Church Covenant
Having been led by the Holy Spirit to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, and on the public confession of our faith, having been immersed in the name of the Father and the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, we do now, in the presence of God and this assembly solemnly and joyfully reaffirm our covenant with one another, as one body in Christ.
We purpose therefore, by the aid of the Holy Spirit, to walk together in Christian love, to strive for the advancement of this church in knowledge, holiness and comfort, to promote its prosperity and spirituality; to attend its services regularly; to sustain its worship, ordinances, disciplines and doctrines; to give it a sacred preeminence over all institutions of human origin; to give faithfully of time and talent in its activities; to contribute cheerfully and regularly as God has prospered us, to the ministry, the expenses of the church, relief of the poor, and the spread of the gospel throughout all nations.
We also will endeavor to begin and maintain secret prayer, personal Bible study and family prayer and Bible study, to train our children according to the Word of God; to seek the salvation of our kindred and acquaintances; to walk circumspectly in the world, to be just in our dealings, faithful in our engagements, and exemplary in our conduct, to avoid all gossip, backbiting, and bitterness; to abstain from all forms of activity which dishonor our Lord Jesus Christ and cause stumbling to a fellow believer or hinder the winning of a soul to Christ.
We further purpose to encourage one another in the blessed hope of our Lord’s return; to watch over one another in brotherly love; to remember each other in prayer; to aid each other in sickness and distress; to cultivate Christian sympathy in feeling and courtesy in speech; to be slow to take offense, but always ready for reconciliation, and mindful of the guidelines of our Savior, to seek it without delay.
We moreover purpose that when we remove from this place we will, as soon as possible, unite with some other church of like faith and order where we can carry out the spirit of this Covenant and the principles of God’s Word. In the event there is no such church, we shall seek with the Lord’s help to establish one.
History of Camden Baptist Church
In 1835 seven pioneers traveled to the wilderness of north central Ohio. These seven people were the founding members of Camden Baptist Church. They began holding worship services in a log cabin and did so until they built a permanent church building in 1849. The church burned down ten years later and was rebuilt in 1860 after the same pattern of the previous building. This building remained until the summer of 1998 when it too burned down due to a lightning strike, accompanied by a severe thunderstorm. By this time the church had grown to approximately 300 people. Several building expansions had taken place between 1968 - 1998.
A Christian woman in the community donated 20 acres of land to the church just a few days after the devastating fire. For the next two years, until the new church was completed, the congregation met for worship in the Fellowship Hall of the former building which survived the fire. Today we meet each Sunday for worship and each Wednesday for prayer. We are mindful that God has given us a rich Christian heritage through the faithfulness of generations of believers who have gone before. We are also mindful of the Biblical principle "to whom much is given, much shall be required."
