If a church doesn't grow, it dies. Correspondingly, if a church's congregation doesn't care for it, it will eventually crumble to dust.
Luckily, the First Baptist Church has a dedicated fellowship that is willing and ready to maintain it.
As part of their Guardian Project, devised solely to raise funds to match a potential Colorado State Historical Fund Restoration Grant, the church will host a Public Auction and Grand Bazaar from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at 107 N. Seventh St.
The bazaar, slated to begin at 8 a.m. will be a yard-sale style sale and flow directly into the auction.
The live auction, emceed by local JCA Auctions and Appraisals, will begin at 10 a.m. and will feature a wide variety of items from antiques/collectibles to tools and furniture and everything in between.
"Our donations have been very strong, both from our congregation and people outside the church. Our basement is full of stuff. I call it our glorious treasures, we have some beautiful antiques and some neat stuff," said the church's Head of Trustees John Clements.
In 2023, the church pursued its first state grant, which proved to be a vital learning process. Though they were not selected for the 2023 grant, they recently submitted this year's grant draft request to the State and are hopeful to obtain the available funds.
Should the church be selected for the grant, they will be required to match 25% of whatever the awarded amount is -- thus the development of The Guardian Project.
The project has already commenced with a unique T-shirt campaign and the bazaar and auction will continue to add funds to the prospective project.
How does church leadership plan to use the potential grant funds, you may ask?
As detailed by Clements and Pastor Jeff McElhattan, the state funds (should they be awarded) will be utilized in several phases. The first phase consists of removing the church's stunning stained glass windows to professionally clean and re-install them. The second consists of restoring the roof -- a massive project under any circumstances.
As part of the City's historical district, the church relies on professional services to maintain its interior and exterior health -- neither of which comes cheap.
"It is a huge, and expensive process," McElhattan said. "It's significant and sobering that we have been given stewardship in our day of this facility that was founded by Baptists who moved here in 1865."
"When we're long gone, this building will still be here," he added. "This church has been here and helped Cañon City weather multiple wars and economic catastrophes."
The auction and bazaar will be accompanied by live music by Applewood, face-painting, and food trucks in Baptist Park AKA, the parking lot beside the church.
The church celebrated its 159th celebration this year and has a long and storied history in Fremont County.
After the Civil War, many families started moving west to escape the heartache and bloodshed of the war and an entire Baptist church in Iowa was among those to migrate. The church loaded their households into oxcarts in 1864 and, after some difficult travel, arrived in what would become Fremont County.
According to church historian, Geraldine Colette, the Fremont County church was established in 1865 and was also the first religious entity in Cañon City.
The first location was on Fourth and Main streets and had a baptism under the pulpit -- an important characteristic in Baptist churches. The church was purchased for $1,500 and was only obtained because of the generosity of one of the members who sold a milk cow to help pay. However, the church wanted property of its own.
After six years of dedicated saving, the church purchased a lot on the corner of Seventh Street and Macon Avenue, and the church stands there to this day.
As the years ticked by, the church started searching for an organ and found one in Denver for $2,500.
It was brought back to Fremont County in the 1930s and sports an incredible 754 pipes, 1,600 notes, 20 chimes, a base drum, symbols, triangles, and several other "bells and whistles."
The membership grew exponentially in the early half of the 20th century and several goals were pursued to accommodate the growing congregation.
As the second half of the 20th Century came to a close, renovations commenced on the church, additions were built and the congregation continued to grow. Vacation Bible schools and Sunday schools were prevalent for the youth and, at any one time, nearly 300 kids could be found at the church.
The 21st Century has proven to have its own events for the church, including hosting the local cowboy church every Monday and participating with local nonprofits, such as Loaves and Fishes and the Pregnancy Center.
"It's incumbent upon us to continue the legacy of this church and the only way to do that is to keep the church standing," Clements said.
If interested in donating any last-minute items to the bazaar and live auction, call Clements at 719-276-1351.
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