Brookfield Baptist Church

The Brookfield Baptist Church was established in January of 1862. Thirty-seven members of the then Lower Stewiacke Baptist Church who lived in the Brookfield, Brentwood and Forest Glen area decided they should have a church of their own. They had met in homes for Bible study and prayer for a number of years, and had even held services in Archibald Hamilton’s barn. A meetinghouse was built before 1862 and stood as a church until 1924 when the present structure was built. Wood Brenton and son Eldon used the old building for a general store until the early 1970s. This church was in the Meeting House style, a common style among Protestant congregations in early to mid-nineteenth century Atlantic Canada. This style is often characterized by its small and rather plain facility, with no steeple, and gothic embellishments. The front entrance was often on the gable end, with either two entrances, one on the left and right sides of the front façade, one meant for the men and the other for women; or a centrally placed doorway.

The current building (2022) was built in 1924. In recent years, extensive renovations have been made to the interior of the building to accommodate growing numbers. The church is centrally located in the community and wheelchair accessible. This church is wider than it is long. The main sanctuary part is the farthest right section of the structure. The church was constructed in an unsymmetrical design, typical for its time. This church’s design marks a shift in Atlantic Baptist built heritage from a symmetrical design, usually with a three-bay façade on the gable end and a centrally placed tower, to a design where the main entrance and tower are located on the side of the structure. The main body of the church has hints of the Gothic Revival style, visible through the use of Gothic Revival windows. This church also features a prominent open cage belfry, with the bell visible. With the addition of a main entranceway in front of the tower and a Christian education wing in 1976, the size of the structure doubled.

Many of the early settlers prominent in the Baptist church and in the community still have descendants in the church and in the area, such as the Hamilton, Carter, Nelson, Stevens and Sutherland families.

Information provided by the church.