First Baptist Church of Saginaw, MI

Early in the 1850s, all was hustle and bustle in the valley of the Saginaw River.  The hammer and the saw rang over the waters of the river or echoed in the surrounding forests.  Some of the forest land was being cleared and tilled, giving evidence of agricultural development - but trees, particularly the white pine, were king.  The Saginaw River was a busy highway, one or two steamboats traveled regularly between Saginaw and Detroit.  Other boats and schooners came up the river and docks were built to accommodate them.  As early as 1853, there were 23 sawmills along the bank of the stream, and 21 more were under construction.  The lumbering boom had begun.  The Saginaw Valley was considered the second best market place in the state.  Enterprising, courageous and public spirited men came to the valley, determined to make it a prosperous place for the future.

The Beginning
One of these men was James S. Webber, a merchant and entrepreneur.  He and his wife, Delia came to Saginaw in 1853.  They were Baptist, but there was not a church of that faith.  They opened their home to others who wished to discuss organizing a church, and after about five years, the First Baptist Church of Saginaw was formally organized on May 13, 1858, with a membership of fifteen.  

Although there was no full-time pastor or regular preaching services, weekly prayer meetings were held for over a year following the organization of the church.  In March 1859, Rev. Samuel Cornelius came from Detroit and gave half of his time to First Baptist and the other half to Bay City.  After about six months, Rev. J.S. Goodman of Flint was called to be the first pastor.

Union Hall
Mr. Webber erected a small frame building that was called Union Hall.  This building was rented until 1864 when it was purchased by the congregation and was used for worship until July 1869, when they sold it to Zion Baptist Church.

Unlike today, there were no bridges over the Saginaw River; it was necessary to cross the river by boat.  This proved to be a difficulty for several members of the church, so in November of 1863, these members asked for their letters and organized what today is Michigan Avenue Baptist Church.  

Red Brick Church
Because of potential growth and the need for larger and better facilities, the Baptist congregation purchased a lot at Jefferson and Federal in 1865.  A beautiful red brick church with grey stone trim was built there and dedicated on April 19, 1868.  It is interesting to see the Red Brick Church in relation to several buildings that still are standing in the downtown area today the Hoyt Library and the Castle Museum.  Rev. H.L. Morehouse was the pastor at the time, and was an outstanding worker in the drive for the erection of this church.  On the first anniversary of the dedication of the Red Brick Church, the congregation sang "Shall We Gather at the River" which had been written for the occasion by Rev. H.L. Morehouse.

Over the next few years, several pastors served, and many improvements were made to Red Brick Church.  A grand organ was added, and electric lights replaced the gas lights.  Membership grew substantially to 500 members, and giving greatly increased.

Wickes Property
After 61 years at Jefferson and Federal, Rev. Fred B. Davis inaugurated the move to another location.  In 1929, the Jefferson and Federal property was sold and the final service in the old red brick church was held on June 30, 1929.  Two years earlier, in 1927, the Harry T. Wickes property at 324 North Jefferson Avenue had been purchased as a site for the new church.  Following the move from the Red Brick Church, services were held in the Wickes home.

The Chapel
Later, the carriage house was remodeled and called The Chapel.  It was used for the church program while the new church was being built.

New Church
In November 1932, the members approved sketches for the construction of the new building.  The church was of Gothic design and was made from white stone from the quarries near Bay Port, Michigan.  The laying of the corner stone was on January 15, 1933, by Gustave A. Schust, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, and Ernest V. Stark, Chairman of the Board of Deacons.  It took about three years for the building to be ready for occupancy, and on September 15, 1935, the new church building was ready, although not entirely completed.  On that exciting Sunday the congregation began at the Chapel and marched to the new sanctuary to participate in the first service.  As they marched they sang a familiar hymn.

On August 10, 1937, through the generosity of one of its members, Mrs. Minnie O. Garber, the church became the owner of the property at Fitzhugh and Warren, directly in the rear of the new church building.   

Building Additions
Because of overcrowded conditions in Sunday school classes, plans were begun for a badly needed educational building during the pastorate of Dr. Charles A. Jones.  The first step was the razing of the old.  The new unit would provide a kitchen, parlor, fellowship hall, youth room and class rooms. Chester A. Bocker, a member, was superintendent of construction.  Most of the labor was provided by the members of the church.  The new unit was constructed and was dedicated in May of 1958 during the centennial celebration.  Later, during the pastorate of Dr. C. Leslie Eads, the sanctuary and the new education wing were connected to the beautiful Wickes home.   

The Past 50 Years
Over the past 50 years, our congregation has been served by 7
outstanding pastors.  Under their leadership our church has been involved in several city outreach projects including a breakfast for the area needy residents, a continuation school for un-wed mothers, Habitat for Humanity, The East Side Soup Kitchen,  and the Bridge for Racial Harmony.  These pastors encouraged growth through discipleship programs such as the 2:7 program, The Stephen's Ministry Program, the Certified Lay Ministry Program, and The Purpose Driven Life series.  A Wednesday night meal and Bible study was begun with classes for all ages.  Music took a drastic turn when keyboards, drums and guitars were introduced to our morning worship service.  Many people in our congregation were encouraged by these pastors to personally participate in foreign or domestic mission trips;   Alaska, The Philippines, Mexico, and Tennessee have been some of our mission fields.        

In October of 2006, during the pastorate of Rev. Donald C. Verner,   the congregation moved, after 71 years, from its location at 322 N. Jefferson to a temporary residence at Sherwood Elementary School, on the corner of Mackinaw and Shattuck. Pastor Verner then resigned from FBC in May of 2008.

After two years of meeting in Sherwood Elemenatry School, and setting up and tearing down for Worship each Sunday, FBC decided it was time to find a new place they could call their own. After searching for a new location for awhile, the chairman of our Propert Management, Jim Brown, located what would be the next location for FBC. It would be the old Bethel Assembly of God church at 1926 Farfield Street in Saginaw. The first service at the new location was November 9th, 2008. The service was officiated by Pastor Dan Miller the former Youth Pastor, who at that time had recently been called as Associate Pastor. The Rev. Tucker J. Gunneman was called to serve as the Senior Interim Pastor from November 1, 2008 and served in such a role until October 26, 2009. Pastor Dan is now serving as the pastoral leader until a new Senior Pastor is called. The fairfield property was purchased with monies loaned out by the members who served as the bank. The Jefferson building was sold in September 2008 to Health Delivery Systems of Saginaw. God certainly had His hand in this, as the Jefferson property and the newly aquired Fairfield property were closed on in the same week. With a new place of Worship, has come a renewed vision. During 2009 under the leadership of Rev. Gunneman and Pastor Dan, the FBC agreed to change its governing structure, its mission statement, and adopted a new name and logo for marketing purposes. Although still called First Baptist Church, to those in the community, they are being referred to as Beacon of Hope. The new mission statement, structure, and logo has created renewed desire for outreach, and seeking to build relationships with people beyond the walls of the church building. The future of FBC Beacon of Hope is bright.

Over the last 150 years, Saginaw has changed,  people and pastors have changed, building locations have changed, society has changed, and over the years the method of  has changed, but, the basic beliefs have not changed.  We, as our forefathers, believe that God is our Father and His son Jesus Christ has come to save us from our sins, and that we can have a personal relationship with Him.  

As we move into the future we, as our forefathers have done, call on God to give us a vision and continuing direction.