A Mount Holly Congregation with a 120-Year Story
Second Baptist Church sits at 306 Washington Street in the heart of Mount Holly, New Jersey, in Burlington County. What is now a busy congregation with more than two dozen organized ministries began in 1904 as a small prayer meeting in the home of Mrs. Romelda Stafford at 134 Water Street, now Rancocas Road. A member of Mt. Olive Baptist Church in Haddonfield, Mrs. Stafford realized that Mount Holly had no Baptist church of its own and opened her parlor for public worship. The group soon outgrew her home and moved into a vacant buckwheat factory on Water Street, where white neighbors donated an organ, a stove, and chairs to keep the services going.
On June 6, 1906, Reverend J. W. Walker of Second Baptist Church in Merchantville traveled to Mount Holly and formally organized the mission as a church. Reverend John Gaskins of Philadelphia was called as the first pastor. The congregation has worshipped in Mount Holly ever since, building its present sanctuary in the mid-1950s and adding an approximately 5,600-square-foot annex in recent years with meeting rooms, a kitchen, a baptismal pool, a pastor's office, and a full-size elevator. In 2006, the church marked its centennial under the motto "A Rich Past - A Glorious Future." Second Baptist is also remembered as the mother church of Tabernacle Baptist Church in Burlington, a mission that grew out of services held during the long pastorate of Reverend G. D. Pinckney in the early twentieth century.
A Long Heritage of Pastoral Leadership
Over its history, Second Baptist has been served by seventeen pastors, beginning with Reverend Gaskins in 1906 and continuing through Reverend William Pinkston, Reverend William T. B. Hill, Reverend Levi A. Freeman, and Reverend Joseph H. Stafford. The longest chapter belongs to Reverend Dr. Matthew Douglass Bobbitt, who was installed on November 7, 1943, and served for sixty-one consecutive years until his passing on October 28, 2004. Under Pastor Bobbitt, the congregation broke ground on its current sanctuary on October 10, 1954, laid the cornerstone in July 1955, and marched into the new building on October 7, 1956. The mortgage was burned in November 1961, and an addition with a choir room, foyer, pastor's office, church office, nursery, and prayer room was dedicated in the late 1960s. He also founded the Second Baptist Bible School, instituted the church's first scholarship service in 1974, and organized the Second Baptist Chorus.
After a season of interim leadership with Reverend Alexander Benjamin, the church called Reverend Dr. Timothy L. Hutton Sr. on November 25, 2007. He was installed on February 24, 2008, with Reverend Albert Morgan, pastor of Union Temple Baptist Church in Bridgeton and moderator of the Bethany Baptist Association of South Jersey, presiding, and Reverend Frederick C. Johnson of Christ Baptist Church in Burlington preaching the installation sermon.
Pastor Hutton and the First Lady
Pastor Timothy L. Hutton Sr. is a Burlington County native and a third-generation minister. He was first licensed to preach at the age of ten in October 1974 at Friendship AME Church in Browns Mills, where his father, Reverend William C. Hutton, pastored. He served there as an associate minister, church organist, choir director, and youth director before continuing his studies at the AME Ministerial Training Institute, Burlington County College, Mercer County College, Shaw University in Raleigh, and Apex School of Theology in Durham. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies, a Doctor of Divinity, and a degree in mortuary science, and is a New Jersey licensed funeral director and owner of TL Hutton Family & Friends Funeral Services in Burlington. He was ordained in the African Methodist Episcopal Church in June 1987 and in the Missionary Baptist Church in January 1991, and previously pastored congregations in Sicklerville and Glassboro before coming to Mount Holly.
Pastor Hutton is married to Lady Dawn Marie Hutton, the church's First Lady and the leader of the Women's Ministry, known as The Lady's Wing. A lifelong Burlington County resident, Lady Dawn served as First Lady alongside her husband at Mt. Moriah Primitive Baptist Church in Glassboro before joining him at Second Baptist. She is the Chief Operating Officer of the family funeral business, a former foster parent who received recognition from the New Jersey Division of Child Protection, and an advocate for young women across Burlington County. The Huttons are parents of eight and many grandchildren.
Sundays and Wednesdays at the Heart of the Church
Worship is at the center of life at Second Baptist. Sunday School meets each week from 8:30 to 9:30 AM, with classes for preschoolers through adults and instructors who focus on the practical application of Scripture. Sunday Morning Worship follows at 10:00 AM and is livestreamed on the church's YouTube channel for those who cannot attend in person. The Mass Choir sings on the third and fourth Sundays of each month.
