On April 12, 1833, at Byers Road, in the home of Rev. Josiah Philips, a group from Vincent Baptist Church met and organized Windsor Baptist Church.  The next day Elder Leonard Fletcher presented a constitution, articles of faith and a covenant to the group which were unanimously adopted.  

    In the summer of 1833, a one-story house of worship was built on one and a half acres on the current property.  During the autumn of 1833, a baptistry was erected with a dressing room and a pool. On September 26, 1833 fifty-nine people were baptized and added to the membership.  The following year a Sunday school was established.  Windsor Baptist Church was a meetinghouse for various parties to lecture on the subject of temperance.  A temperance organization met there for several years.

     To give us a little perspective, the United States was only 57 years old when Windsor Baptist was founded.  The War of 1812 had ended less than 20 years earlier. The national anthem which was written during that time, was only 19 years old when Windsor was birthed. 

      Windsor Baptist Church has been preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ for more than half of our nation’s existence.  In 1828, Andrew Jackson (Old Hickory), a military hero from the War of 1812, defeated John Quincy Adams to become the 7^th president of the United States. Jackson was in his second term when Windsor Baptist Church was founded.  Twenty-seven years later would be the Civil War.  Windsor has the bible that the pastor preached from during the Civil War.   Since 1833, members of Windsor Baptist Church have voted in 38 presidential elections.  Forty-two pastors have shepherded the church during these years, with Rev. Dean Hegarty serving the longest, 21 years as senior pastor (1964-1985) and 12 years as visitation pastor (1994-2006).

    Following the Civil War, in 1867, the one-story meeting house was torn down and by 1869 a new two-story building with a Sunday School room downstairs and a sanctuary upstairs was completed.  In 1958 an education unit of 8 classrooms was added.  A new sanctuary was built and dedicated in 1979. 

     In 1981 the Windsor Christian Preschool was established to serve our community. Windsor Christian Preschool has served thousands of children and families over the years.  It is viewed as one of the best preschools in this section of Chester County. In 1996, the Windsor Christian Academy began with a kindergarten.  Today, Windsor Christian Academy houses grades K through 8 with over 225 students in the church, modular units, and a renovated building at 260 Park Road.  God has been so good and faithful to Windsor Baptist Church and schools.

 

Praising the Lord,

Pastor Chaya

 

Dear Co-Laborer In Christ,

Who will you be bringing with you to Holy Week Services at the end of the month? 

We are all aware of the recent shooting in a school in Florida.  Debates are raging, fingers are pointing, protests are increasing, and divisions within our society are widening.  Can anything be done to stop future shootings as well as to heal our divided nation?

Yes, something can be done.  And you can help do it. People need the Lord.  And you can help people find the Lord.  The real issue that we must deal with is the heart.  Jesus said in Mark 7:21-23 , “For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery,  coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness.    All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”  How is a heart changed?  More gun laws?  Stricter punishment for offenders?  More armed guards? More educational programs?  More mental health centers? 

There is only one solution to a heart problem and that is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Only Jesus Christ can transform an angry, hostile, violent, wicked heart. Do you believe this?  Romans 1:16—For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.   Do you believe the Gospel is powerful enough to save and transform evil hearts?  If you do, then join us in inviting people to come to church, to hear the Gospel, and to be transformed by the Holy Spirit.

We have many opportunities this month to invite people to come to Jesus. There is an Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, March 24^th  with a puppet show, presenting the Gospel. There are a number of special service during Holy Week when people will hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  There are Gospel tracts and literature on the table in the lobby.  I encourage you to take some and give them to people who need the Lord.  I invite you to pray for souls on Sunday Evening March 4^th, and then each Wednesday evening at 7 PM throughout March.  When you invite people to church, they will hear the Gospel, they will learn how God can deliver them from darkness and sin, and how He can make them new creatures in Christ.  You can make a difference in our community, in our nation by being a witness for Christ.

Who will you be bringing with you to Holy Week Services at the end of the month? 

