About Us
GO THEREFORE AND MAKE DISCIPLES…
THE MISSION
The mission of First Baptist Church Smithfield is
WORSHIP GOD.
TEACH THE WORD.
SERVE OUR COMMUNITY.
THE VISION
The vision of First Baptist Church Smithfield is to provide a ‘place to belong’ where we glorify God, as we practice our mission.
HOW IT ALL STARTED...
The Baptist Church of Smithfield was organized on July 14, 1832 with a total of 43 members. The original members met every third Sunday of the month for worship and on the Saturday before to meet in conference. The first church building ever erected was on the corner of Church and Second St.
The early church members had a heart for church planting, and many churches were planted from the Baptist Church of Smithfield in the 1800s.
EXPANDING THE VISION...
In 1897, a new preacher was called to the church, but in 1898 everything would change for the church and the town of Smithfield. With the establishments of the tobacco market, the Bank of Smithfield, and the ban on hog pens within the city, the community of Smithfield exploded. Soon afterward, the church purchased a lot for a new church on the corner of Johnston and Fourth St. - the current site of our church - and construction began in 1902. As the town continued to grow, so did the church. A parsonage and Sunday School annex were built, a library was started, programs began for children, teens, and adults alike, and a community was more and more being formed as the church began to meet more frequently.
FROM THE ASHES...
In 1942, tragedy struck. A great fire of origins unknown destroyed the church building three days before Christmas. The only things to survive the blaze were a few pews, the bell from the tower, and the cornerstone. To this day, both the bell and the cornerstone are still on the church property. The following night, an emergency meeting was called. Our community offered spaces to use, and the vote was made to rebuild as soon as possible.
A temporary church was built on the same site, and the parsonage was made into Sunday School rooms. Expansion continued as we began to break ground on a new Sanctuary in 1945.
...WE RISE AGAIN
The new sanctuary was completed in 1949, and the first service was held - fittingly enough - on Easter Sunday. A year later, in 1950, the Sanctuary was opened for the community to come and see. In the coming years, stained glass windows were added to both the new Sanctuary and the existing Chapel, new churches were started, classes grew, and under the supervision of many pastors the church flourished.
Today, we are a community of people with a history of almost 200 years - taking lessons and benefits from our past and applying them to our future as we move toward eternity as our predecessors have. Our prayer today is that we are found faithful in the tradition they have left to us to continue that tradition for those who will come after us.
BE A PART OF OUR STORY...
Join us every Sunday as we gather to worship together!