As churches go in New England, we are a young church. In the 1920s, church services were first held at the Moscow School House for many years before a church was formally organized. The land given was to be used for all events. Ministers from Stowe came Sunday afternoon to lead church services. This played out and with the efforts of several women. They started a Sunday School on Sunday afternoon. The Sunday School and school held Easter and Christmas services together.
In 1930 Mr. Kinney, a superintendent of the American Sunday School Union, visited our Sunday School. He organized Sunday Schools in rural communities, and at this time, we joined this union.
In 1958, although we continued connection with the American Sunday School Union, we joined with a group from West Branch and held Bible classes under the leadership of Mr. Richard Lewis.
The Moscow Bible Class met on July 31, 1964, and voted to organize a church known as Grace Baptist Church, and Mr. Roland Daniels was called to be the first pastor. He drove from Groton to hold services, and he stayed until June 1967. The first church service was held on September 6, 1964.
It was on March 27, 1965, that it was decided to purchase the Russell Spring property (below the village of Moscow) for the sum of $17,500. The house was used as a parsonage, and the church was built on the property in 1968. Carolyn C. Church, a member of the church, paid for both projects.
On August 15, 1967, we broke with the American Sunday School Union but we continued to work with them. That same year, Donald Clark came to be the second pastor of the church. He stayed until 1969.
Harley Dow became our next pastor on August 12, 1969, and he served us until August of 1973. At that time, the church was without a Pastor for a year, until Joseph Murphy was called to be the fourth pastor in June of 1974. After much prayer, it was voted to change the name to Grace Bible Church in Nov. 1986. We kept our Baptist heritage and as we are now under the umbrella of the Baptist Convention of New England as of 2019 Although we are under that umbrella, we are totally autonomous (free and independent). Pastor Murphy retired on September 30th, 2009, after 35 years. Tony Appuglies served as our fifth pastor. He began on July 4, 2010, and served until October 30, 2012.
Our sixth pastor Doug Christy presented his first message on September 7, 2014, and his last October 25, 2020, starting his retirement.
We long to glorify God as we learn from our heritage and look forward to our future!
