History of Phillips Memorial Baptist Church in Cranston, RI

A History of Mission and Service

Phillips Memorial Baptist Church was named after a medical missionary to India, the late Rev. James L. Phillips, DD, MD (1840 – 1895). Having been born in India to missionary parents, Rev. Phillips spent most of his life there, ultimately establishing a Bible School and Training College for Indian ministers in Midnapore. Rev. Phillips briefly pastored People’s Baptist Church (Cranston, RI) in the 1880s, just prior their founding PMBC.

Having been named after a missionary, PMBC began its life with a heart for service and ministry. Before its official founding date of June 25, 1900, with a service at People’s Baptist Church, PMBC actually began in 1897 as a Sunday School for the children of the newly developing Eden Park. In response to the community’s desire to have Christian education for its young people, Sunday School and worship services began in the Eden Park school, led by various Free Baptist pastors from the area. By 1898, prayer meetings were being held in neighborhood homes.

By 1900, PMBC recognized the need for its own space for mission and ministry. Starting on land donated by James A. Budlong, a “handsome little structure” was built. This is now our children’s center. The Sunday School program remained active and growing and, by the 1930s, PMBC outgrew its original building. WWII caused us to have to build our center wing and sanctuary in two stages. The church growth boom in the post-WWII era led to the pressing need for the completion of the sanctuary in 1955. PMBC had become the largest ABCORI congregation.

The new and old buildings were kept busy, hosting worship, Sunday School, a Married Couples Club, basketball teams, Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, Junior Women, Junior Choir, the long-standing Choristers group, Hope Circle events, Christmas Bazaars, rummage sales, children’s and youth ministry, handbell and chimes practices, and the Little Shepherd Preschool. In 1931 the PMBC Choral Association performed the musical Joseph three times, during which they raised over $2,000 for the Red Cross’s relief efforts in response to the Dust Bowl drought.

(Cradle Roll Department, 1922)

(Joseph, January 1931)

Not all of PMBC’s ministry took place inside our building. Many youth and adult retreats, conferences, and camps were held at Camp Canonicus (Exeter, RI), Camp Sentinel (Tuftonboro, NH), Senexet House (Woodstock, CT), Camp Wightman (Stonington, CT), and Green Lake Conference Center (Greenlake, WI). In 1996 PMBC sent its first group to serve alongside the Good Samaritan Hospital in La Romana, where they helped with construction on the 1st floor. In 1998 Martha Sobaje took a group to Prague to serve at the International Baptist Seminary. In 2001 another group of Phillipers went to Kodiak Alaska to serve at the Kodiak Baptist Mission. In 2025 PMBC sent its second group to the Dominican to serve at the Good Samaritan Hospital (now five floors tall!) and run medical clinics in the sugar cane bateyes.

( Kodiak Alaska Mission Team, 2001)

Phillips Memorial Baptist Church has been served by 11 Senior Pastors, at least 15 Associate Pastors and Directors of Christian Education, and thousands of lay people. It has trained seminarians for ministry, ordained new pastors to ministry, and discipled young and old. God’s Spirit has led us through two world wars, many other wars, cultural shifts, pastoral shifts, and two pandemics. PMBC has remained active in the American Baptist Churches, USA (ABC-USA), the American Baptist Churches of Rhode Island (ABCORI), the Rhode Island State Council of Churches (RISCC), and most recently the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists (AWAB).

PMBC has served the needs of its communities since its inception as a Sunday School for the children of Eden Park. It remains committed to serving its communities during a time of national and international turmoil. For 125 years PMBC has been Christ’s hands and feet. It has been a community where God is seen, love is shared, and lives are changed. As we head into our next 125 years of congregational life, pray with us that God’s Spirit will continue to lead us into new and vital ways of doing ministry and mission!

(Dominican Republic Mission Team, 2025)

( Rhode Island Pride, 2024)

Phillips Memorial Pastors

2022 – Present – Rev. Dr. Amy L. Chilton
Rev. Dr. Chilton came to PMBC with a history of theological education and ministry. During her time as Senior Minister, PMBC became a member church of the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists, sent a team of volunteers to serve with the Good Samaritan Hospital in La Romana, Dominican Republic, and is currently engaged in a discernment process about our next 125 years of ministry.
2011 – 2019 – Rev. Steven Guilmain
A native of Cranston, Rev. Guilmain completed an internship at East Greenwich Baptist Church and served as Senior Pastor at Allendale Baptist Church prior to coming to PMBC.
1998 – 2010 – Rev. Wesley A. Smith
During Rev. Smith’s ministry, PMBC celebrated its 100th year with a two week celebration, rewrote its ministry statement, and remodeled the kitchen. He was called on to serve in response to the Station Nightclub Fire

Rev. Barry Arruda served alongside Rev. Smith as Associate Pastor.

