You are invited to come to the special Christmas Eve Candlelight Service in our beautiful sanctuary on Wednesday, December 24th at 6:30 PM.

Meet our new Pastor, the Rev. Dr. Deanna Swilling, as she inspires us with the joyful spirit of Christmas and the wonderful message of the birth of the Christ Child. We encourage families to attend along with the general public, church members, guests and friends. And we welcome all visitors to the area and Exeter area students. Come and experience the meaning and hope this day brings to the world. Most of all, we at FBC Exeter, wish you all a very Merry Christmas!

Want to get an early start in capturing the spirit of Christmas?

On Sunday, December 14 at 3:00 in the afternoon, we are hosting in our sanctuary at FBC Exeter a Christmas Musical concert entitled “On This Very Night”. “A Christmas Musical” is created by Karla Worley, arranged & orchestrated by Lari Goss, and will be presented on the 14th by the combined choirs of First Baptist Church, Salem, NH and Exeter, NH. The concert will be presented again at FBC in Salem, NH on December 21st at 6:00 PM.

On Christmas Sunday morning, December 21st at 10:30 AM, our Christmas Sunday Service & Birthday Party for Jesus will be held at our church in Exeter.

The church service will be held in our sanctuary as usual, and the Christmas Party for Jesus will follow downstairs in the church vestry. We welcome all of you to celebrate the peace, joy and hope this season brings. Please join with us on this day and for other Christmas programs and events so that you will feel the meaning of the Savior’s birth.

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.