Providence, Plymouth, Salem, Boston — these are names memorized by schoolchildren in their earliest history classes. New England is clearly the cradle of American history, but it may come as a surprise to many Southern Baptists that it is the birthplace of their history as well.
Adoniram Judson, Ann Hasseltine Judson and Luther Rice, the founders of Baptist missions, began their spiritual journeys in the Congregationalist churches founded by the Pilgrims in New England.
Lloyd Harsch, associate professor of church history at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, said, “It saddens me that so few people know about our Baptist heroes. Discovering who we are is key to our going forward in faith.”
Earlier this year, a group of Alabama women explored the New England pathways of Baptist missions. The six-day excursion was led by Alabama Woman’s Missionary Union President Rosalie Hunt, author of “Bless God and Take Courage,” a history of Adoniram Judson’s life, ministry and family.
Massachusetts, the home state of the Judsons, was the Alabama women’s focus. Beginning in Bradford, they toured Ann Judson’s childhood home. The 1781 structure was undergoing renovation, and owners gave pieces of the original paneling, which was being removed, as souvenirs. The group also visited Adoniram Judson’s seminary in Andover, 10 miles from Bradford. While in seminary, Adoniram Judson walked to Bradford, where he met Ann Hasseltine, fell in love and proposed one month later.
In Salem — known more for its witches than its rich missions history — tour members visited Tabernacle Church, where the first group of missionaries, including Adoniram Judson and Rice, were ordained.
Tour member Babs Christy said the visit to Salem was particularly moving because the Judsons set sail from there. A former journeyman, Christy recalled her feelings as she left America for Africa knowing she’d return in two years.
“As I stood at the wharf where the Judsons sailed, I imagined their feelings as they watched America recede away,” said Christy, a member of Farley Community Church, Huntsville, in Madison Baptist Association. “They assumed they’d never see America again, but their missions call was that great.
“It was inspiring to walk in the places where those first missionaries walked,” she said. “The history became more real to me, and it was a reaffirmation of my commitment to support missions today.”
Harsch agreed. “Visiting places that are significant to our faith and our heritage can be very meaningful. It gives us a great appreciation of our heritage and of the people who have gone before us.”
The tour group also visited Burial Hill, the site of the Judson family plot in Plymouth. It also attended a service at the First Baptist Church in America in Providence, founded by Roger Williams in 1638. Adoniram Judson gave the Brown University valedictory address at the church in 1807.
Hunt was asked to give the Scripture reading during the service. “It gave me chill bumps to stand in that same pulpit where Adoniram had spoken,” she said.
If you are interested in a similar tour experience, Bob Terry, editor of The Alabama Baptist, will lead a tour to sites rich in American and Baptist history with the Baptist Heritage Tour of New England Sept. 29–Oct. 5.
Participants will tour Providence, Plymouth, Boston, Lexington, Kennebunkport, Manchester and more.
Highlights of the tour will include Sunday worship in Plymouth and tours of Ben & Jerry’s and Cabot Creamery, as well as New England’s breathtaking fall colors. For more information, call 1-800-803-5201, Ext. 103.
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