Sunday, January 21, 2001
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Sunday, January 21, 2001 |
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Peachtree City First Baptist has grown with the community By CAROLYN CARY Though the city of Peachtree City is now 42 years old, it was only nine years old when the First Baptist Church of Peachtree City first convened. Meeting at first in homes, it continued to grow until it was constituted into a full-fledged church in 1973. It enjoys a membership of 2,000 and grows at the rate of 10 per cent a year. Originally sponsored by the First Baptist Church of Fayetteville, the Peachtree City church in turn sponsored the North Fayette Baptist Church and have participated in sponsoring the Greentree Church in Tyrone and the Rolling Hills Church, south of Fayetteville. Currently it is sharing a Spanish minister with a church in Palmetto. The church offers dozens of programs available for children, youth, adults and seniors. Some are conducted during the day and some in the evening. One of the newer opportunities offered is classes for fitness, Sundays at 4:30 p.m., and classes on fostering better relationships, at the same time. "Moms for Moms" is a support group to organize play groups, child/parent activities and Bible studies. It promotes parent education and helps to strengthen home life and marriage. It is each Tuesday from 9:15 - 11 a.m. The international language ministry teaches English as a second language and the Japanese ministry offers English conversation classes Thursday mornings. A Japanese worship service is each Sunday morning from 9:30 - 10:45 a.m. with a Japanese language Bible study afterward from 11 a.m. to noon. The seniors participate in a JOY Luncheon each first Tuesday. Not content to participate in local ministries, members have traveled to Canada, Russia, Venezuela, Indonesia and helped out in inner St. Louis. Helping to hold all this together is the Rev. Dr. Steve Bingham, pastor. He was born in St. Louis and reared in Tennessee. He first felt pulled into the ministry at 14 and has been preaching since the age of 17. Graduating from the Union University in religion and philosophy, he has served churches in Kentucky, Tennessee and Florida and came to Peachtree City in August 1999. Bingham has been married to Jennie for the past 28 years, and they are the parents of Brad, 22, a student at Union University, and a daughter, Stephanie, 19, also at Union. "I see our church as a partner in support of the other churches in the area," he said, "and through participation in events and programs, we hope this church can enable a spirit of understanding that we are a people who make mistakes and that it's OK to start over. Every decision we make in our church and in our lives affects those in the future," he added. "I have been incredibly blessed to work with a fine staff," said Bingham. "They are so unified, thoughtful and supportive. I really appreciate their caring, thoughtfulness and creativity." The church has six full time pastors and two part time pastors. Sunday early worship service is at 8:30 a.m., followed by Sunday School at 9:30 and the regular worship service at 11. There's a Sunday evening worship service at 6 and Wednesday prayer meeting is at 6:30 p.m. The church is at 208 Willowbend Road in Peachtree City and can be reached at 770-487-8133.
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