Baptists in Virginia mark 300 years of ‘uncoerced’ faith

RICHMOND, Va. — In 1714, a small group of Baptists in Virginia asked their spiritual colleagues in Britain to send “messengers” to strengthen the fledgling religious movement in the colony. The result was the first documented Baptist congregation in Virginia.

Three centuries later — almost to the day — Baptists marked the anniversary with a two-day observance in Richmond.

The remembrance service, organized by the Baptist historical groups, was held in the pillared sanctuary of River Road Baptist Church — a marked contrast to the log structure in Prince George County that probably housed Virginia’s first Baptist congregation.

The anniversary celebration continued the next day on the campus of the University of Richmond — founded by Baptists in 1830 to train ministers — with about 40 exhibits by Baptist agencies, institutions and churches.