The History of Faith Baptist Church

In February 1947, Pastor Kenneth Muck of Grace Baptist Church in Springfield, began Bible studies in Palmer. In May of 1950, Rev. George Carapelle was chosen to be the first pastor of Faith Baptist Church. On September 8, 1950, Faith Baptist Church was incorporated and began meeting at the Silver Street Chapel in Monson and then moved to the Palmer Grange Hall. From the Palmer Grange Hall, services were held at the building in Thorndike which is now New Birth Christian Church. The first land was purchased on Rt. 181 in October of 1955. Due to a storm and the future of the Massachusetts Turnpike, another parcel of ground, which is now our present location on Shearer Street, was purchased in January of 1956. Ground breaking for the church was on February 24, 1957, and the dedication was November 29, 1959. The parsonage was then built in 1962. Groundbreaking for the educational building behind the church began the spring of 1984, and opened for the fall of 1986.

Faith Baptist Broadcast over radio W-A-R-E began September 1950, and our television ministry over M-Pact Channel 15 in 2000. Faith Baptist Christian Academy opened the fall of 1971, and has since closed their doors as of September of 2014. Faith Bible Institute began September of 2014.

Former pastors of Faith Baptist Church are George Carapelle (May 1950), J. Allen Ardsma (December 1961), Leon Dittzell (September 1965), William McMahon (September 1969), Darrell Lewis (January 1978), Paul Anderson (September 1980), and Matt Ohman (November 2015).