Exploring The Faith Journey of My Baptist Ancestors
Exploring the faith journey of my Baptist ancestors is inspiring. Learning more about the Baptist Church increases my understanding of my ancestors and motivates me to connect with others not of my faith.
Following is a compilation of my experience attending a Baptist Church (regular type) and memories recorded in my ancestor’s history (colored boxes):
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A Journey Begins: The Baptist Church
The weather is beautiful the morning I step out of my vehicle and make my way to the entrance of a local Baptist Church.
It is no accident that I find myself at a Baptist church on this December morning; I have been looking forward to the visit for an entire week.
My 4th-great-grandmother, Elizabeth, a devout Baptist, took every opportunity to read to her children from the Bible. These special reading moments were limited, however, to when her husband wasn’t home, as he was not religious and was very strong-willed—adamantly opposing any gospel teaching in their home.
Whenever her husband left the house, Elizabeth taught her children “about Jesus. She told how He went about among the people to preach and to do good to everybody, how He made sick people well, and how He gave sight to the blind and made the lame to walk. She told how He fed the hungry and how He talked to the people and told them what to do so they could go to heaven when they died. Then she told… how He, Jesus, loved little children and how Jesus would take little children in His arms and bless them.”
So it was that Elizabeth’s daughter, Mary, my 3rd-great-grandmother, came to love the Bible.
Entering the Baptist church foyer, three warm and friendly ushers greet me. I pass large groups of individuals in the foyer who are mingling together in hushed tones. The atmosphere in the chapel, however, is still and reverent.
Walking toward the middle of the room, I glance at the people seated around me, people of varied ages and ethnicities, there to worship together.
After making myself comfortable on a fabric-covered bench, I take a deep breath. A smile crosses my lips as I wait for the service to begin. I cannot believe I am actually here.
Mary, my 3rd-great-grandmother, married George, a wonderful man with a Methodist upbringing. They were quite content with their life when it was abruptly interrupted by the appearance of a new religion in town.
Mary was curious about this new religion that claimed to preach from the Bible and have living apostles and prophets. But it was her sister, Mercy Truth, who ultimately took the first step in learning more about the mysterious religion.
“Don’t be deceived,” their mother warned them. “Remember what Jesus taught in the Bible.“
Biblical Teachings
The Baptist service included five songs about the Savior, one of which, “Our Great Savior”, has the same music as a hymn with which I am very familiar, “In Humility Our Savior”. I join the congregation in singing with my whole heart and soul.
I then stand and recite with others Isaiah 53: 3-7, some of my favorite verses in the Bible:
3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
“Sir, would you have any objections to answering me a few questions from the bible?” Mary asked the Elder, who had accepted an invitation to meet in their home for tea.
The Elder, of course, was happy to oblige, so he and Mary spent hours discussing the new religion and how it compared to the teachings of the Bible.
At times the discussion became quite intense, as noted by Mercy Truth: “They would stop and argue a while, then they would make the leaves fly again. But he kept quite cool. She would get hot sometimes — it was pretty hard for her to hide it… When I called them for tea, they could not eat for talking. George and I tried to eat ours, but we could not for listening to them.“
When the Elder left, Mary and George talked together for a long time. She would inevitably think of more that she wanted to see the Elder about.
Oh, how hard she did try to find out if he really did preach the right gospel!
Faith Journey
The Baptist pastor introduces today’s topic: 1 Corinthians 12: The Gifts of the Spirit.
I thrill as he speaks of Five Speaking Gifts, Six Serving Gifts, Administration Gifts, and Temporary Gifts.
I gain new insights into scriptures verses I have heard all my life.
Today’s devotional, taught from the King James Bible, enriches my understanding of spiritual gifts.
I hear nothing in today’s message that goes against my basic religious beliefs. I am beginning to understand why my ancestors felt drawn to the Baptist religion. It teaches so many beautiful truths about the Bible.
The Elder [did] visit [again] with George and Mary in their home.
“When he came again they had a long talk. George asked him to stay all night. Mary Ann said that she had been very sorry and ashamed of herself for how she served him the first time he came. She talked to him so much that he could not eat his food. He smiled and said he enjoyed the talk much better than he would a good tea, for he loved to talk to the people when they would reason with him from the Bible, for it was very seldom anyone would. Oh how late they did sit up that night. He stayed quite late [the] next day and they were just as busy.“
It was important to Mary to live a life based on the principles and teachings of the Bible. Religion, she knew, was a thing of serious consequence.
“Oh, what can I do,” she would say. “What do you think?“
Faith Offerings
The deacons carry offering bags down the aisles between scripture readings. Many choose to offer money to support the church in exchange for the worship service they attend.
Still more offer generously of their money as the Love and Benevolence offering bags are presented. This money will help those in need.
To give all that we’re able, regardless of our circumstances; that is all that is asked.
“The moment the Elder was gone from our house Mary began studying the bible again.
Oh how she would wish and say, “Oh, if I only knew what to do, how glad I would be!”
But you cannot know until you obey the ordinance that he offers. You must obey the plan He lays down before you can know. [Mercy Truth] told her what [she] thought. If I were good enough, I would do just what he said. If I did not get the testimony as he promised, I would leave his Church, for I would be no better off than I am now. But he had said so many times that those who would be sincere in their repentance should know for themselves if the work was of God and not of man.“
Sometimes the next step is simply to act, to offer up our whole souls.
Baptist Communion
The pastor speaks a few words reminding us of the serious nature of partaking of the sacrament bread and water. He reminds us that the unworthy partaking of the elements will bring upon ourselves the condemnation of God.
One should not partake of the bread and water if caught up in serious sin, he said. Rather, one should first focus on freeing one’s life from serious sin. After which one can partake worthily of the bread and water.
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There is no shame and condemnation in not taking the bread and water, he said. Rather, the shame and condemnation come in partaking of it unworthily.
I appreciate the reminder of the seriousness of the ordinance of the bread and water. The pastor makes everyone feel accepted, regardless of whether or not they choose to partake of the communal elements.
One need not be perfect to partake of the bread and water, one simply must strive intently to follow the teachings of Christ.
When Mercy Truth learned that Mary had decided to join the new religion, she said “it seemed that my heart would come out of my mouth. Oh how I did want to try it for myself. But I feared I was not good enough to receive such a great blessing as that. …Mary… told [the Elder] what I said, and he said I was…ready if I thought I was a sinner. But if I waited until I thought I was good, what would I have to be baptized for?”
The Journey Continues
My visit to the Baptist Church was everything I had hoped it would be.
At the present time, exploring the faith journey of my ancestors is proving to be an adventure.
Significantly, I always feel welcomed by the congregation, uplifted by the song and messages, and closer to my ancestors. I have experienced, in small measure, what my ancestors may have experienced as members of the Baptist faith.
Start growing your family tree
Next, it is time to attend The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Will it be as welcoming and uplifting as the Baptist church? I wondered.
Read PART 2 HERE.
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