Just as the Gay Head Lighthouse has guided mariners to safety for more than 200 years, the steeple at the Community Baptist Church has been a beacon and guided those seeking solace for more than three centuries.

The steeple, which can be viewed from one end of town to the other, contains the bell tower that is now in need of major repairs and renovations, and due to a small number of present members of the congregation they find it is time to go out to the general public to ask for assistance.

For three centuries the members have been able to manage on their own with little outside assistance. Of course, being a member in the 1800s meant that you would pledge a specific amount each week to carry on the ministry of the church. Over time the congregation, once predominantly members of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah), has been decreasing steadily over the past few decades. Their descendants have since moved away, or perhaps those remaining on the Vineyard have become affiliated with other faiths. Others often work on Sunday.

The Community Baptist Church rests proudly on a small knoll overlooking the south shore toward where Zachariah Howwosswee, the last to preach in our native tongue, resided along the path to what is now Moshup Trail. The church was moved up the road from its original site more than 150 years ago, removed from along Old South Road, where the center of town once stood.

Our church building is now 142 years old while our ministry dates back 309 years and remains a mainstay for our community.

Wampanoags were first converted to Christianity in the 1640s by Thomas

Mayhew and his descendants, when tribal members were affiliated with the Puritan Congregational Church. In 1693, the members of Community Baptist Church formed under the leadership of Stephen Tackamason.

The oral history we have depended upon for so long has been clarified by the oldest Native American Baptist Church in continuous ministry in the United States, having been in existence since June 1693.

In 1993 we observed the 300-year anniversary of our church with ceremonies attended by members of the Native American Baptist Church headquarters, with guest ministers from across the country. We also received a letter from President William J. Clinton at the time of our celebration.

In this tiny community, the church, the tribe and the town were once considered

a part of everyone’s life. Services were held twice a week, with Sunday worship and a hymn sing during the week. Preachers were members of the Wampanoag tribe during the first two centuries. Nearly everyone in town attended baptisms, weddings and funerals as they were considered a part of our culture and heritage. The congregation once numbered more than one hundred; today we have fewer than a dozen tribal members who attend services each Sunday.

Our church was a sanctuary for families who lost those who drowned aboard the City of Columbus in January 1884.

Our ancestors preached in our native language, and members held offices within the congregation, served as deacons and raised funds for continuation of the ministry. Today, tribal members still hold offices, serve as deacons and continue to raise funds for our ministry.

Native American Day has been proclaimed by Governors of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to be August 12, and the Sunday of or the week prior to August 12, a special service is held in recognition of tribal members and our congregation.

The Native American Baptist Caucus visits our congregation every year and

a special service is held at that time which includes participants from native tribes across the country.

In the 1700s and 1800s, those seeking to become members of the church were baptized along the shores of Nashaquitsa. Today, new members are often baptized at Lobsterville during a service performed in late August.

Mrs. Rosetta (Diamond) Madison and her daughter, Mrs. Anna (Madison) Smalley, often held quilting bees to create beautiful quilts to sell for preserving the ministry. Mrs. Grace (Smalley) Manning held lobster dinners at her home during the summer to raise funds for the ministry. Their great-great-grand-daughters and great-great-granddaughters June, Judith and Jyl Manning, have continued the tradition of assisting with fundraising, holding flea markets and refurbishing the parsonage when needed; previously being members of the choir in their youth and attending Sunday

School where their mother, Mrs. Jacquelyne D. Manning, once taught.

Mr. Thomas Ellsworth Manning would walk nearly a mile to the church to start the furnace before the weekly services and then walk home to change his clothing in order to walk back to church for the service. Today, his grandson, Chief Donald F. Malonson, and great-grandson, F. Ryan Malonson, attend to the furnace to assure the comfort of the congregation. On occasion, Ryan preaches in the absence of our minister and at least every month provides a special hymn for the congregation with his powerful bass voice. Thomas Manning’s granddaughter, Mrs. Gladys (Malonson) Widdiss, provides beautiful floral arrangements each week, usually from her own abundant garden.

Deacon Leonard F. Vanderhoop Sr. not only served as a deacon for more than 60 years, he sang in the choir and collected the offering. Today, his grand-daughter, Diamond Vanderhoop, collects the offering. His granddaughters Fawn (Vanderhoop) Fantasia and

Cheryl (Vanderhoop) Sellitti serve as deacons, and his great-grandchildren

Edward, Thomas and Elsie Fantasia as well as Brian and June Vanderhoop and Michael Sellitti sing in the choir.

Linus S. Jeffers served as a deacon, as had his father, Thomas Conant Jeffers,

and his grandfather, Thomas Jeffers. Mrs. Linus Jeffers, Ruth (Richardson), taught Sunday School for more than 30 years. Today, Linus and Ruth’s nephew, Forrest Alley, graciously maintains the interior of the church as well as the lawns at the church and parsonage.

In 1972 the congregation created a scholarship fund, for those who attend church regularly, are graduated from Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School and are headed to university. We also send the younger children to Camp Grotonwood for a week during the summer.

We still carry on the tradition of a sunrise service at Easter; another tradition is our Christmas Eve candlelight service.

Our church records were vital in the federal acknowledgment of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah), providing further documentation of our recorded history.

Mrs. Kathryn (Baptiste) Stewart has been our organist for nearly three decades, having once taught vocal music to the Wampanog children at our one-room school house.

Our present minister is the Rev. Roger H. Spinney, who also serves as pastor of First Baptist Church in Tisbury. We contribute what we can from Community Baptist Church to his ministry. Over the centuries, ministers resided at our parsonage, which is also more than 100 years old and in great need of repair. The minister was often offered goods rather than money for his services, as people gave what they could at the time.

Favorite hymns of our ancestors are still often requested by present-day members. We continue to acknowledge, respect and observe funeral traditions once practiced by our ancestors.

Two years ago we needed to perform major restoration to the church interior and exterior. Through generous donations from the public, we were able to paint the exterior, the interior walls and ceiling, and install a desperately needed furnace to replace the antiquated one for which parts were becoming unavailable.

Despite our low number in membership, we remain a strong congregation. Our doors are open to all who would like to worship. We have a large summer population who are supportive of our efforts on a year-round basis, for which we are grateful. We are also the recipients of an annual donation from the Holy Ghost Society and the Wampanoag

Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah).

We will now once again seek donations for refurbishing the bell tower and have thus set up a Bell Tower Fund. Anyone wishing to make a contribution for our cause may send their donation to Community Baptist Church, Box 151, Aquinnah, MA 02535. All donations will be gratefully acknowledged upon receipt.