As a longstanding church in the heart of Monticello, First Baptist Church has been a pillar in the local community since 1963. The building was remodeled from a Jewish Synagogue that had been in operation for 40 years before the Baptist Church’s founding, according to Town of Thompson historian Alvin Dumas.

It’s been almost a year since Reverend Nettie L. Womack was installed as pastor. Rev. Womack has been a licensed minister since 1989. In 1994, she moved to the Hudson Valley from Hampton, VA, and in 2013 became an ordained Reverend.

Womack shared that her vision for the future of First Baptist Church is growth. “This is not a large congregation, but we’re growing—we’ve more than tripled in membership since December of last year. We have young adults who are here working in the church and enjoying it.” 

Rev. Womack spoke about the importance of keeping the younger generation involved. “I want to teach them to fall in love with Jesus through working, and now they’re asking for things to do,” she said. 

Her plans for community engagement are, “To grow outward,” she shared. “I’ve had the opportunity to meet some of the pastors of the churches in the immediate area, which I’ve really enjoyed, and I intend to reach out to them to do some things in the community,” she said. 

Plans for an event next summer are currently underway. Love is the core value that holds the congregation together. “We’re learning to love one another and work together, and that’s a must for us to grow,” Rev. Womack said. 

Ellen Schaefer has been a member of First Baptist Church for just over two years and serves as the church clerk. Schaefer sat in during the interview, along with Mattie Anderson, who joined First Baptist Church in 1974 under the leadership of Pastor James L. Matthews, and Beaulah Mack, one of the original members of the church, became a part of the congregation in 1966 under the leadership of Pastor Brookin Bush.

The congregation will celebrate Reverend Womack’s first anniversary in just a few weeks with a special service to commemorate the occasion.

“I’m enjoying the journey, I really am, and I fell in love with the people in this church, and I believe they fell in love with me,” Rev. Womack said. 

Services are on Sundays at 11 a.m. and on Wednesday nights the church offers Bible study via conference call.

Rev. Womack would like her legacy to be that “She equipped us for ministry, and she tried to make disciples.”