Central Baptist Church
115 Elm Street
Westfield, MA 01085
Phone: 413-568-0429
Email: Click Here
Pastor; Reverend Linda Shaw,
M. Div., M.Ed.
Sunday Schedule:
9:15 A.M. Children's Choir Practice
9:30 A.M. Sunday School
for ages 2 to adult
10:45 A.M. Worship Service
Wednesday Schedule:
11:00 A.M. Bible Study Fellowship
7:00 P.M. Vocal Choir
7:30 P.M. AA Meeting
Thursday Schedule:
10:00 A.M. W.I.T.S Meeting
For more detailed events check our
Calendar & Newsletter!
Handicap accessible
more info
Transporation available
more info
Coffee Hour more info
Nursery Care more info
TABCOM Camping
† Youth and family
Christian summer camps
and retreat weekends.
Grotonwood
Oceanwood
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† History of Central Baptist Church
Since the early 1700's, Baptists have been in
the Pioneer Valley area. They were part of the
Separatist movement, groups that separated
from the Church of England and later from the
Puritan movement.
In 1729 a minister came out from Boston
in response to an appeal from Westfield
residents. He baptized seven people. On April
17, 1753, Jonathan Fowler granted some land to
a group of Baptists near Little River as long as it
was used for worship.
The First Baptist Church of Westfield was
formed in 1784 when twenty-one Westfield
residents signed the organizational covenant.
They built a church in the center of Westfield
somewhere between the locations of the two
bridges on East Main Street.
By 1790 a group living in the Agawam area, but
attending First Baptist in Westfield, had decided to form its own church there. It is now the
First Baptist Church of West Springfield.
The Westfield church struggled for survival. In 1806 several members of this first church
tried organizing another, which became known as the Baptist Church of Christ or First
Baptist Church Reorganized.
The Reverend Andrew Smith became the first pastor of Central Baptist Church. The
church grew and by Fall they had 29 members. The church joined the state association,
sent contributions for the Burma mission (Judson) and organized a Sabbath School with six
teachers, 25 students, and 100 volumes in the library. They met in the town meeting house.
Members in 1816 left to form a church in Russell and 74 members left in 1830 to form the
Second Baptist Church in Wyben (West Farms). The Wyben church was disbanded during
the Civil War and the site was later purchased by the Wyben Union Chapel Society.
In 1833 a group led by a former pastor, Andrew Smith, split from the church over the issue
of supporting missions; they were for it, the others were not. They applied to the Westfield
Baptist Association (of Churches) for recognition as a Baptist church and on May 23, 1833,
Central Baptist Church was organized. Within a short time, most of the members of the
First Baptist Church were absorbed into Central Baptist.
In April 1836, David Wright was called as pastor and in the Fall they laid plans to build a
church. The meeting house was framed on August 10, 1837, and completed on August 29,
1938. It was located on the corner of Elm and Church Streets. By 1840, the church had 115
members.
Around this time, a visiting pastor convinced a large number of the members to become
Mormons, and the church was considerably weakened. But it bounced back and by 1848 it
had 210 members on the rolls.
In June of 1863 under the leadership of its new pastor, John Jennings, the church laid
plans for a new sanctuary. The Chapel (now Hays Hall) was completed first and the
sanctuary followed a year later in 1868. The cost was $32,000. A new organ was purchased
and horse sheds were built on the corner of the property.
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