baptists’ daughter churches will also take place. Fun and festivities will follow at the Union Gospel Mission Camp at Snail Lake. For more information, call 651-222-0718.
