Bethany Baptist Church

On May 7, 1876 the Svenska Baptistförsamlingen (Swedish Baptist Church) was formally organized. The Baptist movement in Moline had started in 1852 when Rev. Gustaf Palmquist baptized three people in the Mississippi River and the First Swedish Baptist Church in America was founded in Rock Island, Illinois. Several members lived in Moline, and services were held alternately in each of the cities. The Rock Island church erected a small building for worship on the corner of 6th Avenue and 13 th Street in Moline. When the Swedish Baptists in Moline had grown to 74 members, they formed a separate congregation and aquired a pastor. During the first years, it often happened that church members preached when a pastor wasn't there.

Information from 'Swedes in Moline" by Lily Setterdahl

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Illinois Ancestors

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