History of Faith Baptist Church

In April 1953, Rev. Richard J. Thomas heard of the need for a Baptist church in Fairless Hills and Levittown, Pennsylvania while attending a fundamental Baptist pastor's fellowship in Philadelphia. Rev. Thomas volunteered to call on nearly thirty Baptist families in Fairless Hills. After three days, he completed a survey and recommended to the Philadelphia group that they proceed immediately to establish a Baptist church.

Afternoon services were held for two Sundays under the leadership of the Philadelphia pastors at the William Penn Center in Fallsington, Pennsylvania. Since no regular leader was available, and those who said they would be interested did not respond, the services did not continue.

Several months later, in August 1953, Rev. Thomas and his family moved to Levittown and made it their home as he continued in the ministry of evangelism. Levittown was still very small, but was growing at a rapid rate. God convicted Rev. Thomas of the need for a fundamental Baptist church. He proposed six weeks of prayer services in his home in September 1954, for any who would pray about starting a church. Only three men attended the first meeting, and none returned. The Thomas family continued to pray and by the end of November, they were convinced of God to start the church by faith.

Since Levittown was being built on farm land, public buildings were mostly non-existent, aside from the schools. The Thomas Jefferson School in the middle of Bristol Township was available at a then-exorbitant rent of $225 per month. Permission was granted for its use on December 22 1954, and Rev. Thomas planned the first service for January 2, 1955. No one showed any interest in assisting Rev. Thomas in this project, and so he moved ahead by faith and borrowed $500 to pay a month in advance for the use of the school and to buy a mimeograph machine and paper to make invitations to the new church. Rev. Thomas spent two weeks walking around the five neighborhoods surrounding the school, distributing invitations house to house. He named the church appropriately, Faith Baptist Church.

Main Building - Constructed in 1975

About 15 people attended the first service on January 2, 1955. Most of these people drifted away as the Word of God was preached. During the first year and a half, seventy-five professions of faith were made in the homes through personal work, but only several families went on for the Lord, and they soon moved away.

Due to the high rent at the school, the church members prayed for a cheaper place to meet. God miraculously sent $1,000 in one week, making it possible to make a down payment on a home at 428 Holly Drive. From November 1, 1955 to May 1, 1956, services were held in this house, which then served as a parsonage. In May 1956, the group began conducting services in the Fairless Hills Community Center, where several Baptist families had been meeting for a few months.

The nucleus of 19 adults formally organized and adopted a constitution for Faith Baptist Church on January 1, 1957. The church called Rev. Thomas as its first pastor.

The ongoing history of Faith Baptist Ministries can be divided into 5 segments under the leadership of 5 men-of-God.
    The Missionary who started the church, Pastor Richard Thomas.
    The Shepherd who saved the church, Pastor Walter Vile.
    The Man-of-God who stabilized the church, Pastor Al Williams
    The Pastor who settled the church, Pastor David Duncan.
    The Preacher who stirred the church, Pastor Paul C. Fedena.

After Pastor/Missionary Thomas started the church finances became a real problem. A building was built using church bonds to raise monies. It became painfully obvious that the church would need help in repaying these bonds.

God raised up a Shepherd named Walter Vile as an interim pastor, whose task it was, along with his successor, a Man-of God named Al Williams, to save the church, financially, and stabilize the church theologically and doctrinally. Other local churches in Pennsylvania pitched in to help with the finances and rescue the ministry under the leadership of these two men. It was left to the next Pastor, David Duncan to settle the church and keep the testimony intact.

Family Center - Constructed in 1992

Then the Lord called the Preacher whose ministry it was to stir the church to soul-winning, Pastor Paul C. Fedena. Under his leadership several new ministries were begun: a bus ministry to reach into the homes of the area, a deaf ministry to reach the hearing impaired, a ministry to the mentally & physically handicapped to sow the Word of God into the hearts of these neglected souls, a printing ministry to reach not only beyond the church walls, but beyond the geographical boundaries or our area, our state & even our nation.  Faith Baptist Christian Academy (pre-K thru High School) was also founded soon after he arrived .  During Pastor Fedena's ministry, beginning in 1971, the church built a new auditorium & classroom building, a bus garage and a gymnasium/classroom building.

The future of Faith Baptist Ministries is as bright as the promises of God, and if He should hold off His return for us, the church is in good hands as we continue to train young men & women for the ministry.