FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Baptist Historical Committee of the CBAC Launches Website for the Built Heritage Project
Canadian Baptists of Atlantic Canada
333 Gorge Road
Moncton, New Brunswick E1G3H9
baptist-atlantic.ca
(506) 635-1922
September 16, 2020—Our history as Atlantic Baptists is of crucial importance to our current moment. Today we are announcing the launch of a new website to raise awareness and gather community-submitted content for the Built Heritage Project, an initiative of the Baptist Historical Committee of the Canadian Baptists of Atlantic Canada.
The Built Heritage Project website is atlanticbaptistheritage.ca.
This online catalogue includes photographs and historical descriptions of dozens of Baptist church buildings. The initial launch of the online catalogue includes buildings from Annapolis County, Digby County, and some from Kings County in Nova Scotia. There are plans to publish more of the Built Heritage Project’s extensive offline collection of records and photographs.
Rev. Ron Baxter, Chair of the Baptist Historical Committee, says, “during the past decade-and-a-half, thanks to the interest and involvement of the Acadia Archivist Patricia Townsend and ADC’s Dr. Robert Wilson, ADC students were engaged to photograph Baptist church buildings and to secure historical information about the buildings that they photographed; however, in 2019 Dr. Melody Maxwell arranged for her ADC Research Assistant to devote time to organizing Phase 1 of the resources available so that you may view the contribution of Elizabeth (Nichols) Daniels at atlanticbaptistheritage.ca today.”
Rev. Baxter also encourages Atlantic Baptists to submit their church building photo(s) and historical information as soon as possible.
Dr. Melody Maxwell, Chair of the Built Heritage Project subcommittee, says this about the new website: “This project brings to light important historical information about Baptist church buildings, including some which are no longer standing. We are grateful especially to Elizabeth Daniels for her tireless work on this project.”
The Baptist Historical Committee hopes this new website will spur a deepening of knowledge and photographs of Baptist churches and their buildings. History enthusiasts and local church historians are encouraged to submit information using the online form linked on the Built Heritage Project website.
About the Baptist Historical Committee
The role of the Baptist Historical Committee (BHC) is to collect, sustain and reproduce various historical resources of our Baptist heritage. BHC members are annually responsible for preparing a Budget Request for monies from the CBAC, a major portion of which covers the cost of the services provided by the Acadia University Archivist and the staff who manage the Atlantic Baptist Archives at the Vaughan Memorial Library where many CBAC churches have chosen to store safely their archival records. This Committee has a representative on the Acadia Centre for Baptist and Anabaptist Studies which made a significant financial contribution to the BHC Built Heritage Project. This BHC also appoints the members of the Baptist Heritage Series Editorial Committee who have researchers preparing new manuscripts for their consideration. The BHC members are responsible for responding to issues important to the history of Baptists, encouraging authors and collectors of material,and seeking to share enthusiasm for our history with our friends throughout Atlantic Canada and farther afield.
Contacts:
Rev. Ron Baxter, Chair of Baptist Historical Committee
Dr. Melody Maxwell, Chair of Built Heritage Project Subcommittee, Associate Professor of Church History & Director of Acadia Centre for Baptist and Anabaptist Studies, Acadia Divinity College
