Thirty years ago, a one-room school house, owned by the First Baptist Church of North Stonington since approximately 1938, was moved from its original location to a spot adjacent to the church. The move was the result of a land swap with Nelda (Fox) Nardone, a longstanding member of the church.

Fast forward to 2020 and First Baptist Church now owns the original school-house lot.

Up until 1990, the school-house and small lot it occupied were not adjacent to the church. Church members and friends would walk across the hay field to use the school-house.

That all changed in the land swap with Nelda and Charles Nardone. The schoolhouse was moved about 250 feet to its present location, sitting right next to the c.1830 church.

Through a chain of events that church members attribute to divine timing, the church was able to acquire the original small school-house lot in early 2020 from the estates of the Nardones.

It was a leap of faith to acquire the small lot without any notion for its future use.

But First Baptist Church of North Stonington on Pendleton Hill is a devoted and traditional New England Baptist church that in 2018, celebrated 275 years of serving the religious community.

The church is a strong body of believers who embrace their slogan, “to know Christ and to make Him known.” It is hoped the bold land acquisition will help the church live out this slogan.

A friend of the church sent a note describing the acquisition as a bold move for the church. We could not agree more.

Doreen Gerrish is a deacon at First Baptist Church of North Stonington.

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