The Faith Community Church at North Belgrade, at the corner of the Old Station Road and the Oakland Road, had its start as a Sunday School group meeting with Rev. Leo Dunn before 1950 in the now demolished North Belgrade Grange Hall. When a fund was raised in January 1951 for Charles Mason, in appreciation of his work with the group, he suggested that the money be used toward a building fund. By 1952, the present piece of land was bought from Hugh Tukey and on December 8, 1953, the unused North Belgrade station was bought from the Maine Central Railroad for $501. The following March, Hugh Tukey moved the building up the Station road to approximately its present site. July 7 of that year the building was in use, with the first service held Sunday, August 8, 1954, with Linwood Putnam pastor. A newspaper item of July 1956 notes that Rev. Bob McAlister was pastor of Faith Community Evangelical Church, with Bible Study Tuesday evenings and Prayer Meetings Thursday evenings, both in homes. By 1960, a concrete basement was built fifty feet back of the church and it was moved onto this new foundation. In 1974 a well and septic system were added and two years later the Sunday School rooms were built. The Church took its name from the Faith community church of Roslyn, Pennsylvania, an early contributor. The church was self-supported except for partial pastoral assistance by the Rural Home Missions Association. Its last pastor was George Briggs as the church reorganized in 1982 to become the North Belgrade Baptist Church under the joint pastorship of the Rev. Edward Small and the Rev. Cecil Fairley.
The most recent religious group, established March 3, 1975, is the Belgrade Bible Church, an independent fundamental Bible church. A group of women who were interested in having a year-round Sunday School, rather than only the summer sessions then available at the Old South Church, started plans in late 1974, working through the American Mission for Opening Churches. By the following March, the group was meeting regularly in the Belgrade Grange Hall, with Rev. Charles Heckert as pastor. He was followed by Rev. Enslie Clark and presently by Rev. James Ellsmore, a missionary pastor with the American Mission for Opening Churches. Construction began July 1978 on the church building, on part of the old Spaulding farm, on the north side of the Maine Route 27 (the East Road) east of Bog Brook. The first use of the building was made on February 3, 1980, though only the basement area was roofed over. This was in use for Sunday School and church services as well as Wednesday and Sunday night services. As funds became available, the congregation completed the main part of the building. In turn the church became the Lakes Christian Fellowship under new leadership of Pastor George and Barbara Finnemore.
Source material used includes: History of Baptists in Maine, Joshua Millet, 1845 History of the Baptists in Maine, Burrage, 1904 Clerk’s records, Freewill Baptist Church, Belgrade, 1802-1810 Minnie Penney’s copy of clerk’s records Of “Baptist church of Belgrade”, Oct. – Dec. 1839 The Society of friends, Rufus M. Jones, 1892 1856 Map of Belgrade The assistance of these people is appreciated by Pauline Plourde: Pastor George Briggs, Erma Tillson, Clement Rev. James Ellsmore, Ralph Endicott, Betty Grant, Mrs. Oral Page Jr., Mr. & Mrs. George Penney, Marie Pulsifer
Note: Much of this history of Belgrade churches is taken from the 1980 Town of Belgrade Annual Report and was prepared by Pauline Plourde.