Everyone is certain the Lighthouse Baptist Church located at 118 Neal St. was built in 1876. What’s up for debate is whether the church’s pulpit was also built at that time or whether it was installed in the 1930s when the church underwent a remodel.
The question is of the utmost importance now because the church is remodeling its sanctuary once again, this time installing hardwood floors on the platform and getting rid of the pulpit all together. Not wanting this “landmark of the church,” as Associate Pastor Jeremiah Blasi describes it, to end up in the junkyard, the church is hoping someone will want to take it, whether it’s an individual or a historical organization.
“We’re hoping to find someone who will want to preserve it for what it is,” said Pastor Bill Bryson.
The Museum On Main already passed on taking the pulpit for its collection because of the inability to pinpoint the installation date and the museum’s lack of adequate storage space, said Jim Allen, former Museum On Main board president and the museum representative who assessed the pulpit.
“We think maybe it’s the original, but it’s a big piece and we couldn’t find out, so it’s too big for us to store,” Allen said.
Right now, the pulpit sits outside the church, to the side and uncovered, which is why the church would like to find it a home as soon as possible, but at the very latest before winter when weather could cause damage, Bryson said. If no one steps up, the pulpit will have to be destroyed.
“This was the one thing that made us hesitant about the remodeling,” Blasi said.
The church is currently looking for a new pulpit to be installed when the remodeling wraps up in the next three to four weeks, one that will look nice, without blocking the view of the platform.
While the church waits for someone to take an interest in the platform, it also has people working to figure out the pulpit’s age.
“Some folks are trying to dig it up,” Bryson said.
Anyone interested in the pulpit can call the Lighthouse Baptist Church, 846-7220.
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