ST. LAMBERT BAPTIST CHURCH

 

 In 1923, after several years of meeting informally for worship, the Baptists on the South Shore organized themselves into an official church. The new St. Lambert Baptist Church, with 31 charter members, was recognized by and became a member of the Eastern Association of Baptist Churches.
 

Two years later, land was purchased at the corner of Oak and Desaulniers, and in 1927, the new church was officially opened.
 

As the congregation grew, the mortgage was paid off, and the building and its appointments were improved. A house was bought for the pastor, making the Baptist Church the first of the St. Lambert churches to provide housing for its minister. By the mid-1950s, the church was self-supporting, and, anticipating continued growth, purchased adjacent land on Desaulniers Boulevard.
 

By the 1990s, however, the outlook had changed. The congregation had diminished, making it increasingly difficult to carry on. At last, the decision was made to sell the building. On September 6, 1998, the congregation, led by the Rev. Dorothy Beaudoin, and supported by friends from the Presbyterian and United churches, celebrated their history in a final service of worship in their own building.
 

But a church is more than a building; it is also a group of people. The following Sunday, the Baptists were welcomed into their new home at St. Lambert United Church. Here, they could, and did, retain their own identity and autonomy. They continued to be led by their own minister, who on occasion assisted in United Church services and periodically conducted Baptist services for the combined Baptist and United congregations. They also continued to support the Baptist Convention of Ontario and Quebec and the Quebec Association of Baptist Churches.
 

However, the years took their toll, and the size of the Baptist congregation was reduced by the deaths of several members. Finally, following the death in early 2008 of the Rev. Dorothy Beaudoin, it was decided to close the church.
 

On June 21, 2008, the history of the Baptist Church in St. Lambert was celebrated in a closing ceremony which included Ministers and laypeople from the Baptist Convention of Ontario and Quebec as well as former members of the St. Lambert Baptist congregation.
 

They all gave thanks for the St. Lambert Baptist Church's 85 years of Christian witness and contribution to our common life.