Have you ever wondered what women did in our church 80 or 100 years ago? How long the Auxiliary has been around? What did they do in the community? How did they raise funds? As the 195th anniversary of the church approaches, the Auxiliary is taking a look back through our history in “Evolution of the Auxiliaries”. Complied by Judy Whalen this comprehensive history includes photographs of the Auxiliary in action as well as its history outlining the social, material, financial and spiritual contributions made over the years.
“Evolution of the Auxiliaries” begins:
“The word Auxiliary means ‘to provide help or support’ and the First Baptist Church Halifax Auxiliary has done just that unofficially and as an organized group for nearly 200 years! This group functions independently of the church with its own Constitution and Bylaws. Our members come from all walks of life with a common goal of serving others.
So how old are we, in actual fact? Records show we have been active since the early 1800’s, however, at that point we were not yet an organized body. In the Auxiliary minutes of Dec.6, 1953, it states that the Auxiliary recognized its 50th anniversary. This was based on the testimony of Mrs. Parker Colpitt, a charter member of the group, who reported the Auxiliary was ‘organized’ in 1903. A report made to the Baptist Association in 1903 referred to hopeful features of the Henry Waring ministry, one of which was recognizing the ‘Women`s Auxiliary of the church for discussing current topics of interest and promoting social intercourse.’ As these sources appear to be reliable, the Auxiliary voted in February 2022 that the date of 1903 be accepted as the ‘birth’ date of the Auxiliary.”
To read the full history click below:
