Chariho Southern Baptist Church gathers on a stretch of Alton-Bradford Road that runs through the rural edge of Bradford, a village in southern Rhode Island's Washington County. The congregation calls itself "the come as you are church," and that phrase sets the tone for everything from the way newcomers are welcomed on a Sunday morning to the way the pastor preaches from the pulpit. The church is a community of believers seeking to support each other as they seek God and make disciples, and it has served the towns of Charlestown, Richmond, and Hopkinton since the early 1970s.
Sunday in Two Parts: Bible Study, Then Worship
The Sunday rhythm at Chariho Southern Baptist Church follows a simple pattern that has shaped the congregation for decades. Bible Study for All Ages begins at 8:45 a.m. and runs for one hour, with classes meeting across every age group. The teaching team includes Ramona Hernandez, Jodie Banner, Rachel York, Al VonSeeburg, Pete LaMotte, and Deacon Kevin Payne. The church's own description captures the heart of the hour: "Come join us for Bible Study. The spiritual growth of Christians is very important to us here at CSBC. That is why we offer Bible study classes and Small Groups to help equip you on your lifelong journey in becoming the Christian person God created you to be." Small Groups are offered as a complement to the Sunday morning hour.
At 10:00 a.m., the congregation moves into the CSBC Sanctuary at 123 Alton Bradford Road for the Morning Worship Service. The service is described as "exciting and traditional" while the message addresses "the contemporary needs and challenges of our changing world." The music program is built to stir the heart and invite everyone to sing the great hymns and gospel songs of the faith with enthusiasm. Warm fellowship and growth in discipleship are emphasized throughout the hour, and the stated purpose is to encourage people to come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and to build their lives on the only sure foundation.
The "Come As You Are" Welcome
Chariho Southern Baptist Church is known locally as "the come as you are church." That phrase comes with an explanation: God loves people the way they are, but loves them too much to leave them the way they are. Visitors are invited to attend as they are, in whatever they happen to be wearing that morning.
The church's stated beliefs center on the Great Commission of Matthew 28:19-20, in which Jesus calls his followers to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing and teaching them to observe all that he commanded. From the earliest days of the congregation, the goal has been to be a warm, friendly, loving, fruit-bearing and soul-winning church. Salvation in Christ is understood to include a call to minister to others, and every believer is seen as having received gifts of grace that can be developed and used in ministry. The Holy Spirit is described as the constant companion who alone enables believers to serve Jesus Christ to their fullest potential, and the church points to Hebrews 13:5: "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." A shared life of faith, hope, and love among the family of God is rooted in John 13:35: "By this shall all men know that you are my disciples if you love one another." Pastors and deacons are available to meet personally with anyone seeking a relationship with Jesus or looking for a local assembly of believers to join.
The Story of the Church
Chariho Southern Baptist Church traces its beginning to a prayer meeting in the spring of 1973. The story reaches back further than that, to March of 1958, when a man in Arkansas shared the gospel with a lost friend named Bobby J. Barnett. Barnett trusted Jesus that night, and his life changed. Years of education, marriage, family, and further preparation followed as he responded to the call to pastoral ministry.
Pastor Bobby J. Barnett left Mississippi for Rhode Island on September 4, 1973. The first official meeting of the future Chariho Southern Baptist Church was a prayer meeting held in the home of Edith Naylor on Rockville Alton Road. Present were Edith Naylor, Andy Tabak, Hazel Bailey, Maureen Palmer, Ernie Boss, Eric DelSanto, Mary and Bobby Barnett. The group prayed for direction on when and where to start Sunday services, and they chose the name Chariho, after the school district that serves the areas of Charlestown, Richmond, and Hopkinton.
The mission began holding Sunday services on December 16, 1973, in the Gordon Green American Legion post with fifty-six people present. The church was officially incorporated on January 3, 1974, in the law office of F. Thomas Lenihan, with Edith Naylor, Maureen Palmer, Blanche Hill, and Mary and Bobby Barnett present. On March 31, 1974, with forty-two charter members, the congregation was officially constituted; the Rev. Jack Schneider preached the constitution service. The first prayer meeting of the new church was held in the home of Elwood and Hazel Bailey on April 10, 1974, and the first business meeting with a treasurer's report was held there one week later. Services at the American Legion Hall ended on May 26, 1974, and the church moved next to Pastor Barnett's front yard in Bradford for three weeks before relocating on June 23, 1974, to the Chariho High School in Richmond.
On May 6, 1975, Evelyn Johnson gave the congregation nine and a quarter acres of land valued at $45,000 on Alton Bradford Road. On August 3, 1975, an anonymous check for $17,626.55 arrived for the building fund, and Pastor Barnett always credited the gift to God. A groundbreaking ceremony was held on June 13, 1976, and workgroups came from Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, North and South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, and West Virginia to volunteer on the building. The Mississippi workgroup gave the communion table, pulpit, and chairs; pews were purchased from a church in Monette, Arkansas; and hymn books were donated by family and friends. On May 21, 1978, the members moved out of the high school and into the present building.
