The formal Installation of new Pastor, Rev. Dr. Deanna J. Swilling, will be held on Sunday, October 26 at 3:00 PM in the sanctuary.

Church members, guests, and friends are invited to attend. Refreshments will follow the service in the vestry. This will be a special occasion at FBC with representation from regional American Baptist Churches, Exeter area clergy, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Phillips Exeter Academy, and the Town of Exeter

The Annual Meeting of the ABCVNH Southeastern Association will be held on Sunday, October 19 beginning at 2:45 PM at the Center Strafford Third Baptist Church.

This will be a combined Annual Meeting and Hymn Sing with a light meal to follow. The next monthly Hymn Sing on November 9 is scheduled for FBC in Exeter.”

The Exeter FBC music group has been invited to join with the choir of the FBC of Salem, NH in preparing for a Christmas Cantata which will be presented at each church at scheduled times in December.

Rehearsals will be held at the Salem Church on Monday evenings. Please watch for exact dates and times.

Exeter First Baptist Church Welcomes New Pastor

Rev. Dr. Deanna J. Swilling was called officially as the permanent Minister of the First Baptist Church of Exeter on Sunday, September 26 by vote of the church membership. Previous to this time, Pastor Swilling had served as Interim Minister since she was appointed to that position on August 17. Church members remain excited with the pastoral experience, leadership and care the Rev. Dr. Deanna Swilling will continue to bring to the church in downtown Exeter.

Rev. Dr. Deanna Swilling has a wide range of education and experience in pastoral ministry, teaching and writing. Before entering the Christian ministry, Rev. Swilling also had experience as a registered nurse. She has more recently been the Coordinator of Admissions for the Doctor of Ministry Department at Gordon-Conwell Seminary in Hamilton and Boston, Massachusetts. She and her husband, the Rev. Dr. William Swilling of the Baptist Church of Salem, NH, have three grown children and one granddaughter. Together, they have been a ministry team having served for many years in Newburyport, Massachusetts among other locations in the greater Boston area.

Rev. Deanna Swilling earned a Master of Divinity degree in 1989 from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, MA, graduating Magna cum Laude and having been awarded the President’s Scholarship. She then earned her Doctor of Ministry Degree is 2001 from Gordon-Conwell of South Hamilton. Rev. Deanna Swilling has extensive writing accomplishments having developed “The Connection”, a national newsletter of the American Baptist Churches of the USA in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. She has written articles, books, and group study and Adult Discipleship materials for various churches including Grace Chapel of Lexington, Massachusetts. She is presently seeking publication on a book on church leadership based upon her doctoral study focus on “Ministry in the New England Context”.

The Rev. Dr. Deanna Swilling brings to Exeter a joyful spirit and a joyful heart and describes her calling to Exeter First Baptist Church, above and beyond her many accomplishments and skills, as “being a “Pastor”. The church is located downtown Exeter on the corner of Front Street and Spring Streets. Visitors are always welcome to attend.