Toledo Polish Churches > Polish Baptist Church

Polish Baptist Church

The building located at 1101 Heston, corner of Pinewood, in Kuhschwanz, was built in 1917 and has always been used as a Baptist Church, even today. In 1922, the church began being referred to as the “Polish Baptist Church.” The pastor was Rev. A. S. Morze, born in Russian Poland, according to the 1920 census. Reverend Adam was married to his wife Mary and they lived at 2102 Lagrange Street, in north Toledo, and his occupation was listed as minister. His residence is now the Bavarian Sports Club. The Sports Club bought the building from a church in 1937, and the deed was written in Polish. In 1916, the First German Baptist Church was located at this 2102 Lagrange Street.

The Polish Baptist movement started in Poland around the year 1858. In 1924, the Reverend M. S. Lesik, a native of Poland, was listed as the pastor of the Polish Baptist Church. His obituary states that he was pastor of the old Baptist church in Toledo for about 5 years. Reverend Lesik lived in Detroit from about 1934 to his death in 1950.

By 1928, the 22-year-old Reverend John Gilewicz, another immigrant from Poland, took over the duties as pastor. He was living with the Downs family at 1262 Woodland Avenue and also at 1336 Woodland, about two blocks from the church.

Reverend John Czajkowski was the minister in 1934 and 1935. The building was sold in 1937, and the Polish Baptist Church ceased to exist.

The Polish National Catholic Church was founded in Scranton, Pa., in 1897 by Rev. Francis Hodur to serve Polish immigrants in America. There were at least three previous PNCC churches in the Toledo area, although all closed decades ago: Our Lady of Częstochowa Parish on Nebraska Avenue; St. Joseph Parish in Rossford, and Nativity Parish in Toledo.

Father Valentine Cichy immigrated to the U.S. in 1904, and from 1906 until 1913 was pastor at St. Mary Magdalene Roman Catholic Parish in Rossford, Ohio, on the south side of the Maumee River. In 1914, Rev. Cichy organized Our Lady of Czestochowa Polish National Catholic Church on Nebraska Avenue in Kuhschwanz. This building later became Nativity Church. Lay delegates from this parish were Adam Surdel and Jan Cytlach. The first pastor of Our Lady of Częstochowa PNCC was Reverend John Urbanski.

There was a Polish National Catholic Church Cemetery, location unknown at this time. People were buried in this cemetery from at least 1915 to 1917. In April 1925, eleven people were exhumed and re-buried in Forest Cemetery. The TPGS library has detailed records of these burials, from Forest records.