We at FBC have a great heritage that has been passed on to us from dedicated forefathers and committed Pastors who gave their all to forming a Baptist Congregation at Houlton, Maine.  Some of our milestones are:

Past

  • 1842-1863 – Rev. Spaulding – the first minister
  • 1863 – First Baptist Church was formed
  • 1864 – The current lot was bought for $250
  • 1865 – The lumber for the church building was purchased
  • 1865 – The building was completed
  • 1894 – The current building was started
  • 1895 – The building was completed
  • 1920 – The existing building was raised an a basement was added
  • 1945 – An Austin pipe organ was purchased
  • 1951- Organ chimes were added
  • 1976 – The bell was replaced

1911 Postcard

Present

  • 1997 – An elevator was installed
  • 2000 – The kitchen was remodeled
  • 2001 – The parking lot was paved
  • 2002 – A grand piano was acquired
  • 2003 – The Sunday School moved upstairs
  • 2005 – The stained glass windows were restored
  • 2007  – New tables and chairs were purchased for the Fellowship hall

So you can see we have been an active church, taking care of the beautiful building that God has given us.  However, in all the preparations to maintain the character and physical aspects of the church, we have tried always to remember our vision, our purpose an calling and our mission as a “Spiritual Lighthouse” with a welcome to all who enter our doors.  Our mission statement says it all – “We covenant with God to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, seeking always to grow in faith together and to serve God’s kingsdom throughout the world with joy, passion and prayer.”

Our Sanctuary

The Origins and Development of Baptist Thought and Practice.

American Baptists, Southern Baptists and all of the scores of other Baptist bodies in the U.S. and around the world grew out of a common tradition begun in the early 17th century. That tradition has emphasized the Lordship and atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, believers’ baptism, the competency of all believers to be in direct relationship with God and to interpret Scripture, the influence of the Holy Spirit on individual lives and ministries, and the need for autonomous congregations free from government interference or hierarchical polity.

Growing out of the first Baptist association founded in 1707 American Baptist Churches USA now is comprised of 34 regions. They range in size from the individual urban centers of Cleveland, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis and Los Angeles to the 13-state American Baptist Churches of the South, from the 34 congregations of the ABC of Rochester / Genesee to the nearly 500 churches of the West Virginia Baptist Convention.

The American Baptist Churches Mission Center in Valley Forge, PA., has served since 1962 as a major site for the ongoing planning of domestic and overseas mission work, and for the production of various resources designed to help local churches and their leaders in their ministries.

Today hundreds of American Baptist home and overseas missionaries serve in partnership with others in a variety of ministries designed to strengthen spiritual, physical and social conditions in the U.S. and in more than 20 other countries.

excerpted from American Baptist