Our history
Twelve people met in the worship room at Piazza San Lorenzo in Lucina, 35 in Rome on 12th August 1962. This was the beginning of what is now the Rome Baptist Church (RBC). The church was formally organized on 10th March 1963 with 15 charter members. Reverend William C. Ruchti and his wife, Helen led the organizational efforts, missionaries sent to Rome by the Foreign Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention.
The Ruchtis served the church until June 1985 when they were replaced by Reverend Kenneth and Irene Lawson, who served until May 1998. For the next few years, we had the privilege of having several volunteer and missionary couples serve the church. The current pastor and wife are Reverend David and Cathy Hodgdon who arrived in April 2001 from Buena Vista, Colorado.
In September 2000 the church became independent of the International Mission Board and from then became a self-supporting independent church.
The church building
The church is located in a palazzo owned by the Italian Baptist Union (UCEBI). This building was once part of Palazzo Ruspoli, originally built in the 16th century. It is said that the site where the church now stands was once the stable for the Ruspoli family horses.
The building was purchased by the Foreign Mission Board in 1920, and deeded to the Italian Baptist Union in 1994. The space occupied by the church consists of a sanctuary on the ground floor that seats over 200;a Sunday School and meeting space on the second floor; and the pastor's apartment on the third floor.
The piazza
Piazza San Lorenzo in Lucina takes its name from the Catholic church that was originally built in the 5th century. Today, the square is closed to traffic and hosts various activities throughout the year, including the occasional "invasion" by the RBC congregation.