My journey into the Freewill Baptist history of Wisconsin was one that went hand in hand with my late friends, Elizabeth "Libbie" Faulkner Nolan and Robert "Bob" Schuster. The three of us were so passionate in discovering and preserving the heritage of this denomination in Wisconsin.Libbie was 102 and a direct descendant of Rev. Rufus Cheney. Bob was a local historian fascinated about Fairwater, Wisconsin and the Freewill Baptist church of that town. I am a direct descendant of Rev. Comfort B. Waller.This northern movement ceased to exist with the merger with Northern Baptist in 1911. Our challenge was to see the history of this movement now be lost.
This book is a compilation of years of piecing history books together, interviews with other historians (professional and personal) and trying to obtain and restore records of these "forgotten churches". I personally don't think the period of the Freewill Baptists, which covers from 1840 until the latest one closed its doors in 1927, can ever be fully discovered or written down. This book is simply my best effort to piece together an important and overlooked group in Wisconsin's history. I can only hope that the Freewill Baptists looking down from Heaven could be pleased with what I have done in their memory
Few have walked across the landscape of our denomination and left such indelible footprints as Dr. Alton Loveless. His broad range of experience and multi-faceted ministry has had a profound impact on many lives. He provided capable leadership for one of our national departments at a critical juncture in its history. Even in retirement he continues to encourage others and contribute to the legacy of Free Will Baptists. Thank you, Dr. Loveless, for your faithfulness and commitment to Christ and His church.--Keith Burden, Executive Secretary
The last decades of the eighteenth century brought numerous changes to the citizens of colonial New England. As the colonists were joining together in their fight for independence from England, a collection of like-minded believers in southern New Hampshire forged an identity as a new religious tradition. Benjamin Randall (1749ndash;1808) was one of the principle founders of the Freewill Baptist movement in colonial New England. Randall was one of the many eighteenth-century colonists that enjoyed a conversion experience as a result of the revival ministry of George Whitefield. His newfound spiritual zeal prompted him to examine the scriptures on his own, and he began to question the practice of infant baptism. Randall completed his separation from the Congregational church of his youth when he contacted a Baptist congregation and submitted himself for baptism. When Randall was introduced to the Baptists in New England, he was made aware that his theology, including God's universal love and universal grace, was at odds with Calvin's doctrine of election that was affirmed by the other Baptists. Randall's spiritual journey continued as he began to preach revival services throughout the region. His ministry was well received and he established a new congregation in New Durham, New Hampshire, in 1780. The congregation in New Durham served as Randall's base of operation as he led revival services throughout New Hampshire and Southern Maine. Randall's travels introduced him to many colonists who accepted his message of universal love and universal grace and a movement was born as Randall formed many congregations throughout the region. Randall spent the remainder of his life organizing, guiding, and leading the Freewill Baptists as they developed into a religious tradition that included thousands of adherents spread throughout New England and into Canada.
