First Baptist Church of Blanchester to celebrate 175 years

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BLANCHESTER — The First Baptist Church of Blanchester will celebrate 175 years of faithful ministry on Sunday, Sept. 19. The celebration begins at 9 a.m. with a meet-and-greet time that includes coffee and doughnuts.

Jim Sperry, who was pastor at First Baptist from 1988 to 1994, will be the keynote speaker at 10:40 a.m.. His son, James, the pastor of Calvary Community Church in North Olmsted, Ohio, will speak during the session starting at 9:30 a.m.

Each session will include a time of worship led by the Sonshine Quartet. There will be a fellowship dinner provided to end the day.

All are invited to attend.

Beginnings

In 1845, God instilled into the hearts and minds of some of His faithful followers to build for themselves and their families a place of worship. For seven years, they met in private homes.

In 1852, they erected a frame building adjacent to where the church now stands. The present brick sanctuary, the oldest in the community, was built in 1881. During the mid-1940s, a basement was made under the entire structure.

In 1992, under the leadership of Pastor Jim Sperry, construction began on the facility adjacent to the historic brick building. The AWANA Memorial Building is a multi-purpose facility with a gym, kitchen, prophet’s chamber, and large classroom.

First Baptist Church, currently pastored by Steven Sabin, is an independent Baptist Church affiliated with the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches and the Ohio Association of Regular Baptist Churches.

The buildings that identify First Baptist Church are, however, only the outward evidence of a church presence. It is people who join out of a common desire to worship God; who desire to grow in their understanding of God through the study of God’s word; who desire to encourage each other to live and act like Jesus Christ; and who desire to proclaim the good news of reconciliation with God through faith in Jesus Christ alone that form a church.

First Baptist Church’s goals and the desires from inception to the present, through hardships and prosperity, setbacks and advances, failures and successes, have remained the same.

The impact of First Baptist Church has been global through the many missionaries supported over the years. May God be praised!

The church will celebrate 175 years on Sunday.
https://www.wnewsj.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2021/09/web1_blan-church.jpgThe church will celebrate 175 years on Sunday. Submitted photo

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