Since 1959       155 Mountain Road, West Hartford CT 06107     860-521-8380

Click on the note to listen to FABC’s history

 

Our History

In 1952, Wendell Mullen, then pastor of Southgate Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, came to Hartford to visit his parents. He became burdened for the need in the greater Hartford area of a strong, fundamental, Bible-believing, soul-winning Baptist church. In 1959, he resigned his pastorate in Georgia and moved his family to West Hartford. Ten days after arriving, he was able to hold the first service of our church at the Webster Hill School. The church was named Webster Hill Baptist Church.

In 1960, the Lord led Pastor Mullen and the congregation to the present site of our church on Mountain Road. The property was purchased from Miss Mary Stanley, whose family had owned it since the Civil War. In 1961, the first building -- a chapel seating 125 -- was completed, and the church name was changed to Farmington Avenue Baptist Church. In 1965, an addition was built on the chapel which expanded the seating to 250. In 1971, the third addition was completed housing the new auditorium which seats 680, bring our building to its present condition.

In 1976, Pastor Mullen was burdened by God to start a Christian school for our families. In September of 1976, Hartford Christian Academy became a reality when it opened its doors in the Aiken School in West Hartford. In 1979, the Academy moved to Bridlepath School, which was closer to the church facilities.

In 1980, Pastor Mullen answered God's call to minister in a Christian college, and God led Pastor Gary Jones -- then pastor of Faith Baptist Church in Latrobe, Pennsylvania -- to be our pastor. Under his leadership, Sunday School classes were started, as well as a nursing home ministry, deaf ministry, and tape ministry, while the bus ministry and youth ministry continued to grow. In 1984, the Bridlepath School was sold; therefore, the Hartford Christian Academy moved into the church building, bringing all our ministries under one roof. At the same time, Pastor Jones began the search for new property to build a facility to house all our ministries.

Under the direction of Pastor Jones, new ministries continued to be added. The Kings Kids Ministry was established for our children in grades 1-6, while our teens began having regular activities on Friday nights. The one large Adult Sunday School Class was divided into smaller Adult Bible Classes  allowing for greater outreach, fellowship and small group study.  Hartford Christian Academy was granted AACS Accreditation after a long process of in-depth evaluation to meet the requirements. The  Leadership Institute for Foundation Education was formed for the purpose of training our members for Maturity, Ministry and Mission.  The Lay Pastors Seminary, which offers classes to laymen who want in-depth training for Biblical leadership, was begun.

In 1999, the membership voted to purchase a piece of property approximately two miles west of our present site on Farmington Avenue. As we have grown over the years, and our ministries have changed, we find that our present building and location are not meeting our needs. We are in the process of securing permits and building plans so that we can accommodate all our ministries in a facility that will have a great impact on the community around us. 

God has blessed the ministry of Farmington Avenue Baptist Church. Many of the young people who have grown up in our ministry are now serving on the mission field, as pastors, or as full-time Christian workers. Many of our families have moved to new locations and become vitally involved in their new local churches. We give God the glory for His working in our ministry.