History of Faith Baptist Church of North Chili
In the fall of 1964 five families from North Baptist Church (on the northeast side of Rochester) began meeting in a home on Wednesday evenings in order to start a church on the west side of Monroe County. The next spring the church was formed and their first pastor began his ministry.
G. William Woodward (April 1965 to February 1969) – FBHM Missionary
Under the leadership of Pastor Woodward, Faith Baptist Church met in the Ogden Grange Hall for a month and then moved to a vacant Methodist church building on Buffalo Road. The church purchased property at 2956 S. Union St. that included 12 acres of land and a house that still functions as the parsonage. Around that time the church also voted to request fellowship with the Empire State Fellowship of Regular Baptist Churches.
The church family grew quickly: 175 were in attendance at the first anniversary in 1966, 256 at the second anniversary and 345 on the third anniversary in 1968. A building program was initiated in the fall of 1967 with a bond issue of $145,000. The first services in the new facility were held on July 14, 1968.
In these early years Faith Baptist Church had some people go to help establish both the Grace Baptist Church of Brockport and the Fellowship Baptist Church of Caledonia.
Fred Henzler (August 1969 to June 1974)
In 1973 a group from Faith Baptist planted the Henrietta Regular Baptist Church.
Pastor Henzler was called to be a church planting missionary with Fellowship of Baptists for Home Missions (FBHM) in Atlanta, Georgia.
Dr. Robert Williams of Baptist Bible Seminary served as interim pastor from October 1974 to February 1975.
William L. Stroup, Sr. (March 1975 to September 1985)
During Pastor Stroup’s ministry an ordination council and service was held for John Blackburn (August 3, 1979). A 22′ x 45′ storage building was added to the east side of the church building in 1980, and a 26′ x 28′ garage was added to the parsonage in 1981. A mortgage burning service was held in November 1982 and the final payment on a 15-year bond program was made December 1, 1982. The church was debt-free.
Tom Baxter (December 1985 to June 1990) – BMNA Missionary
In 1985 Faith Baptist Church went on mission status with the successor to FBHM, Baptist Mission of North America (BMNA) and called Missionary Pastor Tom Baxter. He served from 1985 to 1990. In March of 1990 the church graduated from BMNA mission status.
Robert A. Aszbach (August 1990 to July 1991)
Upon graduating from mission status, FBC called Robert Aszbach as pastor. After Pastor Aszbach’s brief ministry, Rev. Charles Ellis served as interim pastor through December 1991 and Dr. Walter Schlundt of Practical Bible Training School served as interim pastor from January to April, 1992.
Glenn L. Richard (April 1992 to September 2006)
Pastor Glenn Richard’s ministry was a stabilizing and building ministry. A gymnasium was added to the east side of the original building and was dedicated on January 13, 2002. The connecting building between the original church structure and the gymnasium was subsequently remodeled into an attractive entrance, hallway, and nicely appointed kitchen. Pastor Richard retired on September 30, 2006.
Joel E. Harriman (October 2006 to present)
Faith Baptist’s seventh pastor, Pastor Joel Harriman, began his ministry on October 15, 2006. His ministry has been characterized by loving care of the church family, faithful teaching of the Word, and ongoing maintenance of facilities. During his tenure, air conditioning was installed in the auditorium and a steel roof was installed, along with trusses over an original flat part of the roof. In addition, the driveway was widened and the parking lot was enlarged by 50% (from 40 spaces to 62 spaces), with new asphalt poured over it all. Security was enhanced by implementing new policies, conducting background checks, and installing security cameras. Pastor Harriman’s gentle approach to ministry has resulted in over seventeen years of unity and peace.