in the life of church for FBC members
Newcastle First Baptist Church celebrated a grand opening of its new facilities during worship services on the morning of Sunday, November 10. They had an open house in their new atrium area at 2 p.m. Monday, November 11.
It was accompanied by a Newcastle Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting.
Lead Pastor Jeremy Freeman welcomed those attending saying this is a new day for First Baptist Church members in the life of the church.
He said, “The sanctuary holds 1,290 people. On Sunday morning, we had just under 1,900. We had 700-plus at the 9 a.m. service, and 1,100 in the 10:30 a.m. service. It was an amazing grand opening day, and we just celebrate God’s goodness and God’s faithfulness in the life of our church. And we are looking forward to doing it all over again this Sunday.”
Mayor Karl Nail, also a member of FBC with a 33-year history, said, “This place is not just a building. The church is not the building, the church is the congregation …. It’s just a building, but it’s a building that serves this community. Over time, the FBC has been such a guiding light here. We appreciate so much what the church has done for the community, and we know that it
More Newcastle First Baptist Church Open House & Ribbon Cutting photos
— pg. 5 will continue to serve for generations to come.”
FBC HISTORY: There are other phases of the church for down the road
Nail said the new church facility is a guiding light as residents and visitors drive Main Street into Newcastle.
Freeman provided a synopsis of the church’s history, saying it was founded in 1905 with nine charter members.
He said, “In 1907, they had their first pastor who was part-time and was there for 10 years. In 1917, the church had a building but a storm came through and wiped out the building. They met at the school and various locations for a few years.
“In 1948, they located on the corner where the Newcastle Public Schools Administration building is located. In 1978, they purchased the land and came to the current location.”
Freeman said they went through some challenging times in the 1970s-80s, but they had a big vision for the community.
“Through Brother Bill’s (Bill Gentry) faithful leadership of 20 years, the church stabilized and began to grow again,” Freeman said. “He passed the baton in 2003 to Brent Parsons. In 1991, the Church built the current facility that we have been in. The church members built that with their hands. They did that debt free. People volunteered their time. It was a major labor of love.”
That served us well for 33 years.
Brother Brent developed a five-fold vision for the facilities which involved the pre-school building, the children’s building, an update to the youth area, and the rebuilding of the worship center.
Freeman added that there are other phases left to accomplish down the road.
During the Chamber of Commerce ceremony, Freeman and Executive Pastor Nathan Presley cut the ribbon. They were accompanied by Chamber of Commerce members, FBC members and guests who were attending the Open House.
