First Baptist Church

An earlier organization before 1840 went extinct; present church organized 14 May 1867; building sold to St. Monica 1915; present church at Main and Lawrence dedicated 14 December 1919; 724 N. Main Street

The course: Baptist Mishawaka has two beginnings: an organization before 1840 that went extinct, and the present church, organized on 14 May 1867 with eighteen charter members, building in 1868-69 at 110 West Joseph Street, now Mishawaka Avenue — on the ground of Sorin's old Holy Angels Academy. About one hundred members withdrew in 1914 to form Immanuel Baptist, leaving forty-seven members on First Baptist's February roll that year, on the timeline's count. On 4 September 1915 the congregation sold its building to the new St. Monica parish — the sale that seats the Catholic parish's first church in this record — having bought its new ground at Main and Lawrence streets on 3 July 1913. Construction began in 1916, and the present church was dedicated on 14 December 1919. On 10 March 1927 the congregation withdrew from the Northern Baptist Convention, a step the timeline records without elaboration and which is printed here the same way.

The present state: First Baptist stands active at 724 North Main Street, its own channels current in November 2026 — an event posting of 25 October 2026 among them. Current directories name Pastor Peter Jones; an older church profile names David Miller, senior pastor from December 1977 after coming as assistant pastor in 1976, and both names stand as their sources date them.

Sources:

1. Ed Chamberlin, Mishawaka church-history timeline, South Bend Area Genealogical Society, 2016.
2. First Baptist Church's own site and postings (fbcmish.org), October 2026; church directory profiles (the two pastor names, dated by their sources).