Rev. Samuel W. Foljambe (1870-1888)
Fourth House of Worship, Salem and Main Streets In 1868, during the leadership of Rev. Charles F. Warren (1867-1870), a branch of Malden First Baptist Sabbath School was organized in Maplewood. Two years later in 1870, 22 members had departed to help form a Baptist Church in Everett and in years to come the church would help to form new churches in North Chelsea, and Revere. In 1872, with Rev. Samuel W. Foljambe as Pastor, the longest serving Pastor at the time for 18 years (1870-1888), the church voted that the Maplewood Chapel Property be transferred to the Maplewood Baptist society as soon as they were legally constituted. In 1878, it was a red letter year. Women who were invited to full membership were now elected to serve on several church boards. The importance of the Youth was considered also, as Sunday evening fellowship meetings were started. These immediately attracted large numbers of enthusiastic young men and women. Midweek cottage prayer meetings were well attended In October of that year, the method of collecting church gifts was altered. Until then, an ingathering of gifts took place once every two months. With the adoption of the “Apostolic Rule” which stated “On the first day of each week let everyone lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him,” gifts would be received weekly in special boxes placed in each pew. Outreach into the church family was extended in the latter years of the 1800’s as “The Spire” came into being under the leadership of Pastor Nelson Lewis (1888-1891). Outreach into the community was beginning as five delegates from the church were present at the meetings to organize Y.M.C.A. in Malden. The outreach extended into the larger Baptist Fellowship in a gift to aid the church in Vineyard Haven to rebuild after fire had devastated its meeting house. In 1888, services to commemorate the 100th birthday of Adoniram Judson were held at First Baptist Church of Malden.
Source: One Hundred and Seventy Five Years of The First Baptist Church of Malden (1803-1978), 1st Edition by Dorothy L. Foxon, May 1979.
One Hundred and Ninety Five Years of The First Baptist Church of Malden (1803-1998), Addendum to 175th Church History by Rev. Martha A. Dominy