Our Vision:
Parma Baptist “Community” Church, with empowering of the Holy Spirit, has a shared vision to advance God’s Kingdom, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ, by carrying out Christ’s redeeming work of love, mercy, and justice in the world, and by being Christ-like disciples through Knowing, Loving, Serving, and Celebrating.
Knowing…
Providing opportunities for growth in one’s relationship with Jesus Christ, creating a place where one can enter into faith, equipping members for spiritual growth and expressing one’s faith in tangible ways.
Loving…
Connecting in meaningful relationships and encouraging ongoing spiritual growth and spiritual formation as disciples of Jesus Christ through the formation of ministries designed to build trust and love, allowing one to find a home in the church family, and through the strengthening of friendships and relationships in all areas.
Serving…
Connecting Christ’s compassion to all people everywhere, creating ministries designed to strengthen and promote growth of our church, encouraging and equipping members to discern their individual calling in church life.
Celebrating…
Recognizing the Holy Spirit’s calling and gifting of each individual to participate fully and enthusiastically in the work of God’s Kingdom, celebrating God’s new community through worship, praise, prayer, Bible discussion and accountability groups designed for spiritual renewal, and the envisioning of ways and the potential for including more members in fellowship and service.
We unite in one solid vision for the future of Parma Baptist “Community” Church, forgetting what lies behind us, and reaching to what lies ahead of us, pressing on toward the ultimate prize in Jesus Christ.
Our History:
In 1832, a group of nine men took a vote. Their desire was to erect a new church. The vote was passed, and the original church was built in 1834. Before the church was completed, the members met in the old schoolhouse, Parma #3, which was adjacent to the church.
Certain members of the congregation provided assistance with the Underground Railroad, helping to provide a temporary place of respite for those bound for freedom in Canada. When the church caught word of this, the members were kicked out from membership with the church.
As the church grew over the next decade, they started a Sabbath school in 1845, meeting in the old schoolhouse. In 1884 they built a much needed addition to the church, known as the lecture room.
In 1908 the church purchased the plot of land across the street in order to build a parsonage. This is the same building in use today.
Tragically, on January 27, 1924, the church was destroyed in a fire. The fire was started when someone added too much wood to the furnace.
In order to assist with raising funding to rebuild the church, the youth were commissioned to pledge $5 a year for five years. After completing the fundraising, the cornerstone of the present church was laid on September 7, 1924. Until the church was completed, services were once again held in the old schoolhouse and Lyceum Hall. Lyceum Hall was demolished in the 1960s.
The present church was dedicated between June 7-14, 1925. The Rev. Fred Palmer was pastor at the time.
The church celebrated its Centennial in 1932. The Rev. E. Floyd Norton was pastor at the time.
The new mortgage was paid off by the beginning of 1943, and the church held a mortgage burning ceremony on January 10, 1943.
The original Hammond organ was purchased in May 1946.
The first stained glass window in the sanctuary was the one behind the pulpit. It was dedicated on May 22, 1949.
The old hymnals were dedicated on March 30, 1952. (The current hymnals were installed and dedicated on February 5, 1978).
In 1952, Parma School #3 was consolidated with the Spencerport Central School District. On December 1, the taxpayers of Parma voted to sell the building to the church for a sum of $1. The church then converted the old schoolhouse into their Recreation Hall, which is still put to good use today.
The church built an addition, connecting the church with the Recreation Hall in the late 1950s. It provided the church with 6 classrooms.
Groundbreaking on the Education Wing occurred on September 10, 1967. The wing was completed and dedicated the following year.
The church celebrated its Sesquicentennial (150th) anniversary in 1982. The theme of the celebration was "Daring to do God's work in Parma".
The handicapped accessible lift was installed on the north side of the sanctuary in the late 1990s.
On April 25, 2004, the Rev. David R. Chhangte was installed as Parma Baptist's 49th pastor.
The church started a program called "Revive/Alive," a program sponsored by the local region of American Baptist Churches. Together with other AB churches in the Rochester/Genessee Region, we underwent a series of training workshops geared towards identifying today's cultural challenges for the church and brainstorming ways of increasing membership. The real focus was on targeting in on a new vision/mission for each church and examining the church's role in the various neighborhoods and communities around Rochester. The final version of our Vision for our church's future (shown above) was drafted on August 13, 2008 and was unanimously adopted by the congregation a few weeks later. |
