Our History

In March of 1997, Pastor David Warner, who had just resigned his church, gathered with a group of people who had decided to leave their church over doctrinal issues. On Sunday evening, March 16, around 28 people, including 8 to 10 children, met for worship at the home of Tom and Lorraine Reed on Ludlow Road near Urbana. The home provided not only a good-sized living room to accommodate extra chairs but also a loft which served as a kind of balcony. The children loved sitting on the floor and looking through the rails. After the service, it was decided to meet again on Wednesday for prayer and then again on Sunday.

A Sunrise Service with breakfast and Resurrection Sunday service were held on the Modie Farm on Twp. Rd. 163 in West Liberty. It was suggested to ask Pastor Warner if he would lead them in forming a church and become their pastor. His immediate reply was that he would pray about it. Sensing God’s leading over the next couple of weeks, he agreed.

A 3-car garage was offered by Jerry and Jacque Arms for weekly meetings on East State Route 296, about 3 miles from the first “loft house.” Chairs were purchased, a pulpit and communion table were brought from a church in Kentucky, and two 20-pound propane tanks with heating attachments were installed. Each week, the garage was converted into a meeting place, with the house rooms serving as Sunday School classrooms and space for Junior Church.

As the meetings continued, a group of men were designated to draft articles of faith, a constitution with by-laws, and a covenant. These efforts required several meetings lasting hours at a time, mostly held at the home of Phil and Nancy Fry in Urbana. Once the documents were completed, they were distributed to each adult, and a meeting was announced for 2–3 weeks later to act on them.

On June 16, 1997, those present voted unanimously to accept the documents for organizational purposes and the King James Bible as the complete word of God for the church’s faith and practice. Fellowship Baptist Church was formally organized on that date with 32 charter members.

After several months of meeting in the garage, the church rented a former church building from Mark Moody at 5500 E. St. Rt. 296, where the church met for the next eight years. During that time, God added many to the church. Often, entire families were saved, baptized, and united with the church.

On the Tuesday after Memorial Day 2006, a plan was announced to move all church furniture and belongings from the rented church house to the newly purchased building at 27 North Sycamore Street. However, several families couldn’t wait, and much of the move was completed on Memorial Day. The Koby family provided a pickup and trailer, while Dwight Thompson, who owned a furniture store in the village, sent his moving truck to haul the piano and organ. By Tuesday, the ladies were putting the finishing touches on the new location.

God was so good to the church that it cannot be fully explained how He worked all things together. By the mid-week prayer meeting, the Bible was being studied, and the gospel was preached in the Lord’s building on Sycamore Street in North Lewisburg. The church continues to “occupy till Jesus comes again.” Even so, come, Lord Jesus. Maranatha!