Flemington Baptist Church has stood at the corner of Church and Main Street in downtown Flemington, New Jersey, since the colonial era. The property on which the building sits was donated in 1765, making the congregation the first place of worship in the settlement then known as Flemings. Many current members are second, third, and even fourth generation, and the church celebrated its bicentennial in 1998 with more than two centuries of continuous ministry behind it.
A Sanctuary That Shaped the Town
The original small wooden meeting house served the congregation until 1835, when it was replaced by a larger building. A third sanctuary was completed in 1867 and, at a time when Flemington was a bustling post - Civil War metropolis, was thought to be the largest church building in the country, seating up to one thousand people. That structure was destroyed by fire in 1926, and the present sanctuary was completed in 1928. An education building was added in 1958, when the church had more than six hundred members and over two hundred children in Sunday School.
Today the membership stands at about one hundred and fifteen, a size the congregation describes as an asset. There is enough leadership to guide a full program of music, education and missions, and there is still room to recognize a visitor by name.
Worship on Sunday Mornings
Worship takes place each Sunday at 11:00 a.m. in the sanctuary, with services livestreamed on Facebook and posted to YouTube. During the summer months, from mid - June through the beginning of September, the service moves earlier to 9:30 a.m. Childcare is offered in the nursery just inside the rear entrance door for the duration of the worship service. Sunday School for preschoolers through adults meets from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. throughout the school year.
Visitors are encouraged to use the Church Street parking lot behind the building and to come through the rear entrance. The Main Street front doors are also open on Sunday mornings for those arriving on foot or from other parking nearby.
Interim Pastor and Staff
Rev. Mayra Castañeda began her interim pastorate in mid - February 2024. An experienced pastor and Christian educator holding an M.Div. and an M.A.C.E., she frames her ministry around the two great commandments - loving God with all of who we are and loving neighbor as ourselves - and invites the congregation into daily, faithful discipleship. Jessica Bruno serves as office manager, having joined FBC in July 2021 after fourteen years at the Somerset Hills YMCA. Larysa Kolodii is the interim music director. A music educator and pianist originally from Ukraine, Kolodii has served as a substitute music director in several churches and now teaches general music in the public schools.
Children and Youth
FBC describes its approach as ministry with young people rather than ministry for them. The children and youth grow spiritually through Sunday School, lead and serve others through hands - on community service projects, and build friendships through regular fellowship activities. Their gifts are shared in worship through the praise team, the bell choir, and the children's choir. Sunday School classes meet every Sunday from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m.
A Faithful Congregation Since 1765
Flemington Baptist Church places heavy emphasis on the national and international mission programs of the American Baptist Churches USA and on local community mission work. Members come from many different denominational backgrounds and respect a range of theological viewpoints, uniting around loyalty to Christ and the spirit of love. Pastoral leadership and lay leadership are shared; the congregation sets the agenda and makes the decisions that guide the church's mission, while the pastor provides spiritual direction and biblical focus.
The congregation has planted new churches over the years in Cherryville, Croton, Hopewell, North Hunterdon, and Ringoes, and for a period hosted a Spanish - speaking congregation that met on Sunday afternoons. Beloved traditions include weekly coffee fellowship, Easter breakfast, the Christmas reception, periodic picnics, luncheons, Lenten suppers, Founders Day honoring long - time members, and a Palm Sunday procession for the children.
Holiday Meals and Community Outreach
The church's signature outreach is its holiday meal program, which for many decades has delivered hundreds of meals on Memorial Day and Christmas Day in partnership with Meals on Wheels and other local organizations across Hunterdon County. That local mission to support Meals on Wheels on select public holidays was initiated in the late 1970s and early 1980s by Dr. Marcus Pomeroy, who served as pastor from 1979 to 1991.
FBC also responds year - round to community needs through a Community Care ministry that helps individuals connect with appropriate resources. Partnerships extend to Family Promise, the Flemington Food Pantry, Camp Lebanon, Habitat for Humanity, and international missionaries. For nearly two decades the church has hosted a Senior Luncheon ten months a year, a collaboration between FBC, Raritan Learning Cooperative students, Hunterdon Central students, and seniors in the community.
Doors Open to the Wider Community
The church building hosts a number of outside groups throughout the week. River Crossing YMCA distributes produce on Saturday mornings from 9:30 to 10:00 a.m. Raritan Learning Cooperative, an alternative education program for youth aged twelve to eighteen, meets at the church Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Several Alcoholics Anonymous meetings fill the calendar: a speaker discussion on Sunday afternoons, closed discussions on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, a Joe and Charlie big book study on Wednesday evenings, and a Saturday evening Serenity Seekers beginner meeting.
A men's group gathers at Panera in Flemington at 8:30 a.m. on the first Saturday of each month, and the congregation has been known to gather in the dining room to pack hundreds of joy boxes for hospitalized children through the Spread the Joy Foundation.
Long - Serving Ministers and a Living Endowment
The longest - serving minister of Flemington Baptist Church was Rev. E.C. Dunbar, who guided the congregation from 1928 to 1965, through the Second World War and into the construction of the education building. Dr. Bob Roberts led the church from 1965 to 1979 and is remembered for inspirational preaching, building the church's endowment, and energizing the youth group before going on to serve American Baptist Churches at the national level. Dr. Marcus Pomeroy served from 1979 to 1991, Rev. Bruce Morgan from 1992 to 2004, and Rev. Pamela Reed from 1989 to 2019, first as assistant pastor and then as the congregation's first woman to serve as full - time pastor.
Realm and Daily Connection
Flemington Baptist uses Realm, an online church management tool, for member connection, group communication, profile management, and giving. Members can review giving history, manage recurring donations, update family information, and set privacy preferences through a web portal or the Realm Connect mobile app.
As the religious landscape around the country continues to shift, the congregation has expressed a desire to become more hospitable to all who are exploring their spiritual paths, while remaining anchored in its long Baptist heritage on the corner where Flemington first gathered to worship.