Congregational History
The First Regular Baptist Church of Columbus was organized January 30,
1852. In August 1852, the church was received into the Flat Rock Association. Later this
association would become a part of the American Baptist Churches of Indiana and Kentucky
and the American Baptist Churches, USA.
A total of 42 pastors have served the church from its
inception to this present time. The Reverend J. W. Robinson was the first and served for
the sum of $150 per year. The shortest pastorate was six months, and the longest was that
of George T. King, 14 1/2 years between 1924 and 1939.
The first meeting was held in the Presbyterian Church
then located at Third and Franklin Streets. After some moving from place to place, in the
year 1854, the property at 625 Franklin Street was built at a cost of $3000. In the year
1886, a new front was added. The old part of the building was torn down in 1892 and a new
building constructed in its place. It was dedicated in March 1893. In 1928, the front of
the building was remodeled. A fourth remodeling was carried out in 1948-49 with the
dedication in April 1949.
On April 14, 1964, the congregation approved the
present building at 3300 Fairlawn Drive. The structure, designed by Harry Weese and
Associates, Inc. and built at a cost of over a half million dollars, was dedicated to the
service of God in September 1965. A ramp into the sanctuary for the physically challenged
was added in 1998 along with new lighting, a new sound system, and air conditioning.
In the mid 60’s, a piece of wooded land west of
Columbus was donated to the Church. It was known as Yokewood and became the site of a
second Church parsonage in 1968. Unable to properly develop the site for extensive
programming, the church sold it a decade later.
The Church School was organized in 1857 and has
continued as an important primary source of religious instruction. Youth ministry dates
back to an organization of young men called “Yoke Fellows”. In 1885 the first
co-ed young people’s organization was formed which is the forerunner of our present
American Baptist Youth. The Ladies Aid Society was one of the first auxiliary
organizations formed in the church and functions today under the umbrella of American
Baptist Women.
Not until 1965 was a second full-time minister added
to the staff. Rev. Richard Crowley served as the first Youth Minister and Associate
Pastor. The staff was expanded to three full-time ministers in 1976 with Rev. James Eckert
who replaced a part-time professional choir director to become the first Minister of Music
and Worship.
Music has always been an important part of the life
of the congregation. The first organ, a manually pumped type, likely appeared in the 1880s
and the first “singing book” in 1884—18 copies without and 30 with music.
In 1950 the church voted to secure the services of a professional choir director. With a
full-time minister overseeing the music program in 1976, a graded choral program was
established with three children’s choirs and a youth choir. Soon after, a gift of
hand bells permitted development of a number of hand bell choirs. In 1987 lightning
damaged the Rogers combination pipe and electronic organ and the replacement console
became the eighth organ in the church’s history.
While First Baptist has a long history of supporting
missions, it was in the last 50 years that funding and interest increased significantly.
Special interest missionaries in Haiti, Thailand, and the Philippines were adopted by the
church and mission teams from within the congregation, paying their own expenses, were
dispatched to such places as Kodiak, Alaska; Haiti; and Weirton, West Virginia, to erect
new structures, to repair others, to paint, and to complete a number of construction
tasks.
Our outreach into the community has continued with
our charter membership in the Bartholomew County Ecumenical Assembly. Several groups and
organizations look to the First Baptist Church for facilities and witness as we continue
to be the Church of Jesus Christ in our place.
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Church
Architectural History
Architect: Harry Weese
Built: 1964
The church is the people, not the building. But the
first rule of church architecture is that the building should express the congregation's
understanding of the Christian faith. We hope that the following comments about our
building will be meaningful to others.
Basic to the "message" of our building,
which was dedicated in 1965, are the exposed materials of construction. These speak of the
power and integrity of God, and remind us that "our God is able."
The sanctuary is without windows to help us shut out
the distractions of the word. The high-pitched roof lifts our thoughts upward --- to God.
The skylight, letting in the sunlight, speaks to us of God's love as expressed in his Son,
Jesus Christ, who is "the light of the world." Implicit in all of this is the
understanding that true worship should issue in a renewed commitment to Christian service.
The suspended cross, being the central point of
reference, speaks of the centrality of the crucifixion in the Christian faith. With Paul,
we point to the cross and say, "We preach Christ and him crucified."
The "pierced wall" separating the choir
area from the nave reminds us of the rending of the veil of the Temple following the
crucifixion of Christ, signifying that henceforth each man has access to God for himself.
We stress the "priesthood of all believers," but equally profess our
responsibility as brothers in Christ to others.
We welcome you and your inquiries. We are eager to
serve you in Christ's name, and would be happy to have you become a part of our church
family.
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Our Church Covenant
PREAMBLE: On the basis of our belief, the following covenant is a
statement of our pledge of intent regarding faithfulness, witnessing, and relationships.
Having been led, as we believe, by the spirit of God,
to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior; and, having been baptized in obedience to
Christ's command as a public profession of our faith in him,
We do now, in the presence of God, Angels, and this
fellowship, sincerely and joyfully enter into covenant with one another, as one body in
Christ. We personally pledge, by the aid of the Holy Spirit, to walk together in Christian
love; to strive for the advancement of this Church on knowledge, holiness, and caring;
To promote its growth and spirituality, to sustain
its worship, ordinances, disciplines, and doctrines; to faithfully be present, and to be
dedicated in our efforts to advance the Kingdom of our Savior.
To contribute cheerfully and regularly to the support
of the expenses of the Church, the relief of the poor, and the spread of the Gospel
through all nations.
We also pledge to maintain family and personal
devotions; to educate our children in the Christian faith, to see the salvation of our
family and acquaintances;
To seek to walk correctly in the world; to be just in
our dealings, faithful in our commitments, and be Christian examples in our behavior. We
pledge to refrain from the promotion and use of those things which harm the body or defile
the mind.
We further pledge to watch over one another in
brotherly love; to remember each other in prayer; to aid each other in sickness and
distress; to cultivate Christian sympathy in feeling and courtesy in speech; to be slow to
take offense, but always ready for reconciliation, and mindful of the teachings of our
Savior, to secure it without delay.
Upon leaving this fellowship, we will, as soon as
possible, unite with some other Church, where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant
and the principles of God's Word.
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