Towne Baptist Church
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"A Fellowship of Joy"
| A Backward Glance On October 31, 1963, seven people met to pray and discuss how to grow a Baptist church in Joppatowne, Maryland. Reverend and Mrs. Therou Ferris offered their home in which this group could begin to plant the seed and water it weekly in prayer meetings. The prayer services were conducted by Reverend W.P. Watson, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, Bel Air, Maryland, and K. Willey Jarrell, an area missionary. Later
that year, a choice piece of land was purchased by the Church Extension Society
of Maryland, into which the seed of growth could be transplanted. By spring of
1964, a brick chapel was built, and on May 3rd, the first Sunday
services were conducted by Reverend Watson of Calvary Baptist. The sponsoring
church, Calvary Baptist, and its pastor, Reverend Watson, continued to help
cultivate the chapel for the next two months. With
the help of the Southern Baptist Convention of Maryland, and the Susquehanna
Baptist Association, the chapel was able to call its first full-time
�gardener.� Reverend Delane Ryals and his wife, Nancy, came to help the
church grow, beginning their ministry here on July 5, 1964. Under
the nurture and care of Reverend Ryals, the chapel grew into a church, being
constituted as such on March 26, 1966. As the church continued to prosper, four
deacons were ordained on December 4, 1966, to help Reverend Ryals care for the
fellowship. The little chapel was growing smaller and smaller because the
fellowship was growing. A new sanctuary needed to be built. The existing
building presently being used for worship was dedicated to the Lord with a
cornerstone on October 31, 1968. Since
its beginning, Towne Baptist Church has been served by nine pastors. Reverend
Delane Ryals (1964-1970) of New York; Reverend Charles Hutzler (1970-1973) of
Texas; Reverend Frank Machen (1973-1975) of Georgia; Reverend David Jackson
(1975-1976) of Texas; Reverend Carl Kyle (1976) of Baltimore, Maryland; Reverend
Marvin Ford (1979-1982) of Delaware, Reverend H. Michael Pigott (1982-1998) of
Silver Springs, Maryland; Reverend Robert E. Owings (1998-2004), of Greenwood,
South Carolina. The Lord send our ninth
and current pastor to us in the latter part of 2004, Reverend
Daniel Moore of Havre de Grace, Maryland.
These ministers
were very instrumental in the growth of Towne Baptist Church. The Lord sent each
of these men to Towne to present His Word in different ways. Some were teachers,
others were evangelists, others were missionaries.
All in all, the Lord knew the need and made provision in the past, the
present, and the future of Towne Baptist Church. We are grateful for the human
labors and sacrifices made, but more so for the hand of God that lovingly
provided the needed resources. �In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will
make your paths straight.� Proverbs 3:6 By God�s grace we continue to grow and reach the community with the message of God�s love.
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