Rev. Dr. Donald Crosby served alongside Rev. Smith as Associate Pastor of Visitation.

Rev. Tom Moye served alongside Rev. Smith as Associate Pastor, after serving as Interim Pastor prior to Rev. Smith’s arrival.
1975 – 1996 – Rev. Dr. Donald R. Rasmussen
After initially serving as the Associate Pastor overseeing youth ministry, Rev. Rasmussen went on to serve as Senior Minister for 24 years. Following his ministry at PMBC, he served as Executive Minister of ABCORI.

Rev. Kenneth Whitt served alongside Rev. Rasmussen as Program Associate (1976 – 1979).

Rev. Alan Newton served alongside Rev. Rasmussen as Program Associate/Assistant Pastor (1976 – 1985).

Rev. Dr. Homer L. Trickett served alongside Rev. Rasmussen as Associate Pastor (1984 – 1997).

Rev. John Houlker served alongside Rev. Rasmussen as the Director of Religious Education (1984 – 1985).
1948 – 1975 – Rev. Frank H. Snell
During Rev. Snell’s ministry, the sanctuary building was completed and the congregation grew so that it was the largest ABCORI church in RI. During this time, PMBC welcomed a Latvian family from a resettlement camp in Germany. Rev. Snell was active in ABC-USA, ABCORI, the State Council of Churches, and the National Council of Churches.

Mary Puccio served alongside Rev. Snell as Director of Religious Education (1950 – 1952).

Anne Wiesen served alongside Rev. Snell as Director of Religious Education (1952 – 1954).

Genevieve Manley served alongside Rev. Snell as Director of Christian Education (1955 – 1962).

Merrick L. Streeter served alongside Rev. Snell as Minister of Visitation (1960 – 1965). Rev. Streeter was a retired missionary to Burma.

Rev. Roland Brown served alongside Rev. Snell as Assistant Pastor (1962 – 1967).

Rev. Donald R. Rasmussen served alongside Rev. Snell as Assistant/Associate Pastor (1968 – 1975).

Rev. Jeff Jones served alongside Rev. Snell as Youth Pastor (1971).
1938 – 1948 – Rev. Francis W. Thompson
Prior to being called to PMBC, Rev. Thompson occasionally preached here as a seminary student. During his time as pastor, the congregation grew substantially and two worship services were required. A preschool was offered during the week in the original building. Rev. Thompson left to become the President of Bacone College in Oklahoma.

Rev. Donald Selby served alongside Rev. Thompson as Assistant Pastor (1946-1948).
1926 – 1938 – Rev. Charles P. Christopher
During Rev. Christopher’s tenure, the Schwartz bell (cast by an apprentice of Paul Revere) was installed in the belfry of the original building in memory of Robert P. Scott, a Cranston boy who died in WWI. Also during his time, significant fund raising was done to build the Sanctuary and office building.
1922 – 1925 – Rev. Ralph L. Kimball
An energetic and creative thinker, Rev. Kimball oversaw a successful Vacation Bible School. Hope Circle was also started as a Sunday School class for women.
1917 – 1921 – Rev. Henry K. Vye
During the difficult years at the end of WWI, Rev. Vye oversaw costly building repairs, celebrated PMBC’s 20th anniversary, and burned the mortgage papers once the original mortgage was paid in full. During his time, PMBC became an American Baptist Church (having been founded as a Free Will Baptist Church).
1912-1916 – Rev. Charles S. Frost
In addition to Sunday morning services, Rev. Frost also held Sunday evening services and Thursday night prayer meetings – all of which were well attended.
1903 – 1912 – Rev. Herbert J. Piper
Rev. Piper, PMBC’s first minister, worked alongside his wife in growing the children’s Christian Endeavor Society and supporting a young boy living in India, named Ishamel. The children hosted PMBC’s first May breakfast!

Phillips Memorial Baptist Church
565 Pontiac Ave
Cranston, RI 02920
Office phone: 401-467-3300

Office Hours
Monday-Friday 9:00am-2:00pm

Worship
Sundays at 10:00am