Ministries
"If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water"
John 4:10
Adult Ministries
Counseling
Marriage counseling is offered for our church family and community through the Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts (SYMBIS) program by Les and Leslie Parrot. Our Associate Pastor, Rusty Thomas is a certified counselor with SYMBIS. We offer grief counseling through Grief Share small group meetings to assist you in walking through life’s hardest times. For other difficult or new situations of life whether they be spiritual, physical, or emotional, we have seasoned Christians that can meet with you, or we have others outside the church to which we can refer you. Give us a call at 706-632-2763 and schedule an appointment.
Men's Prayer
Our men meet on the third Tuesday morning of each month at 6:30 to read the Psalms and pray together for each other, our families, our church, and our country.
Women's Ministry
The Women’s Ministry includes many opportunities for women to get involved. Our Women on Mission program encourages ladies to study and pray for our worldwide Southern Baptist mission programs as well as to participate in local missions.
Women on Mission:
The monthly meeting of the Women on Mission (Heart to Hands) is the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 10 am. They have a mission study followed by lunch at a local restaurant. Some of their mission projects include:
Fannin County Family Connections Food Pantry, Mineral Springs Center, Operation Christmas Child, Stamp Ministry, Fannin Christian Learning Center, Heritage Health Care, Prayer Shawl Ministry and various special offerings collected each year for International, Domestic and State Missions.
The Quilting B’s:
This group of quilters meets the 1st and 3rd Tuesday morning at 9 am in the basement of the Activity/Youth Center. Whether they make prayer quilts for newly baptized children or lap quilts for the nursing home, they are using their skills to meet needs in the church and community. They welcome any youth or adult to come learn with them – no sewing skills necessary.
Mentoring
Mentoring is both a philosophy of ministry and a ministry itself. BRFBC has adopted a mentoring philosophy of ministry. No matter your stage of life, you can find a place in this type of ministry as a mentor or a mentoree. Veteran moms and dads are coming alongside new parents and walking with them on this new road of parenting life. Older couples help younger couples. We even seek to mentor in ministry with Pastor Bob and Pastor Rusty partnering to bring nearly fifty years of ministry experience and years of education together to bless younger or older men feeling led into Gospel ministry. Whatever your gifting from God, you can use it to bless someone else.
Small Groups
We have various small groups that meet from time to time such as a class on prophecy and end times events, a special study on Spiritual gifts, a parenting seminar, or a marriage weekend. Presently, we have a Prophecy class meeting each Monday evening, a special small group on overcoming pornography addiction called The Conquerors Series meeting weekly, and a Precept Ministries Class meeting every Thursday.
Sunday School Classes
Sunday School meets each Sunday at 9:30 a.m. At FBC, we offer several choices for adult classes.
Young Adult Coed taught by Pastor Rusty Thomas – currently studying Open My Eyes from Truth 78
Multi-generational Coed taught by Bob Brady – currently studying Matthew by John MacArthur
Adult Ladies taught by Linda Womack currently studying Genesis: Creation, The Fall, The Flood
Senior Adult Coed taught by Mike George currently studying Numbers and Deuteronomy from Lifeway’s Explore the Bible
Senior Adult Coed taught by Jerry Gordon currently studying Numbers and Deuteronomy from Lifeway’s Explore the Bible
Senior Adult Men taught by Bob Cardwell currently studying Acts.
Senior Adult Men taught by Ron Williams studying Numbers and Deuteronomy from Lifeway’s Explore the Bible
Senior Adult Ladies taught by Kim Coshow studying Exodus by Ashley McNary
Student Ministry
Wednesday Youth Worship and Bible Study
Wednesday youth worship and Bible study meets at 5:45-7:00 pm in the Youth Center.
Our student ministry team or some of our students lead the music on Wednesday evening to kick off our night which includes prayer, music, short videos, games, and most importantly, Bible study. The small group break-outs are the best times of the night when we can talk about the application of the Bible study in our own lives. Our present Bible study is Search For Meaning with Sean McDowell.