Prayerfully,

Pastor Chaya  

Dear Co-Laborer in Christ,

      There is Good News in the New Year!  The Lord continues to bless us in many ways.  Although the new year began icy cold, the hearts of the members and friends of Windsor Baptist Church were very warm.  Thank you for your prayers, giving, and service.

     The transition in the music ministry is going very well.  Monica Schaffer, our interim pianist is now on board and is blessing us with her gifts. We continue to receive into our fellowship new members, and our recent Inquirers’ Class has four participants.  Your response to the year-end appeal for our new building has been very good.  Over $ 225, 000 has come in during past five weeks.  We are almost half-way to our goal of $ 500, 000 needed by June 30, 2018 in order to take the next step in our building program.   

     One of the blessings of this new year is the fervency of prayer that is taking place each Wednesday evening at 7 PM.  Under the leadership of the deacons, primarily Don Friel, this prayer service is generating a zeal for the Lord, and a cry to Him  to stir the hearts of this congregation to call out to God for a heaven-sent revival.  The Holy Spirit is moving mightily among the 12-16 regular participants and recently there are more reports of answers to prayers, more time praising and thanking the Lord for what He is doing, and a genuine joy in the Lord.  We are calling upon the Lord to light a fire in the hearts of every member of our church so we can be a praying church, a church motivated by God to reach the lost, make disciples, and to worship Him in spirit and truth each time we come together.

     A burden for reaching the lost is increasing in our congregation as a result of the Lord hearing our prayers. Will you join us in praying for and witnessing to people who do not know the Lord?  Perhaps there is a family member who needs Christ, or a neighbor, or a friend.  Invite them to attend church, talk to them about God, the Gospel, the bible, and encourage them to pray to Jesus Christ for new life.  This year might be the Happiest New Year of their life. 

Prayerfully,

Pastor Chaya

 

Two thousand eighteen marks the 185th Anniversary of the Windsor Baptist Church. Windsor’s history began in the summer and fall of 1832 when an extensive religious revival took place at Vincent Baptist Church in Chester Springs. Church historians view this time period as the Second Great Awakening in the United States. Among the revivalists were several residents of Uwchlan Twp. who met on April 12, 1833 at the Byers Road home of the Rev. Josiah Philips and organized the Windsor Baptist Church. A committee was formed under the leadership of elder Leonard Fletcher and, the next day, presented a constitution, articles of faith, and a covenant which were adopted.

To give us a little perspective, the United States was only 57 years old when this church was founded. The War of 1812 which ended in 1814, when the United States took on Great Britain and won, had ended less than 20 years earlier. The national anthem which was written during that time, was only 19 years old.

Windsor Baptist Church has been preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ for more than half of our nation’s existence. In 1828, Andrew Jackson (Old Hickory), a military hero from the War of 1812, defeated John Quincy Adams to become the 7th president of the United States. Jackson was in his second term when Windsor Baptist Church was founded. Since then, members of Windsor Baptist Church have voted in 38 presidential elections. We’ve seen a lot, haven’t we?

Over the years, Windsor Baptist Church has been a light to our community through many ups and downs in our nation’s history. Throughout 2018, I will be writing about our history in our monthly newsletter. We plan to have a few special events and worship services this year to celebrate our Lord’s faithfulness to us. Please pray that God would continue to shed His grace on us as we go forward into the New Year.

THANK YOU

Jean and I say “Thank You” for blessing us with many gifts, cards, and the generous Christmas gift. We truly appreciate your love and support over this past year. We look forward to continuing to serve you in the new year. May the Lord continue to bless our efforts as we labor together for the Gospel.

~ Pastor and Jean Chaya

THANK YOU

Thank you for your generous response to the year-end appeal letter that was sent out in mid-December. So far $ 106,350 has come into the building fund for new construction. What a great start to reaching our goal of $ 500,000 by June 30, 2018. Thank you so much, your response is a great encouragement for us to press on with building the new classroom building for the Academy.
Happy New Year!

Pastor Chaya