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Article: The will to survive; Christ-centered First Baptist Church has long history
- Article from:
- Telegraph - Herald (Dubuque)
- Article date:
- April 26, 2003
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2003 Telegraph - Herald (Dubuque). Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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For 163 years, a congregation of stalwart Baptists has maintained
a spiritual presence in Dubuque.Despite numerous periods of
decline and downturn, the congregation prevailed. It is now a small,
yet passionate assembly, dedicated to mirroring the all-inclusive
body of Christ in its membership.
In 1840, six years before Iowa became a state, the First Baptist
Church was organized by a missionary who held worship meetings in
private homes and baptized the faithful in the Mississippi River. The
first church was a log house near the river bank.
During the next several decades, the congregation shrank to as few
as a handful of members and swelled to as many as 400. It moved a
number of times ...