In January 2008, Pastor Bobby Barnett and his wife Mary moved back to Arkansas to continue their work for God. Pastor Bob, as the congregation called him, had been the pillar of guidance, knowledge, and spiritual leadership for the church and was widely known across the surrounding communities, even among those who had never entered the building. The congregation remembered him as a good man and a great man who had touched so many lives.
The Pastor and the Team
Dr. Rafael A. Hernandez now serves as Senior Pastor of Chariho Southern Baptist Church. He serves as Senior Pastor and as Director of the Rhode Island Theological Institute, which is tied to the church's ministry training work. Stephen Daignault and Pierre LaMotte serve as Associate Pastors. Kevin Payne serves as a Deacon, and Dianne Daignault serves as Treasurer. Robin Perrone is the Pianist and also a member of the Praise Team.
Music and the Praise Team
Music is a central part of the Sunday gathering. The church's own description of the worship service points to a rich music program that stirs the heart and invites the congregation to sing the great hymns and gospel songs of the faith with enthusiasm. The CSBC Sanctuary, located at 123 Alton Bradford Road in Alton, hosts that ministry each week. The Praise Team includes Robin Perrone, Dianne Daignault, Anthony Perrone, Dylan Daignault, Sandy Schmauder, Bill Schmauder, and Nikki Salaun. Together with the pianist, this team supports congregational singing during the morning worship hour and helps shape the blended style that combines traditional hymns and gospel songs with messages that engage contemporary concerns.
Pray & Play: Food and Bible Study for All Ages
Alongside the regular Sunday schedule, the church hosts a recurring midweek gathering called Pray & Play. The format is straightforward and family-friendly: free food and Bible study for all ages, with attendees expected to stay for the whole event. Pray & Play meets on selected Wednesday evenings from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., and Jodie Banner and Nikki Salaun are listed as the organizers. The gathering is open to everyone and serves as both an outreach and a discipleship tool, drawing children and adults together around a shared meal and shared study.
Rhode Island Theological Institute
Chariho Southern Baptist Church is home to a ministry training organization called the Rhode Island Theological Institute, which the church operates in cooperation with Bible Training Center for Pastors Inc. The Institute offers a local alternative for men and women seeking to be equipped for ministry, with classes meeting at the church and web conferencing options available. It is established under a cooperative agreement between Bible Training Center for Pastors Inc., Chariho Southern Baptist Church, the local Baptist church, associations, and state and regional conventions.
The training is built around ten subjects that students work through over three years, with each course requiring a book that costs $20. The course list covers Bible Study Methods and Rules of Interpretation, Old Testament Survey, New Testament Survey, Preaching Biblical Messages and Pastoral Ministry, Communicating Biblical Messages, Bible Doctrine Survey, Personal Spiritual Life, Church Ministry Administration Education, Teaching Principles and Methods, Church History Survey, and Missions Evangelism Discipleship. Graduates of the program have included Jodie Banner of Westerly, RI, who received a Diploma in Education Ministries, and Stephen Daignault Jr. of Bradford, RI, and Jose Núñez of Pawtucket, RI, who each received a Diploma in Ministries and Pastoral Education. Anyone sensing more is God is encouraged to speak with Pastor Rafael for full details.
Equipping Opportunities and Operation Multiplication
The church's ministry training work extends beyond the Institute into what the church calls Equipping Opportunities. Along with Bible Training Center for Pastors Inc., the church hosts a ministry track called Operation Multiplication, designed to help believers discover, develop, and use their gifts in ministry. The aim is to encourage the kind of mutual sharing of faith, hope, and love that the church holds as central to Christian community.
Visiting Chariho Southern Baptist Church
The church's main address is 80A Alton-Bradford Road, Bradford, RI 02808. Mailing can be sent to P.O. Box 293, Bradford, RI 02808. The church phone number is 401-377-4418. Bible Study for All Ages meets each Sunday at 8:45 a.m. in the CSBC Class Room at 80 A Alton-Bradford Road, and the Morning Worship Service meets each Sunday at 10:00 a.m. in the CSBC Sanctuary at 123 Alton Bradford Road in neighboring Alton. Visitors are invited to come as they are. The church building sits on the acreage given to the congregation in 1975 and has been home to the church since May 21, 1978.
Chariho Southern Baptist Church is part of the wider network of Southern Baptist churches and works in cooperation with local associations and state and regional conventions. The congregation's mission remains what it has been since the founding prayer meeting in Edith Naylor's home: to seek God, support one another, and live out the Great Commission in the towns of Charlestown, Richmond, Hopkinton, and the surrounding corner of southern Rhode Island.