Baptists closely follow Methodists

Harmon J. Betts organized the first meetings of those following the Baptist faith in May 1841, closely following the Methodist organizers. The Baptists met in the old Courthouse. The present building of the First Baptist Church, 220 E. Washington Street, was purchased in 1903 and the brick structure was completed in 1908.

The Baptist faith is currently celebrated at the Huntington Baptist Church, 2345 Waterworks Road, with Pastor Amos Albright. The Bible Baptist Church, 205 Leba Lane, is pastored by Steve Durrwachter and New Life Fellowship, 313 E. Franklin Street (formerly the location of the Central Christian Church), is led by Pastor Jimi Staton.

Central Christian Church was first located in the home of Ebenezer and Mary Ann Thompson on Riverside Drive at Broadway. The date was April 13, 1845 and 13 Christians met to organize this congregation. The first church building was erected in 1851 at the corner of Franklin and Guilford Streets. In 1881 the frame building was replaced by a brick building finished in 1898. The Central Christian Church moved to its current 500 MacGahan Street location September 15, 1974. The current pastor is Chris Hayden.

St. Peter Evangelical Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod, was organized February 11, 1849 by ten families led by Rev Frederick Wyneken. The Lutherans purchased land from the heirs of Chief LaFontaine in 1850 and the foundation of the present brick structure at 648 Lafontaine Street was laid in 1870. A school was added in 1963.The current pastor is the

Rev. Timothy Lorenz. The congregation will celebrate the church’s 175th anniversary February 11, 2024.

St. Peters First Community Church, 206 Etna Avenue, has a history that involves two Huntington churches sitting within blocks of each other. The first of these, the German Reformed Church, was organized in 1856. For the first few years the congregation held services on Sunday afternoons in a chapel owned by the Christian denomination. In 1857 Henry Drover donated a building lot at the intersection of Henry Street and Etna Avenue where the first church building was constructed in 1859. A schoolhouse and a parsonage were added in 1869. After the turn of the century the church building was removed and a new church was erected, dedicated on June 19, 1904. In 1891 the Huntington Christian Church was organized, later becoming the First United Church of Christ at Whitelock and Riverside Drive in 1904. It became a part of the St. Peters Church of Christ on November 6, 1988. The current pastor is Adam Jones.

Christ the King Episcopal Church, 1224 N. Jefferson Street, was organized on May 19, 1884. The present A-frame structure was erected in 1969. The current priest-in-charge is Father Ted Neidlinger.

The First Presbyterian Church, 50 E. Tipton Street, was built in 1894. Rev. Thomas Anderson and family moved to Huntington from Pennsylvania and first held services at the Rock House, the present site of TCB Games and the former Huntington Public Library. The current pastor is John Beehler.

The Salvation Army began in the community in 1889 under the leadership of Captain Peterson. Its headquarters are at 1424 E. Market Street and were built in 1960. The current leader is Major Normalene Daniels.

The current College Park Church of the United Brethren in Christ dates back to September 12, 1897 with the present place of worship at College Avenue and Ruth Streets dating to 1930. The pastor is Jason Carter. The Huntington City Church of the Brethren, Guilford and Washington Streets, was organized in the early 1890s holding meetings in the old Courthouse. The basic structure of the present building was erected in 1894. The pastor is Timothy Troyer. Other Brethren churches in Huntington include The Well United Brethren Church, 1883 Old U.S. 24, Pastor Josh Kesler, and New Hope, 2001 Engle Street, Pastor Amos Rawley.

The Huntington First Church of the Nazarene traces its beginning back to 1908 with Rev. C.E. Green who held services in the parsonage house. A church building was erected at 45 Etna Avenue in 1925. At one time there were three Nazarene churches in the city, but the First Church of the Nazarene is the only one in existence. The Etna Avenue congregation moved to a new building at 1555 Flaxmill Road April 12, 1987 where it is currently located.

The Church of God was begun under the direction of D.S. Warner in 1880. It was first located in 1920 on State Street, which is now the location of the Parkview Huntington Boys and Girls Club. The church is now known as Faith Community Church and is located at 3615 N. Norwood Road.