1847-Present
Judson Baptist Association
VA when founded, but now WV.
Before there was ever a West Virginia, the Judson Baptist Association was organized in Virginia at Barracksville in Marion County on 26 November 1847. It consisted of ten churches as follows: Hopewell, Harmony, St. Paul, Union, Bethesda, Lebanon, Bethany, West Fork, Morgantown, and Goshen. Rev. Anthony J. Garrett was the first Moderator and Austin Merrill was the first Clerk.[1] Judson was the sixth of twenty-six associations founded in what is now West Virginia.
The first annual session was held in August 1848 with Goshen Church in Monongalia County, Virginia. Fourteen churches gathered from Wetzel, Marion, Harrison, Tyler, and Monongalia Counties reporting a total membership of 615 which was a net gain of 32 since the founding one year prior.
Eld. Wm. Wood preached on the Lord’s Day from the stand to a large and attentive congregation, And Eld. C. Kayes presented the claims of the missionary cause in Western Virginia. The congregation being waited on and $17.46 was contributed.[2]
Located in the north-central section of the state, Judson Baptist Association currently consists of 18 churches in the towns of Bridgeport, Clarksburg, Shinnston, Hepzibah, Mannington, Salem, Nutter Fort, Reynoldsville, Lumberport, and Wallace. West Virginia now sports 22 Baptist Associations and over 360 churches.
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[1] Leonard J. Priestley, Record of the Organization of the Baptist District Associations and the West Virginia Baptist Convention (Parkersburg, West Virginia: West Virginia Baptist Historical Society, 1964) p. 14.
[2] Minutes of the First Annual Session of the Judson Baptist Association Held with the Goshen Church, Monongalia County, Virginia, August 12, 13, 14, 1848, Pp. 12-13.