After School Tutoring
We offer a free tutoring program to middle school and high school students on Wednesday 3:30-5:00 pm. Students who come for tutoring are welcome to stay with us for dinner at 5 and the student Worship at 5:45. If you are planning to come, please register with the church office by calling 706-632-2763 or sign up online with our partners Reboot Mountain.
Student Sunday Schools, 9:30 am
Middle School through Tenth Grade
Mrs. Robbin Richardson and Ms. Debbie Jones partner with students in these formative years. This class is presently studying Truth 78’s, Your Word Is Truth.
Eleventh Grade through College/Young Adults
Pastor Rusty Thomas and Daniel Shields partner with the young adults to find answers from God’s Word for the great decisions of their lives. Presently they are studying together Truth 78’s, Open My Eyes.
Childhood Ministry
Welcome! The Childhood Ministries of First Baptist Church are committed to providing a loving, safe, secure environment in which children can learn about God in age appropriate ways. We recognize the parents’ role as the primary discipler of their child as stated in Deuteronomy 6, and our desire is to partner with parents in the spiritual development of their child. We want to help parents lay a foundation for faith through salvation and discipleship. Together with their parents, our goal is to help children become true disciples of Jesus Christ by building relationships with them, being examples for them and teaching them God’s Word.
We do this through age graded Sunday School, Family Worship (age 4 and up) and Wednesday night activities that include, Missions, Music and Bible Time. Also, throughout the year we offer special events such as VBS, Music Camp, Fall Carnival and Morning at the Manger.
What to expect when you visit:
Dress
Bring your child in comfortable clothes. We are up and down from chairs to floor and sometimes go outside for activities or to the playground.
Check-In
Safety and security is important at First Baptist. When you enter at our Fellowship Hall, you will be asked to sign in at a kiosk with our secure sticker system. The process is quick and easy, and you will be given a secure code that will allow only yourself to pick up your child.
A greeter will get you and your child to the correct class and introduce you to the teacher. All of our volunteers undergo a thorough background check before they are allowed to serve with our children.
Worship
For your child 3 and under, we provide nursery care for all of our services. We support Family Worship, so we ask for you to pick up your children PreK–5th grade and take them with you to the worship service. As you enter our auditorium, you will find age graded Worship Bags and a small snack for you to take into the service with you.
Music Ministry
The purpose of the music ministry of First Baptist Church is to lead our church in corporate worship during the music portion of our services. We use the Worship Choir, Praise Team and Praise Band to lead in congregational singing. While we strive for musical excellence our goal is never to perform but to lead the corporate body of Christ to exalt the Lord Jesus in song. We utilize a variety of styles including tested hymns and contemporary praise songs. Our songs have an easily discernible message and are presented in a way that seeks to emphasize content and doctrine over emotion and style.
Worship Choir
This group leads the congregation in worship on Sundays, presents special music and leads in specific musical events throughout the year. We encourage students from age 13 through adults to blend their voices together to offer a sacrifice of praise to the Lord. There is no audition to be a part of this choir, so if you want to be a part of this growing ministry, visit our rehearsal on Wednesday evening at 7:15.
Praise Team
This is a small group of singers that comes from our Worship Choir. They enhance our congregational singing and support our Minister of Music as they lead in worship.
Praise Band
Our praise band is a growing group of musicians that accompany singing in our worship services. We welcome anyone who wants to use their instrument in praise. Many come from our Worship Choir but that is not a requirement.
Children's Choir
First Baptist Church offers a graded choir program from age 3 – 6th grade on Wednesday evenings at 5:30. It is scheduled along with our Missions and Bible Time on a rotating schedule. Children sing periodically in worship and prepare a Christmas presentation for our church family. Music Camp is also offered for students in grades 1 – 8 the third week of June each year.
