First Baptist Church of Exeter, New Hampshire

About FBC Exeter

About the Church

The First Baptist Church of Exeter New Hampshire has a total membership of 80-90 people. There is a small but loyal Sunday School enrollment with dedicated teachers and leaders. The church sanctuary is truly beautiful with its elaborate woodwork and stain glass windows, and seats approximately 500 people. Read More

The many stain glass windows have special Christian significance as well as an interesting history of their own. The beautifully sounding pipe organ is a two-manual Moller instrument with excellent volume and exceptional tone quality. The church vestry, located on the lower level and adjacent to a full service and well-equipped kitchen, seats a large number for dinner and program activities and is in excellent condition. Church members and friends love to have covered dish luncheons and dinners in the vestry and enjoy the fellowship with one another. We have been known to be a friendly church with a sense of caring and concern for others. We reach out to people in hospitals and nursing homes with regular visitations by church members. We are concerned and responsive to our shut-ins and make an effort to help people with physical difficulties get to church for worship and special programs.

Our church is handicap accessible since we have a modern elevator to take people from the lower level on the first floor to our sanctuary. The lower level has Spring Street handicap access with a wheelchair ramp going down slightly to the first floor’s lower level. In reaching out to the community, our church has been active in the Exeter Clergy Association’s “Feed my Lambs” program to assist local people in need of food and necessities. We also support a small emergency food pantry of our own. And we have in recent years maintained a thrift shop of slightly used clothing which has been open two days each week in morning hours.

On Thanksgiving Day, our church has, for many years, put on a full Thanksgiving dinner for those in the community without families or who would otherwise be alone. Members of the church with the help of friends within the community and the Exeter area have generously volunteered their time to continue this program. Our church is responsive to the need for local, countrywide and world missions within our denomination, and these efforts are administered and coordinated by our missions coordinator, assisted to a large degree by the very active Women’s Fellowship and Diaconate. Groups active in the church include the various Boards and Committees, the Women’s Fellowship, Hospitality Committee, Bible Study, and Prayer Group. Church groups sponsor many luncheons, suppers and programs in the vestry, and the kitchen becomes an active resource and center for church fellowship.

Our Community

The historic England town of Exeter was settled in the Spring of 1638. It has become a town of great and interesting historical significance with many landmarks. One of the original Garrison’s in New Hampshire, located on Water Street and known as the Gilman Garrison House, is well preserved and open at scheduled times to the public. Read More

Many men and women whose names are renowned in early New Hampshire history, lived and worked here and left their imprint on this historic town. A stroll through downtown Exeter with its many shops, restaurants, and historical sites is always a pleasant experience for both visitors and residents alike. The old bandstand is a familiar landmark, and the American Independence Museum is one of the many visitor attractions highlighting the town’s long and distinguished history.

Exeter, of course, is especially known today for being the home of Phillips Exeter Academy, formerly an all boys school and now co-educational. The town’s proximity to Seacoast beaches as well as New Hampshire lakes and the White Mountains make it ideally located for recreational opportunities. The University of New Hampshire with its many services and activities is close by, and the town is located about halfway between Boston, Massachusetts and Portland, Maine. Boston is only about a one-hour drive by automobile. Major airports are located in Boston, Portland and Manchester, New Hampshire. Exeter is a great location for family life and bringing up children. It is also ideal for business and occupational opportunities in view of its closeness to Portsmouth, Boston, and other growing communities in the tri-state area. There are many social and service organizations in Exeter including the Lions, Rotary, Chamber of Commerce, Jaycees, Women’s Clubs, Boy and Girl Scouts, Senior Citizens Club, Masonic Orders, American Legion, League of Women Voters, Habitat or Humanity, and the Historical Society. Exeter is tremendously blessed with a fine hospital and an excellent medical staff with access to many of the best physicians in the greater Boston area. The Exeter school system is highly regarded providing a wide curriculum for students of Exeter and surrounding communities. A state of the art new high school in a spacious setting opened its doors in 2006. Just a few years earlier, a new and beautiful Middle School was constructed providing exceptional learning facilities and opportunities.

Church Employees

In addition to the Pastor, we employ a part-time staff as follows:

Office Administrator - Part-Time
Sexton - Part-Time
Pianist or Organist on Sunday
Director of Family Ministries - Part-Time

During the past thirty-three years of its 208-year ministry, the church has had four pastors, three of whom have served about ten years each.

Active Groups in our Church

Women’s Fellowship
Tuesday morning bible study group
Wednesday evening prayer group
Adult Sunday school class
Hospitality Committee
Church Boards and Committees

Our Covenant

As believers in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and through God's great love and grace, we the members and friends of this Church acknowledge the need for a continuing fellowship with our Heavenly Father and with one another in faithful worship together and in our daily lives.

We therefore covenant with each other that guided by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit we will be faithful to our Lord in the support of the Christian Church by growing in our knowledge of the Bible, knowing the importance of prayer, and giving cheerfully of our time, talents and resources. In our Christian commitment, we will seek to know and follow God's will in our everyday lives and strive to live the Christian live in the often troubled world with the sense of love and caring for each other and those in need of our help.

As brothers and sisters in Christ, we recognize our special responsibility toward each other and to our children whom we must faithfully nurture with an understanding of the teachings of the Bible and a knowledge of Jesus Christ as Lord. We will therefore pray for one another, assist each other in whatever way we can and share our faith with others. And as we journey through life's triumphs and sorrows, we will seek to live to the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ who calls us out of darkness into His marvelous light.

Upcoming Events

Strawberry Festival

Blueberry Festival

Old Testament Survey Course

National Day of Prayer

The process will be simple:

Summer Schedule