First Baptist Church of Sutton is a Baptist church in the town of Sutton, Massachusetts and was founded on September 9, 1735, by the Reverend Benjamin Marsh one of the founding fathers of the town and Thomas Green. It is the fourth oldest Baptist church in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The First Baptist Church of Sutton was organized, in 1735. With the exception of a ten-year period of being inactive, in the war years from 1775 to 1785, there have been almost steady services of worship and activities carried on by the men and women of this church. The first structure (1750) was located just down the road where Sutton High School is now, the second (1792) was built on where the current police and fire departments are, and third structure was built on what is now Central Turnpike in 1829 and is part of the West Sutton Historic District with the Fellowship Hall added in 1959. The sanctuary building is in the Greek Revival style of the time. The church is tied to many of the historic families that have and still call Sutton home. Among the names we read the names of Putnam, Buard, Waters, Davis, Freeland, Brigham, King, Marble, Titus, Rich, Dana, Merriam, Lamb, Sibley, Shaw, Moore, Burdon, Luther, Whittier, Plummer, Wallace, Leonard. First Baptist Church is part of the North American Missions Board Revitalize and Replant effort in New England stopping the 17 churches that close every week in America. Through the years the church has been also known through the town and region as Legacy Church, First Baptist Sutton, West Sutton Baptist Church, Sutton Baptist Church, Baptist Meetinghouse, and its original founding name by Rev. Marsh, The Frontier Church.
History
1700s
The original Baptist Church in Sutton was organized on September 19, 1735. James Bound had begun a group of Baptists meeting in the town prior to the date, and encouraged the organization of a church in the town. In 1737, Benjamin Marsh and Thomas Green were both ordained as co-pastors of the church. Green would leave with a group to Leicester to start a Baptist church there, in the Rochdale village, today known as Greenville Baptist Church. Marsh would go on to lead the First Baptist for over 40 years (still the longest tenure), seeing the church grow in life and vigor from the events of the Great Awakening. The first building was erected in 1750, at the corner of Hutchinson and Boston Roads. The second was built on Freeland Hill, this building had no steeple or bell. It was later moved to Braman Village and is now between the West Milbury and Sutton Roads and serves as the home of the Sutton Historical Society. Shortly after Rev. Marsh's passing, the church was partially dissolved due to the wars in America, but the members reorganized the church in 1785 and elder Ebenezer Lamson was chosen as the new pastor until he was voted out following his admission in beliefs of teachings that were against orthodox theology. In 1792, Rev. William Batchellor who was the pastor of First Baptist, organized the Second Baptist Church/Manchaug Baptist Church in South Sutton (the building was the original second structure of First Baptist and moved for their use in 1842) which today is the Historical Society's.