First Baptist Church
of Hamilton, New York

Founded in 1796, First Baptist is an American Baptist church with an ecumenical congregation. First is the "Mother Church" of Colgate University.

The Board of Trustees currently meets on the second Wednesday of each month at 5:30 p.m.  We encourage the congregation to contribute their thoughts and suggestions about the management of the church building and our other assets. Board of Trustees members (2011) include: Ben Barrett, David Rebuck, Phil Bisselle, Pete Prentice, and Ephraim Woods.

Report of the Trustees 2010

Ephraim Woods, Chair

Board of Trustees: Ephraim Woods III (chair), David Rebuck (recording secretary), Gladys Jaquay (invested funds), Phil Bisselle, Pete Prentice, Wes Smith (pastor, ex officio), and Rob Schutt (treasurer, ex officio)

There have been no major changes to our church building this year, but we (and, by "we" I mean mostly Hans Blocklin, as you'll see) have made several small improvements.  First, in February, we completed the conversion of the fire monitoring system from Simplex-Grinnell to Time Warner Security.  Since the conversion, we've had no false alarms at the church.  I've had to find other reasons to get out of bed at 4 a.m. this year.

The wall containing the fire monitoring panel was left in an ugly state following the installation.  Hans Blocklin took it upon himself to repair the area around the panel, and he made it a seamless fit.  He also did a substantial amount of work on the windows in the sanctuary.  By removing layers of excess paint, he was able to get several of the windows fully closed for the first time in quite a while.  The trustees are grateful to Hans for his so-good-they're-invisible contributions to our church building.  Finally, Gary Smyrski installed a door near the cellar door in the basement that has prevented the encroachment of melting snow from atop the cellar door.

As usual, several community and church groups have made use of our Fellowship Hall, as well as the sanctuary and church lawn for special events.  Among these are the Community Memorial Hospital Tea and Sale, Red Cross blood drives, and, of course, the largest lawn sale known to Hamilton.  We hope that the church continues to be a gathering place and focal point in the heart of our community.

The parsonage has been occupied by Wes, Joyce, and Gerry since their arrival in Hamilton in April.  In preparation for their arrival, several individuals helped make important improvements in the house.  In addition to a thorough cleaning by our sextons, Barb and Pete Prentice, the house was scoured by a commercial cleaning crew.  Several of the walls were also repainted by members of the congregation.  Thanks to all those people who contributed money and labor to this endeavor.  We anticipate renting the parsonage once again when Wes, Joyce, and Gerry occupy their new home, which may be under construction soon.

Our investments, mostly certificates of deposit, have naturally been decreasing in their return to the church as interest rates have fallen.  Because our building fund (a fund that is designated for church repairs and upgrades) was largely depleted, the trustees decided to cash a portion of one of our CDs to replenish the fund, which now stands around $5,000.  We anticipate needing to use another CD ($10,000) to meet next year's budget requirements.  (While this past year's budget balanced, we used nearly the entire $14,000 surplus we brought forward from the previous year.)  Neither of these things is good for the long term position of the church, and the trustees encourage the congregation to investigate sources of funding for the coming year beyond pledges, plate donations, and our minimal investments.  A church fundraiser of some variety would be valuable and, perhaps, even fun.  The treasure'’s report is available if you are interested in more details about the budget.  The trustees thank Rob Schutt for doing a terrific job of both managing our money flow and presenting clear, organized, and helpful information to the committee.

The coming years should bring more substantial changes to the church building, as we enter into a period of capital fundraising.  The Historical Landmark Fund will contribute not only the church building, but also to its ministry and outreach; however, it has been the trustees' task to focus on the needs of our facilities.  The trustees have identified the following, high-priority projects and needs that that go beyond the reach of our regular, annual budget:

1. Painting of the church tower and clock replacement ($40,000)
2. Conversion of boiler from steam to hot water ($35,000)
3. Reserve Fund ($25,000)

The list includes the estimates for the cost of the project that we are currently using for planning purposes.  I hope to report some action on at least a few of these goals by this time next year.  There are also several other large projects that will likely be funded later in the campaign or from other sources.  Those include repairs and painting of the portico, improvements to the sanctuary sound system, and kitchen renovations. 

First Baptist Church
27 Broad Street
PO Box 73
Hamilton, New York 13346
315-824-2780