If you're looking for a place for your children to go to Sunday School, to make friends with other children in a Christian environment, and to be nurtured by a fellowship made up of all ages, then we're looking for you....

If you're looking for the chance to be a seeker--to explore life's meaning, to examine spiritual and social questions, to find ways of living more constructively as a multicultural society, then we're looking for you....

If you're looking for a creative worship experience--to share your joys and concerns, to hear provocative preaching, to lift your spirit in song, to share in worship which is regularly planned by church members along with the pastor, then we're looking for you....

If you're looking for a church which is "autonomous"--where a congregational vote is the highest authority in church affairs, and where every Christian is free and responsible to interpret scripture and faith according to his or her own experience and intellect, then we're looking for you....

Yes, if you're looking for a church with an open mind, an open heart, and a fervent spirit, then we're looking for you....

The purpose of this Church is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, and with all our mind, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. To that end we will publicly worship God as truly spirit-filled members of the community that have been freed from bondage through acceptance of God's grace through Jesus Christ. We seek to share this "Good News" with all those who have need of its message and will strive to provide continual growth and nurturing for all who have joined our fellowship.

The Church Covenant

We believe in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, influenced by His Spirit, we consecrate ourselves to His service and unite with one another in this covenant: We will live together in brotherly love and help one another to think, speak and act as Christians. We will share each other's joys and endeaver with tenderness and sympathy to bear one another's burdens and sorrows. We will make prayer a part of our daily living, seeking God's help to enable us to do our daily tasks, to overcome temptations and to live righteously. We will attend the services of the Church with regularity. We pledge ourselves to show our appreciation of God's blessings by contributing cheerfully and regularly to the support of our Church and its ministry in the world. We will seek to live to the glory of Him who has called us into His service.

As a way of getting us all on the same page, our church went through a series of planning meetings from May through December of 1997. These meetings were open to all church members and were focused on determining the direction we wanted our church to go. The Steering Committee adopted the following goals which resulted from this fruitful process:

All boards, committees, and groups are urged to consider their routines and planning in general in the light of these goals. That is, ask the question: "Is what we are doing any help toward the fulfilment of any or all of our goals for the next two years?"

The following few paragraphs provide a brief summary of the early history of First Baptist Church of Pottstown. A more complete history can be found in our centennial booklet, "Forward Through the Ages" printed in 1958 and the source of all of the following.

Beginning February 8th, 1858, a series of worship meetings were held at Keystone Hall. These meetings were led by Rev. David Jefferies who was the pastor at Lower Providence Church. These meetings soon led to many baptisms, the first 22 of which occurred before three to five thousand witnesses on Sunday, February 28th in a cut out section of the frozen Schuykill River.

By mid March, the numerous new Baptist in the area began discussions concerning the formation of a new chruch. At a meeting on March 23rd, a committee recommended purchase of property at the corner of King and Charlotte streets in Pottstown. As plans continued regarding the erecting of a House of Worship, it was resolved on April 6th "That as soon as possible we proceed to constitute The First Baptist Church of Pottstown, and that the brethren and sisters desiring to be united with said Church apply for letters of Dismission from the churches with which they hold thier membership."

Many of the area churches were represented at a meeting on May 26th in order to constitute the new church. Letters dismissing 65 members from different churches were read and The First Baptist Church of Pottstown was constituted on that date.

The original building was constructed in 1858 and formally dedicated on April 30th, 1859. In the year 1910 the church decided it was time for a new building. Beginning in June of that year, the old building was demolished and construction of the new building began. This new building, which was erected on the same site and is still in use today, was dedicated on May 7, 1911. The building includes several beautiful stained glass windows and is home to three manual Moeller Pipe Organ.

Groundbreaking ceremonies for a new educational wing were held on November 10th, 1957. This new addition was dedicated in 1958.