First Baptist
Church is a diverse and open community of Christians who strive to
mature in discipleship and deepen our individual devotion to God. We
value the freedom of the individual in all matters of faith and
practice of religion. Ours is a distinctly "non-creedal" community
which encourages and respects the individual's search for truth.
In fellowship
we become ever more mindful of the transformative power of witness. We
celebrate the special gifts of all believers, testifying that God can
use each of us in ministry. We challenge ourselves and each other to
submit our lives more fully to God. Thus we hope to pursue a genuinely
Christian ethic of love-- not bitterly restricted to a closed circle of
the devout, but graciously extended as we welcome and serve families
and individuals, friends and strangers, the confident and the confused.
To help others firmly grasp the blessings of love, we support mission
and social action endeavors ranging from local programs for the
homeless and hungry to foreign mission efforts. We have a particularly
vital relationship with a small "sister" church in Nandasmo, Nicaragua
.
Jesus calls us
to give life to our convictions. We believe that such a living faith
"must experience a growing understanding of truth and must be
continually interpreted and related to the needs of each new
generation."† Incisive and challenging preaching and
teaching fosters our members' heartfelt Biblical faith without
sacrificing intellectual integrity. Christian education is important to
church members who support an active Christian education program for
all ages. For over 100 years we have also maintained a campus ministry
for university students. Our worship is enriched by an excellent music
program, including adult and children's choirs and bell choirs.
At First
Baptist Church, our lives are touched by God's grace and we are
challenged to put our faith to work. Please join us in joyful worship
on Sunday mornings, but join us also every day in following God's
greatest command: to love, for in this we become Christ's fellow
workers.
† from the 1963 Baptist Faith and Message preamble
