A History of the
First Baptist Church of Pennington

First Baptist Church has been blessed with tremendous pastors. They have always been true men of God who cheerfully labored with the members First Baptist to maintain a community that functioned in accordance with the principles of Christianity. We remember not only the first pastor Reverend Crawley, but also, Reverend Fimmer, Reverend L. O. Jones, Reverend J. H. Nelson, Reverend Hawks, Reverend Washington, Reverend Hightower, Reverend Lewis, Reverend C. A. Jones, Revered Cain, and Reverend Smith. These men served First Baptist with distinction and were an inspiration and blessing to all who worshipped here throughout their many, many years of service.

Reverend Wayne R. Griffith was called to pastor the First Baptist Church and was installed on October 11, 1992. Reverend Griffith embodies three essential principles: evangelism, education and economic development. When Reverend Griffith came to First Baptist there were eight dedicated members, and with his leadership, the Lord has truly blessed First Baptist Church by increasing our membership to over 100 people. With his guidance we completed numerous renovations to the church, developed a faith based Community Development corporation, and purchased a Christian Learning Center/Community Development Corporation Building.

First Baptist is located in a town where African Americans represent less than one percent of the population, but there exists here in this community, a strong sense of camaraderie amongst the churches. There have been times when capital improvements needed to be made and the other churches steppe forward and mad contributions to the cause. The churches have also opened up their doors to First Baptist's membership for various meetings and events.

With a strong sense of community and a commitment to the spread of The Gospel, The First Baptist Church of Pennington continues to not only grow in number but also in spirit and fellowship. Our church is indeed "Moving by the Spirit" into the 21st Century with "Hearts towards God and Hands toward Mankind."

Acknowledgment
This history of the First Baptist Church in Pennington was given to me by Mr. Albert Witcher, a long time resident of Pennington and faithful member of the First Baptist Church. Mr. Witcher is a wonderful source of information about Pennington and I appreciate his assistance.

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