Faith Church
Visit https://faithchurchvt.com for more information
Original Baptist Church
Constructed in the 1840s, burned down in 1911
History
Constructed in the 1840s, a framed edifice became home to the Baptist Church of Pownal Village. When that church burned down around 1910, it was replaced with a stone structure with stained glass windows in 1911 that still stands today.
The Pownal Baptists built their church in 1843, the same year that William Miller, an evangelist visiting Bennington, advised the congregation that the world would all end. Pastor Miller believed that the Second Coming would take place on October 22, 1843, so everyone was encouraged to dispose of worldly goods and prepare for the event. In some places, people put on white robes and spent the day waiting on rooftops, haystacks and hilltops.
However, many thought that the church was built more out of a spirit of competition with the Methodists rather than Pastor Miller’s prophecy. An early newspaper account showed that an annual meeting was attended by both the Baptist and the Methodist. Coincidentally, the Pownal Methodists built their new church the following year, 1844.
The Baptist Church served other community functions throughout the years, home of the Pownal Library for about 80 years until the Solomon Wright Library was built in 1966. Then, in 1950, when the Oak Hill School was condemned, the church was called upon to fill community needs; two classrooms were moved to the basement of the church, and the Pownal Center one-room school was utilized while repairs were made. Repairs and bracing of the side porch walls and steps were completed in 1951 by William E. Dailey and the Pownal Baptist Church Association.
Some important figures and groups that are part of the church’s history of include: Sunday School teacher and superintendent Bertha Rhodes, Williams College students who conducted Vacation Bible School, longtime church organist and soloist beginning in 1957 Joan (Rathbun) Cannell, Faith Christian Fellowship Pastor Jerry Frey, and current Faith Church Pastor Jayson Dominey.
Current Functioning
Faith Church has grown steadily over the course of the six and half years that Pastor Jayson Dominey has been in Pownal. When he first began, there were 1-2 families who attended Sunday service, but, four years later, the number of community members visiting the church had grown to 50. The numbers of visitors has continued to rise too, and Faith Church experienced a significant increase when they shifted to online services during the COVID-19 pandemic. As the numbers grew, so did the giving, according to Pastor Dominey. Pastor Dominey believes Faith Church has the potential to become the center of the community in Pownal, and his goal is to learn from the community and listen to their needs and desires. Faith Church places an emphasis on openness; it’s a place that is open to anyone, where people can be open with each other.
Faith Church is a community center for people of all ages; there is a nursery and daycare center, as well as a place to host community events like outdoor movie nights. While visitors and residents of neighboring towns are undoubtedly invited in, Pastor Dominey stressed the importance of Faith Church as a locale for the people of Pownal. Offering a place to gather, socialize, grab a coffee, find solace, and promote local artists and businesses, Faith Church hopes to continue to unite, strengthen, and support the Pownal community. As a nonprofit, the church collects donations to have a monetary reserve to support community members in need. In thinking about the future, Pastor Dominey hesitated to make any definite claims, but said he hopes for Faith Church to become bigger and better; the goal is generational transformation.