CORE VALUES
FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH HALIFAX
(ADOPTED 20 FEBRUARY 2000)
First Baptist Church Halifax is a community of Christian faith rooted in the Baptist Tradition. As a community of believers, we value:
Mission and Vision Our Mission: First Baptist Church is an inclusive and ecumenical community of believers in Jesus Christ committed to proclaim God’s mission of love by word and deed. Our Vision: First Baptist Church will be a Christ-centered community of diverse people experiencing God’s unconditional love and acceptance, finding opportunities to grow and nurture our faith, and sharing that love, acceptance and faith with the world.
Where Faith Comes to Life!
worship as a central activity and responsibility of the church; including all of our activities and ministries and finding its common expression in our weekly service,
Celebrating our 185th Anniversary
openness that follows Christ's example of inclusion rather than exclusion,
29-30 September 2012
caring for each other in our church and others in our community and beyond; seeking to be a truly compassionate, nurturing church family,
education teaching Christianity and developing spiritual growth for all ages in our church and beyond,
evangelism celebrating and proclaiming the gospel to others,
ecumenism seeking full Christian unity as followers of God.
Guest Speaker FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH HALIFAX
1300 Oxford Street Halifax NS B3H 3Y8 firstbaptisthalifax.org
Phone: 902-422-5203 Fax: 555-555-5555 E-mail: fbaphx@eastlink.ca
Rev. Dr. Bill J. Leonard James and Marilyn Dunn Professor of Church History and Baptist Studies at the School of Divinity, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC
Celebrating 185 Years! Bill J. Leonard teaches Church History at Wake Forest University School of Divinity, Winston-Salem, NC. He holds a BA from Texas Wesleyan College, a MDiv from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a PhD from Boston University. Leonard taught Church History at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY, 1975-1992. From 1992 to 1996 he was Chair of the Department of Religion and Philosophy at Samford University, Birmingham, AL. In 1996 he went to Wake Forest University where he was the founding dean of the School of Divinity beginning in 1999. He retired as Dean in 2010. An ordained Baptist minister, Leonard has served as interim pastor of over 25 congregations in throughout the US. He is the author or editor of some 15 books , the most recent being Baptist Questions, Baptist Answers, and The Baptist Bible (co-editor), published in 2009. Leonard is a frequent lecturer on college and university campuses as well as theological seminaries in the United States, Canada, England, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Romania, Hong Kong and Japan. His spouse, Dr. Candyce Crew Leonard, is professor of Humanities at Wake Forest University. They have one daughter, Stephanie and are members of First Baptist Church, Highland Avenue, the oldest African American Baptist congregation in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Our Story
SATURDAY, 29 SEPTEMBER 2:00 - 4:00 PM Conversation with Dr. Bill Leonard Based on his extensive research and experience, Dr. Leonard will present an interactive discussion on the context of religious life in North America, entitled Beyond Emerging Trends to Realities: What Churches Face Today. Everyone is welcome! Refreshments
SUNDAY, 10:30 AM Anniversary Service Guest Preacher: Dr. Bill J. Leonard Music: the First Baptist Senior Choir, the “Men Without Jackets” (Men’s Choir) and the Songsters and Marshmallow Choir (Ages 3-12) under the direction of Lynette Wahlstrom History Moment: Dr. Marilyn Peers
First Baptist Church Halifax was organized as the Granville Street Baptist Church on September 30th, 1827 when six people were baptized in Bedford Basin. In the 1880s, the congregation moved to a new and larger building on Spring Garden Road, with a new name - First Baptist Church. When this church burned in 1942 the congregation survived and opened its current facility on Easter Sunday, 1950. First Baptist led in establishing Acadia University in 1838. Early in the 20th century the Church embraced ecumenism and non-literal biblical studies. As the century progressed, First Baptist worked with the African United Baptist Association, encouraged an equal role for women in lay and ordained ministries, established social outreach programs and successfully sponsored several refugee families. Since 1999, we have collaborated with Dalhousie Medical School in the annual St. Luke Service. In 2006, First Baptist adopted an official policy of non-discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, becoming a fully welcoming and affirming congregation for the GLBTQ community. We have much to celebrate from the past as we go forward into the future with faith and hope.
FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH HALIFAX
Rev. John E. Boyd, Senior Minister Rev. Renée Clark, Associate Minister Rev. Nelson A. Metcalfe, Minister of Visitation Rev. Dr. Wm. Carey Harvey, Minister Emeritus Ms. Lynette Wahlstrom, Director of Music