The first Southern Baptist Church in the northeast, LaSalle Baptist Church, was constituted June 24, 1955 in Niagara Falls, New York. Representatives of five churches and two chapels organized the Frontier Baptist Association on September 23, 1958. In the early years, churches throughout upstate New York and northwest Pennsylvania composed the association. As new associations were organized, its territory became smaller. After the last association (Rochester) was organized in 1970, there were ten churches and 932 members in the eight counties composing Frontier Baptist Association. Presently 42 churches that account for over 2500 members of Southern Baptist work in western New York. Composed primarily of newly converted native northeasterners, many of our congregations are only beginning to develop a clear understanding of Southern Baptist beliefs and pratices.