First Baptist Coshocton reflects on 200 years

During 2026 American Baptist Churches USA will celebrate their 200th anniversary. Local churches under the umbrella of ABCUSA will look into church history and remember people and events from the past.

Some interesting information was found in the historical archives written by an earlier historian at First Baptist Church Coshocton.

In the early Baptist church, men and women sat on opposite sides of the sanctuary: men on the right and women on the left. The minister or ordained elder, along with the church officers, sat in the center front around the communion table.

The sermon was usually delivered by the minister, and the congregation was encouraged to say “Amen” aloud to stress their strong agreement with sermon statements. During the service there was time set aside to allow those in the congregation to add their own words to the sermon, to witness, to question and to affirm. This practice was based on the Old and New Testament accounts of men and women prophesying.

The congregation stood for prayer. Written prayers were forbidden. Only freely spoken words could be considered as being prompted by the Holy Spirit. Standing also signified the awe and dignity called for when addressing Almighty God.

For music, a foresinger simply sang a line of the hymn and the congregation would sing it back.

Because it was necessary for an ordained elder to be present for communion, Baptists adopted the once-monthly celebration. Ministers or elders were usually shared by three or four churches and were, therefore, with the church fellowship only once a month.

The benediction often came several hours after the beginning of the service. Noted in the records: Nibbling was permitted to ease the physical strain, seed of dill for hiccups, bark or prickly ash for toothache, bard or sassafras root to excite the flow of saliva to prevent thirst and a sniff of fennel to keep one awake.

While this history is interesting to read and think about, hopefully, the churches of today have come a long way from the rigidity of early church gatherings. At First Baptist Coshocton, we are a family of Bible-believing disciples who seek to make new disciples. We gather freely to worship our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. There are no rules, regulations or requirements. Just come enter into his grace by faith.

Our church family relationships reach beyond our building on Sunday mornings. We go into the Coshocton community and seek to share our love for Jesus and his love for every man, woman and child. Our hope is in him, and we welcome everyone into fellowship with us.

Jesus is the focus of our faith. Our worship centers on him, and we welcome others to join us in experiencing his grace and love.

Diane Williams

First Baptist Coshocton

Pastor Joe Sanders

First Baptist Church of Coshocton