Our Mission

INTRODUCTION

Let Freedom Ring Foundation

"Our Baptist tradition as expressed through our history and experience as the Black church"

In February 2016 we were privileged to have America celebrate Black History Month and the 240th Anniversary of our church with us. In partnership with the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, we opened the month-long celebration with the ringing of our 1886 Freedom Bell here in Williamsburg. The following September President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama rang the bell to open the National Museum of African-American History and Culture. Our church’s history as one of the oldest African-American churches in our Nation was celebrated when our bell traveled from Williamsburg, Virginia to Washington, DC. The 1886 Freedom Bell was returned to us after the ceremony in Washington and now resides in our church’s bell tower. We have always recognized that we have a place in Virginia’s history and the history of our Nation. We are working hard to protect and preserve the historic artifacts left in our care by our ancestors. This requires funding and support from the congregation and our community partners. As responsible stewards, we are asking for your support in our efforts to support the “Let Freedom Ring” Foundation. Its mission is to protect and preserve the historical prominence of the First Baptist Church, 1776 and all of its artifacts.