About Us...
First Baptist Church has a rich history at the beautiful Jersey Shore. Located just three blocks from the Atlantic Ocean in the small resort town of Belmar, NJ, the church has stood on its original site at 410 Ninth Avenue for 125 years; and we are excited to continue spreading the good news well into the future. From our earliest beginnings, First Baptist Church of Belmar has always preached of God’s love and the unadulterated Gospel of Jesus Christ.
According to the church’s cornerstone, the First Baptist Church was organized in 1894 under the leadership and foresight of the late Rev. Peter Timothy (P.T.) Morris with services being held at Hoyler’s Hall on 10th Avenue in Belmar NJ. In order to provide a special place for worship services, a new building was erected six years later in 1900, just one block over on the present site at 410 Ninth Avenue. First Baptist Church is the first and oldest Baptist church, and the first and oldest African American church in Belmar.
The church began with a very small membership of not more than fifteen persons, most of whom were members of the Morris family. For the next several years, the membership slowly increased as people continued to come and join the little church and give their lives to Jesus Christ. New converts would be baptized in front of the entire church to show their commitment to God. An article from a local newspaper at the time headlined, "Baptism in Shark River", described this special event. It read in part, "One Sunday afternoon around 4pm before a large crowd of the First Baptist Colored Church and congregation, [and] the "fashionables from Asbury Park, Long Branch and other nearby points, seated and standing in automobiles and carriages, the Rev. P. T. Morris baptized several candidates into his fold. Having found a spot where the water was sufficiently deep, the pastor immersed the candidates [one-by-one] just east of the trolly bridge on the south shore [of the Shark River]. That night the Lord's Supper was administered in the church."
The membership may have been small most of the year, however, during the summers, First Baptist Church became a safe and welcoming place to worship for the numerous domestic workers here with their wealthy white employers. Services were held twice a day in order to accommodate everyone working here at the resort town at the time.
In 1908, eight years after the building was erected, it was remodeled and the building was raised to add a basement. First Baptist experienced a long period of prosperity, then 43 years later, a tragedy occurred. In 1951 fire destroyed the whole building leaving only the front steps and vestibule. Again Rev. Morris led the way and the church structure was re-built. Sadly, just one year after the fire, Rev. Morris died and the church lost its first pastor and founder. Rev. Peter Timothy Morris had pastored First Baptist for some 58 years.
In 1953, the members saw the necessity of calling the Rev. Harold Hopson to succeed the late Rev. Morris as their new pastor and leader. During his tenure, several building upgrades were accomplished including, a new furnace and a new ceiling. A new organ was also purchased to add more beauty to the worship service. Rev. Hopson pastored for about 5 years, leaving First Baptist Church in the fall of 1958. Again the church was without a leader.
During the winter of 1959, the congregation extended an invitation to Rev. J. D. Thomas to serve as the third pastor of First Baptist Church. He accepted that invitation and during his time as pastor the membership began to slowly, but steadily grow. Rev. and Mrs. Thomas brought great inspiration to the membership and instituted many new programs to the church. During his ministry at First Baptist, a Sunday School was organized, and a Men's Club and Women's Guild was activated.
In 1963, the church was remodeled again to include the installation of a new baptistry. Rev. Thomas encouraged God’s people to continue to improve God’s house and they did. Over the next several years, the church saw many enhancements take place. The Men’s Club renovated the basement with their own labor and money and the women completed a Women’s Day project under the leadership of the First Lady, Mrs. J.D. Thomas, to furnish the basement with new tables and chairs. The community even got involved, and the “Oblique Club” presented the church with a new mimeograph machine making it possible to have printed bulletins in worship services every Sunday morning.
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