The middle of the week is just as important. Wednesday Night Family Bible Fellowship begins with dinner at 6:00 PM in the Fellowship Hall, followed by Bible study at 6:30 PM. The Youth Ministry holds its own parallel evening, with dinner at 6:00 PM and Bible study in Room 3. A monthly New Member Class gathers at 6:30 PM on the fourth Tuesday of each month with Pastor and Lady Dawn Hutton, and a weekly Focus Prayer Meeting takes place on Zoom on Tuesday evenings at 7:30 PM. On Saturdays, the Prayer Warriors ministry hosts a conference-call prayer time at 9:00 AM, lifting up members of the congregation and anyone on the Sick and Shut-In list.
A Choir for Every Voice
Music is one of the clearest expressions of worship at Second Baptist. The Music Ministry exists to lead the congregation in spirit-filled and inspirational singing, and the church supports an unusually broad collection of ensembles. The Mass Choir, open to singers eighteen and older, rehearses at 7:00 PM on the Tuesday before the third and fourth Sundays and sings during those services. The Youth Choir, for ages seven to seventeen, rehearses from 6:00 to 7:00 PM on the Tuesday before the third Sunday. Other ensembles include the Temple Chorus, the Men's Chorus, Fully Committed, New Dimensions, and Jehovah's Worship, each with its own character and repertoire. Song playlists are shared on YouTube so members can prepare between rehearsals.
Ministries Across Every Stage of Life
Second Baptist operates more than twenty organized ministries that meet members at every age and stage. The Lady's Wing Women's Ministry, led by Lady Dawn Hutton, fosters fellowship and spiritual growth among the women of the church and reaches out to the wider community. The Men's Ministry, called Men With Purpose, pursues both spiritual formation and evangelism, anchored in the proverb "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." The Senior Day Ministry focuses on the needs of older members, planning recreational activities, providing transportation, and offering companionship. The Youth Ministry is committed to training young disciples to worship seriously, share their faith, and serve others.
Married couples are served by the Couple's Ministry, while the Culinary Ministry plans menus and prepares meals for fellowship dinners. The Creative Arts Ministry, the Audio-Visual Ministry, the Greeter's Ministry, and the Usher Ministry shape the experience of each worship service, while the Deacon and Deaconess Ministries, the Trustee Ministry, the Pastor's Aid Ministry, the Nurse's Ministry, the Ministry of Security, the Newsletter Ministry, the Van Ministry, and the Outreach and Evangelism Ministry keep the congregation running and engaged in mission. The Baptist Training Union continues the long Baptist tradition of Christian education, and a New Member Class welcomes newcomers into the life of the church.
Reaching Beyond the Sanctuary
Service to the wider Mount Holly community is part of the church's identity. The Vera A. Mumford Community Day Program runs every Tuesday and Thursday from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM, and the church operates both a Clothes Closet and a Community Food Program for neighbors facing hardship. The SBC Mental Health Ministry provides a team of trained clinicians who respond to inquiries within 48 hours, offering a confidential email and a referral pathway through the church office. The ministry also distributes free medication deactivation and disposal kits after services, and helps members complete New Jersey Durable Power of Attorney and Advance Directive paperwork with on-site notarization.
Older members and others without transportation can request rides through the Van Ministry by calling the church office between Wednesday and Friday, and the church is actively recruiting additional volunteer drivers. The Ministry of Mental Health also links members with community resources for those who feel stuck and need extra support.
Covenant and Giving
Second Baptist identifies with the Baptist tradition, and the Church Covenant expresses the commitments members make to one another. Members pledge to walk together in Christian love, support the church's worship, ordinances, discipline, and doctrines, and contribute cheerfully and regularly to the ministry, the expenses of the church, the relief of the poor, and the spread of the Gospel. They also engage to maintain family and secret devotion, religiously educate their children, seek the salvation of their kindred and acquaintances, watch over one another in brotherly love, and pursue reconciliation whenever offense arises. The church practices believer's baptism in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Giving is supported online through PayPal, with designated options for tithes, first fruits, pledges, the mortgage, the missions ministry, and the scholarship ministry. Offering envelopes are also available in the pews during Sunday services.
Planning a First Visit
Sunday Morning Worship begins at 10:00 AM at 306 Washington Street, Mount Holly, NJ 08060, and can be joined via livestream on the church's YouTube channel. Sunday School runs from 8:30 to 9:30 AM for all ages. The church office can be reached at 609-267-4732 or secondbaptist306@verizon.net. Visitors who need a ride can call the office midweek, and anyone curious about membership is welcome at the New Member Class on the fourth Tuesday of each month. The church calendar of upcoming events is available online, and a text-message service keeps members connected between Sundays.