When William H. Burke, a member of the East Baptist Church of Philadelphia and a student of its Lay College came to Wissinoming in 1899 there were only 384 houses and approximately 1500 people.  To assist Mr. Burke in his efforts to establish a Baptist Church, Mr. Valentine Butterfield offered his store room in the front of his home at 4518 Howell Street for services.  The Baptist mission was thereby formed on August 23, 1899 with a Sunday School later being organized in October of that year.   Thereafter, Rev. Francis M. Earle was called as Pastor in March of 1900.   Weekly cottage prayer meetings were held, and the congregation published a Church paper, "Good News."  In 1901 a church was built at Howell and  Ditman Streets to accommodate the growing number of worshippers.  Services were held there till 1924, and on January 18, 1925, the new church erected at Benner and Walker Streets became the permanent home of the First Baptist Church of Wissinoming.  In 1935, a Park Ministry was begun in Wissinoming Park.  Meetings were held on Sunday evenings during the summer months beginning at 6:30 P.M. along with a children's program.   These open air services continued until 1969.