Woodbury Baptist Church is the result of the vision
of committed members of First Baptist Church in St. Paul. On
January 9, 1961, the First Baptist Church Mission Board voted to
investigate the possibility of starting a new church in a growing
area. Woodbury, a community on the east side of St. Paul was
selected.
A small dedicated group struggled through snow and subzero
weather to make about 1800 house-to-house calls. The first
service was led by First Baptist pastor, Dr. Alton Snyder, at
Woodbury Elementary School on February 4, 1962.
Ten acres of land were purchased bordering the school's
property. The first buildings erected on the site were tents
for the new church's highly successful Vacation Bible School in the
summer of 1962.
Large amounts of time and energy went into the tasks of starting
the new church. Much of the early work culminated on March 1,
1964 when 175 people gathered to celebrate the first service in the
present building.
By 1967, The Woodbury Baptist Church budget reflected financial
independency from the First Baptist Church. Until this time,
First Baptist had nurtured the church with money, as well as
people. 1967 was also the year Woodbury Baptist became a
formal organization through the adoption of constitution and
by-laws, and the next year the church was legally incorporated.
On Easter 1994, The Woodbury Baptist congregation celebrated
another milestone by worshipping in its new sanctuary, where we
worship today.
Woodbury Baptist Church owes much to First Baptist Church for the
vision, faithfulness, money, and hard work of the First Baptist
members in the early 1960's. The Amundsons and Bohons, who are
still active members of the church today, are part of the team that
first planted the church.
Most of the above information is taken from
Sketches, a book prepared for the 15th anniversary of Mid-American
Baptist Churches in 1994.
