In the fall of 1876, the Baptist Church of Haddonfield, under the leadership of Pastor R.F. Young organized a Sunday School to be held in the town hall of the village of Mount Ephraim.
In 1886, the Mission Chapel of Mt. Ephraim was erected as the first house of worship in that village. It was a chapel for mission purposes. Preaching services began in 1888 with students from Crozier Seminary. A meeting was held on December 15, 1895 and a committee, made up of one member from each Baptist family, met in the parlor of W.F. Ogden (of the Black Hose Pike) to consider the feasibility of organizing a Baptist Church. The Mission Chapel was organized into regular church on Sunday, March 1, 1896 with 23 constituent members. Reverend A. E. Flinn was called as its first pastor. Then on March 14, 1896, the Paper of Incorporation was read and five believers related Christian experiences and all were baptized and received membership. The Camden Association recognized Mount Ephraim Baptist Church as an independent Baptist Church. Brother D.E. Little of Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, became the pastor in 1897 at a salary of $6.00 a week. By 1889, morning worship averaged 25 people. From 1904 through 1917 the church experienced a new pastor each year. During the 1920’s the church continued to grow and expand. A two story parsonage was built, the church changed it’s name to “Community Baptist” and a new pipe organ was installed. The Sunday School had grown to 146 members. In the 1940’s, the church continued to thrive as the buildings under went a renovation and a Wurlitzer organ was installed. Horace Taylor, a graduate of PCB and a third year student at Eastern Baptist College and Seminary was called to the pastorate. The churchc ordanined Pastor Horace Taylor in 1951 and plans for a new addition were formalized. By the 60’s the church reached out to the community with “Doorstep Evangel”, purchased a church bus, and approved plans for a new sanctuary. The cornerstone was laid on June 28th and the building dedicated on October 1, 1964. The church remained stable during the 1970’s under the guidance of Pastor Taylor and continued to promote unity with the fellowship of believers with various activities. The church continued its outreach to the community and its support of the numerous missionaries. A very special era came to an end as Pastor Taylor resigned in 1980 after 33 years of service to Mt. Ephraim Baptist Church. Mt. Ephraim Baptist called Pastor Randall Yager to lead the church into the ‘80s . A continued outreach to the community led to full AWANA program, the bus ministry was restarted and a Youth Pastor was a welcomed position. Prayer meetings, Sunday School picnics, Hymn sings and the dedication of the two buildings, all contributed to a meaningful development of the congregation. The early ‘90’s proved to support the beliefs of the church as nine members traveled to Brazil for a two week mission trip. Christmas and Easter Cantatas reached out to the community and a leadership study was conducted with the Pastor to guide the ministry of Mt. Ephraim Baptist Church. Early 1996, Pastor Yager resigned after fourteen years of faithful service to Mt. Ephraim Baptist Church. Under the leadership Pastor Stephen Eckardt since 2002, the church continues to strive to bring glory to God. Youth Pastor Mike Bowen and his wife Lisa joined Mt. Ephraim Baptist in 2013 and through their efforts a new youth ministry has developed and grown. As the Lord continues to bless Mt. Ephraim Baptist Church, we eagerly look forward to future blessings. We continue to strive to reflect the character of Jesus Christ through our worship, fellowship and ministries. (*taken from Mt. Ephraim Baptist 100th Anniversary Book) |
Pastors
1896-97 A.E. Flynn
1897-99 D.E. Lewis 1899-01 John F. Anderson 1901-04 R.D. Minch 1904-05 Ben S. Baker 1905-06 John E. Hunsberger 1906-08 H.D.S. Coates 1908 A.P. Waltz 1910 Ben MacDonald 1910 S.M. Smith 1911 William J. Morgan 1911-12 John W. Helson 1912 Roland Cloud 1913 John MacCulloch 1915-15 H. Lloyd Chance 1915-16 William H. Friday 1916-17 Percival Cundy 1918-22 Harvey L. Jacoby 1922 Charles A. Bechter 1923-29 Walter Capper 1929-34 Enoch E. Hardwick 1935-37 Raymond Cowherd 1937-38 William A. Anderson 1938-42 Charles Bechter 1942-47 Charles Capper 1947-80 Horace Taylor 1982-96 Randal Yeager 1996-02 Ken Jackson 2002- Stephen Eckardt Letter of Intent
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