Our Vision

 

First Baptist desires to be a light that

  • Attracts - welcoming people of all ages
  • Warms - serving our community (through the use of our time, resources, and abilities)
  • Guides - enriching lives through the Word of God
  • Shines - presenting the good news of Jesus

 

A Brief Church History

 

  • 1877-July 19-Church Organized
  • 1881-September 5-Charles Wassell accepted the call to become the first pastor of the 20-member congregation
  • 1882-The congregation was given an acre of land on Maple Drive by J.J. Wiltse and the first church building was erected.
  • 1906-Rev. L. J. Olson became the pastor and gradually the Swedish language was replaced by English.
  • 1916-Demolition of the old church building took place, and the new building was completed.
  • 1975-The congregation built and moved into a new building at 954 S. Bay Shore Drive, on the south side of Sister Bay, where the church is today.
  • 1993-The congregation added an education wing and library.

  

Our Building

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Auditorium

  

Besides being our primary worship space, the church auditorium is also used for various community events. 

 
 
Gathering Room

Our newly updated Gathering Room is a busy place!  Many Bible Studies, prayer meetings, senior groups, meals and local AA chapter meetings happen here.

  

 

Gymnasium
 

We are blessed to have a full size, indoor gymnasium.  In addition to being available for church events and programs, the gym is used for league basketball practice and games, Red Cross blood drives and several Boy Scout events during the year.  

 
Usage must be pre-approved, and comes with nominal conditions of use.
 
 
 
 Library 

 

The church has a generous library facility, housing books, DVD's, music, and a computer.  Materials for adults and children are available.  The library is staffed on Sunday mornings and has self-service access during hours of other church programs.
 
 

 

 

Our Sister Church - Ukraine

 

In September of 2004 the congregation of First Baptist decided to join in a sister-church relationship with the Baptist Union Church of Krasnapolia, Ukraine. Since then, the members of both parishes have visited each other in their respective countries. Their most recent was a visit by Pastor Sergey and his wife, Lena, in February of 2007. They were accompanied by their niece, Tanya, who also acted as their translator while they were in the United States. During their visit, they had family dinners with members of First Baptist in their homes. They also were able to tour local businesses and the local schools, Gibraltar Area School District. During the summer of 2011 Gary and Cal Lundquist visited the church in Ukraine and were able to minister not just through encouragement, but assisting with Bible Camp as well.
 
Where is it?

Ukraine is located on the north shore of the Black Sea and Southwest of Russia. It was a Russian vassal-state for a thousand years, the home of the Cossacks. It was part of the Soviet Union until 1992 when independence was achieved and Ukraine became a free and democratic state. Krasnapolia is a village in the Sumy Oblast District of Ukraine on the far western border of Russia.

 

What are we doing with our Sister-Church?

Aside from visiting each other, we have provided financial support for their Bible Camp, which is similar to our Vacation Bible School. We have also provided monies for improvement on their church facilities. In the future, we hope to send a group of members to assist in these improvements and their church programs.