A highlight of the Sunday morning service will be the presentation of the anthem, “God of Our Future, of Our Past.” The text for the anthem was written by the Rev. Tom Allen, minister of education and administration, at First Baptist.
The composition is an original work composed specifically for this occasion by David Schwoebe, composer and minister of music at Derbyshire Baptist Church in Richmond, Va. It will be performed by the 50-member Sanctuary Choir under the direction of the Rev. Benny Edwards, minister of music and senior adults.
Former pastors and church personnel have been invited to take part in the morning service.
First Baptist was organized at Manly in 1879 as Manly Baptist Church. It was moved to Southern Pines in 1899 and located at the corner of West Connecticut Avenue and Page Street. The name was changed to First Baptist.
With a membership of 32 when the church moved to Southern Pines, it now has a total membership of 1,314.
In 1936 a new church building was constructed on the corner of E. New York Avenue and S. Ashe Street, and an educational building was erected in 1950. The present sanctuary was built in 1977 at the same site, and an educational building was added in 1990.
Sonshine Learning Center was inaugurated in 1995 and now enrolls 60 children from infants through age four. Because of increased enrollment, the youth activities were moved to an adjoining house on Massachusetts Avenue, which still accommodates the growing population. A memorial garden was established in 2000.
The church has an extensive ministry which over the years has expanded from sponsorship of Boy Scout troops, after school tutorial classes, prison and alcohol programs, youth and adult mission trips, an intercessory prayer ministry, participation in Habitat for Humanity, the Interfaith Hospitality Network, Helping Hands, and the Moore Housing Project.
It has always been actively engaged in missions, both in our community and in others. Under the aegis of the church, a number of Belarussian children have visited the community during the summers of the past six years.
The present staff includes Dr. David Helms, senior pastor; the Rev. John Stone, pastor emeritus; the Revs. Tom Allen, Benny Edwards, Katie Fam, minister of preschoolers and children, and Amanda Langlands, minister of youth and students. Susan Ward serves as organist.
Stone had the longest pastorate, serving from 1964 until 1995. The first minister was Elder A.D. Cohen, a Jewish convert.
Other pastors included A.C. Cree, John Mitchell, A.D. Hunter, W.L. Wright, G.L. Finch, W.C. Cottrell, John Lewis, G.F. Mainwaring, C.M. Emery, W.J. Fulford, and A.H. Manee as well as F.M. Gardner, William C. Holland, M.M. Adams, E.A. Tuck, J. Fred Stimson, Sam J. Erwin, J. Lamar Jackson, and Hoke Coon.
