Since the constitution of the Baptist Church in Poyntzpass on the 5th March, 1894, God has been pleased to bless the work. The Church originated with 24 members and over the intervening years to this present day, has enjoyed the ministry of eleven Pastors. Their names are listed below:

Pastors Jardine, Spottwood, McKnight, Murphy, Burrows, Bell, McDowell, McManus, Logan and Kelly. Our present Pastor, Pastor Crawford, commenced his ministry in January, 2006.

Looking back over the history of the work in Poyntzpass, several interesting facts came to light! During the time of Pastor Spottwood’s ministry, the church kindly agreed to buy him a bicycle. Considering that he was also joint Pastor of Five-Mile Hill Baptist Church (the beginnings of Newry Baptist Church), this gift must have been a tremendous help to him! The Church also agreed to pay for the use of a car during inclement weather!

It was during Pastor Murphy’s ministry that the present church building was constructed. The original cost for the building was to be £2OO, a sum which was later revised to £150. The first meeting was held in the building on the 23rd May, 1910. It was also Pastor Murphy who chose the text which remains above our pulpit to this day;

“Them that honour Me I will honour.” 1 Samuel ch 2 v 30

During the vacancies between Pastorates, the church has been blessed by many lay preachers who have provided excellent ministry. Like most Churches, Poyntzpass has had its ‘mountain-top’ and its ‘valley’ experiences. We have appreciated fellowship with the Rathfriland Baptist Church in particular who have stood with us and supported us when numbers were small.

Today, the work is expanding and our building is full! We have several young families meeting regularly with us. The Sunday Services, Mid-week Prayer Meeting and Bible Study are well attended. The Sunday School is thriving and the Youth Fellowship is up and running on a bi-weekly basis.

We host a Holiday Bible Club each summer, a youth weekend each Autumn and several Church ‘family’ outings over the year. The monthly Ladies’ Fellowship Meeting enjoys an attendance of 32-35 each meeting. We praise God for the evidences of His blessing upon the Church.

We are conscious that “Unless the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it.” To that end, we hold fast to the text above our pulpit seeking to honour God in everything we do.