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Who are the Seventh Day Baptists?

A Little History (Part 1)

Early Seventh Day Baptist Churches

The first Seventh Day Baptist church on this continent was established in Newport, Rhode Island, on December 23, 1671. The Newport church no longer exists but even while it did many of its members were also members of the Westerly SDB church. This church conducted regular sabbath services in the home of Elder John Crandall, Sr., for thirty years. In 1708 the two churches became separate congregations but maintained a close fellowship for many years. The Westerly church is now called the First SDB Church of Hopkinton, Rhode Island and remains active today. Two members of the Westerly church, a father and son, were appointed colonial governors of Rhode Island by the King during colonial times. Governor Samual Ward, eventually resigned his post in protest of the Stamp Act tax and was eventually asked by the people of Rhode Island to represent them at the Continental Congress in Philadelphia.

Another area of early Seventh Day Baptist activity was in New Jersey. The SDB Church of Shiloh, New Jersey was founded in 1737. On November 22, 1774 forty men gathered at the home of a member of the Shiloh church and, disguised as indians, followed the example of their patriot brothers in Boston and destroyed tea stored by the British in Greenwich warehouse. Instead of casting the tea into the sea these men reported that the tea "accidentally caught fire". The SDB Church of Shiloh is still active today. Another New Jersey church from this period is still active but not in New Jersey. In 1789 the Shrewsbury New Jersey SDB church migrated as a whole to western Virginia with their Bibles and the leather-bound record book of the church and founded the Seventh Day Baptist church of Salem, in what is now West Virginia.

Several Seventh Day Baptist churches have been formed by pioneers moving west across this vast continent. Churches were established in Milton Wisconsin in 1840, Nortonville Kansas in 1863, and in Boulder Colorado in 1891.

The oldest Seventh Day Baptist Church

While the first Seventh Day Baptist churches in America are indeed old none of them can claim the honor of being the oldest Seventh Day Baptist church. That honor goes to the Mill Yard Church of London, England. This church, which still exists today, was founded about 1653. The first record book of the church was destroyed by fire, but the second book begins in 1673 and states that William Saller has been the pastor of the church for some time.

Click on this link for more information on Samual Ward a colonial governor of Rhode Island and early patriot.