First Baptist Peddie Memorial Church
Organized in 1801, this group was originally called the “First Baptist Church of Newark” and held meetings in a school house on Broad Street. The first members of the group were baptized in the Passaic River before coming together as a church.
The church edifice which stands today, deemed an Historic Place in 1972, was built in 1888. It was built through the generous gift of Thomas B. Peddie, who had served as Mayor of Newark for two terms and later was elected to Congress. His vision was that the church building should be "open to every great meeting of a proper kind that people desire to hold, and should be dedicated to religion, to education and to the social purposes for the good of all the people."
As the demographics of Newark changed throughout the past century, the church began to identify itself as a multicultural church. In its warm and inviting interior, 
one can view the many flags of countries of members of the church. Designed almost completely with dark and detailed crafted wood, the interior is exquisite and not to be missed, while the Byzantine architecture of the exterior is a sight to behold in the downtown arts district.
To learn more, visit the First Baptist Peddie Memorial Church's website.