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.
Founded in 1693, the Gay Head Community Baptist Church is the oldest Native American church in continuous existence in the country. Its history and stature were honored on Sunday afternoon, August 27, when church members, friends and supporters gathered in fellowship to rededicate the church and its ministry to life in the Aquinnah community.
There’s something holy about Sean McMahon. Maybe it’s the Jesus-beard. Maybe it’s the lilting voice that conjures Dolores O’Riordan in Cranberries songs at The Ritz.
As Gay Head entered the 1900s, it was one of the newest towns in the commonwealth. The English settlers at first considered it part of Chilmark, then decreed it an Indian district from 1855 to 1870, and finally granted it legal independence as the town of Gay Head in 1870. In creating the town, the legislature permitted tribal members of the place they called Aquinnah to divide their land severally and establish a town meeting form of government. To start its life as an incorporated town in the commonwealth of Massachusetts, the state gave Gay Head a treasury of $2.68.
The Community Baptist Church of Gay Head, the longest continually worshipping Native American congregation in the United States, celebrated its 325th anniversary on this past weekend.
The Rev. Dr. Leo Christian had found a welcoming community in his new position as pastor of the First Baptist Church in Vineyard Haven and the Gay Head Community Baptist Church in Aquinnah.
The First Baptist Church of Vineyard Haven and the Community Baptist Church of Gay Head in Aquinnah will celebrate their new ministry at the Installation Service for their covenant pastor, the Rev. Ellen P. Tatreau, on Sunday, July 17, at 3 p.m. at the First Baptist Church on the corner of Spring and William streets in Vineyard Haven.
