A Brief History and Pictures
Organized on December 23, 1824, Brewster Baptist Church was founded by farmers, fishermen and artisans of the town. After three years of prayer meetings in homes and in a schoolhouse, a plain structure was erected on or near the site of the present church. Church members enlarged the church in 1860 and remodeled it in 1881 after lightning started a steeple fire. In 1955 the men of the parish built a 39-foot addition to house classrooms, a kitchen and other needed facilities. The first parsonage, still standing, dates to 1874. In 1964 it was sold and the present parsonage, next door to the church, was purchased.
During the 1970s, with the inception of town water, Brewster's population grew from 1,790 to 5,226.
It became evident that expansion was needed and in 1977 fellowship hall, lobby and new kitchen were completed.
At this time the lounge, office and nursery were renovated.
Rev. Dr. Douglas Scalise was called to Brewster Baptist Church in 1995, and since then attendance at services has grown from 171 to over 500. As Sunday School attendance advanced from 20 per week to 80+ per week, a building campaign was conducted. Completed in 2001, Brewster Baptist added a new sanctuary, fellowship hall, offices, a library and classrooms.
Click on the images for a bigger picture. At the front of the new sanctuary you can see four wooden pieces,
all conceived, designed and made by folks in the church. The symbols represent some of the ways the church has
communicated the changeless message of and about Jesus through the centuries. We intentionally picked Christian
symbols that tie in with our location on Cape Cod and our proximity to the ocean.
We have a page on the web site with much more information about the carvings and the symbolism employed.