On the weekend of May 18-20, the Noank Baptist Church will celebrate 175 years of service to the Noank and surrounding communities.

The festivities will begin on the evening of May 18 with a special concert celebrating music’s important role in the church’s past, present and future. Church choirs, soloists and instrumentalists will be participating, and the concert will be open to the public.

The formal church service, also open to the public, is on May 20, concluding the festivities, including special music selected by the directors.

In the beginning, starting in 1826, some informal Baptist church services and Sunday school classes were held in the Noank Schoolhouse. In 1841, a small meetinghouse was erected on the present site, and on March 11, 1843, there was a formal vote to form the Noank Baptist Church. The first official service was held the next day, March 12, 1843.

The Civil War in 1860 caused a philosophical and political split with the congregation, and 72 abolitionist members moved to a new, small meetinghouse in the area now occupied by the present south parking lot, forming the American Union Church.

The two groups reconciled in 1867 when a new building, with more more modern amenities including hot air heat, was erected on the present site. In this move, “forgiveness was sought in exchange for comfort.”

During the period from 1890 to 1929, the church gradually became a stronger part of the overall Noank community and saw an increase in church membership along with improvements to the building. These included a new organ, new offices and classrooms to accommodate a large Sunday school attendance. In addition, a parsonage was constructed and new community-oriented groups were initiated.

A “Noank” hymn was composed by then Pastor Martin, later published as “My Anchor Holds,” appropriate for a seafaring community.

The years from 1929 to 1962 were a period of periodic crisis for the church, including the aftermath of the stock market crash, major lightning damage to the steeple in 1936, then loss of both the roof and steeple completely in the 1938 hurricane. This was followed by a gutting of the church building by a disastrous fire on Christmas Eve in 1959.

Through it all, the church maintained its position as a bulwark in the community, and at the same time, through prodigious effort by the congregation, a new church building, organ and steeple were erected on the foundations of the older church. The church stands today as a symbol of hope, as the lighted steeple still guides mariners back home.

In 1963, the Rev. James Pratt and his wife Nancy arrived and became the “dynamic duo” of energy that, for many years, led the church into outreach projects that exist today. These include Mystic River Homes and Congregate, Noank Baptist Group Homes for Girls (now Noank Community Services for young adults), the Church Street House Aids Program (now modified to assist families in need) along with a number of other programs including the establishment of a Memorial Garden, Peace Committee and the annual Mystic Area Ecumenical Choir Festival.

The church’s period after Sept. 11, 2001, to the present, much of it under the guidance of the Rev. Paul Hayes, is marked by the external challenges we face of war, gun violence, climate change and increased economic disparity. This is therefore a time in which the church focuses on being an inclusive and welcoming community, standing up for social justice and providing spiritual grounding in the face of these cultural, social, technological and political changes.

The 175th anniversary will therefore celebrate, with music and memories, the significance of the church in its service to the wider community as “A Village Church with a Global Vision for Christ’s Caring Community.”

Ed Johnson lives in Noank.