Purpose & History
First Baptist Church of Longwood is a church with a purpose and a history that defines who we are and helps us determine, with God, where we are going. Our Purpose is stated simply as:
First Baptist Church of Longwood exists to prepare the saints for a life of enduring commitment to Jesus Christ and a lasting contribution to His Kingdom...through worship, fellowship, discipleship, evangelism, and ministry.
First Baptist Church, Longwood was organized May 31, 1891. In the small Wekiva Baptist Association (now Greater Orlando Baptist Association) the following brief note appears in their annual associational minutes:
"Longwood Baptist Church was organized May 31, 1891. ... letter {was} read and favorably acted upon, and the right hand of fellowship was extended to the delegates by the moderator."
With only 15 members and less than $10.00 in receipts for the year, it was, indeed, a very humble beginning for the young church. The tiny congregation began a commitment that would continue throughout its history - evangelism (two baptisms) and missions ($9.98) given to mission gifts that year. Prior to 1890 there are some scattered records of Baptist groups meeting in the area with a Longwood Church and an Antioch Church alluded to in associational minutes. However, it appears to be very clear that the foundation of what is the ministry of First Baptist Church in Longwood was formally laid in 1891.
In the 1880s Central Florida enjoyed a short-lived time of prosperity with a logging industry (which soon ravaged the land and caused the lumbering operation to move to more luscious forests). The economy plummeted, and along with it an exodus of a large portion of the population. It was in the midst of this crisis that Longwood Baptist Church was organized.
In 1894-1895 Central Florida experienced another economic crisis-that of a major temperature freeze which destroyed all of the fruit of a pioneer citrus grower and nurseryman in Oviedo. The value of fruit production from 21,737 acres of citrus groves in Orange County, which then included Seminole County was zero.
All of Central Florida was traumatically impacted and the small congregation of Longwood Baptist Church did not escape the crisis. For the most part, with the exception of informal gatherings for prayer and fellowship, the church ceased to function and it appears that for ten years the church was inoperable.
In 1905 new jobs and new hope came to Longwood with the establishment of a turpentine distillery. Along with this rebirth in the community the church renewed its participation in the Wekiva Association with 16 members under the leadership of Pastor John N. Entzminger. It began to prosper as the community prospered. Membership records show a steady climb from 16 members in 1905 to 40 in 1913, 56 in 1920, and 84 in 1932. The continuing effort to reach the community resulted in 8 baptisms in 1908 and 10 in 1913. What may seem to be trivial numbers today is indicative of the zeal and motivation of our forefathers in the faith. The 10 baptisms in 1913 reflect a ratio of 1 to 4 - a record that would bring honors and accolades today. Southern Baptist Convention denominational statisticians tell us that through the convention the average for baptisms is 1 to 30/40 (that is, it takes 30 to 40 Baptists one year to lead one person to Christ).
Records also indicate a commitment to missions. From the very outset it is abundantly clear that mission giving was a priority. On occasion the gifts were very small-only $2.00 in 1891 and $1.50 in 1905-but they were there. It was the act of giving, not the size of the gift, that was important. Our ancestors not only gave, they gave sacrificially. Records indicate that in 1915, 30% of receipts was given to missions, and in 1921, 79% was given.
In 1907 Sunday School was begun and for many years the church was served by a circuit rider minister who had responsibilities in several area churches. Sunday School was held each week, but they had preaching only once or twice a month. This limited pastoral leadership did not keep the church from seeking ways to expand its ministry. A trend was begun that extended into the 1970s - Sunday School enrolment exceeded church membership. Southern Baptists has long recognized that the key to strong and consistent church growth is to be fund within a strong Sunday School.
In the early years members would use their automobiles to pick up children to bring to Sunday School and church - thus, the early bus ministry. Services were held in Lyman High School and the Longwood City Library because of the growth and the recognition of the need to reach the community.
Our church history records do not reflect an exploding church, but do reflect an underlying commitment and determination by our predecessors to be a faithful witness where God planted them. Membership growth, baptismal consistency, mission giving, and ministry expansion have always been measures of the strength of a church. What has happened to us through the decades?
In 1933 the church voted to have preaching every week of the month that proved to be a catalyst for stabilization and growth. During this era the faithfulness of the people and their leaders in maintaining commitment to established priorities remained strong.
Membership records continue to reflect growth. By now there were 60 members on the church roll. By 1940, 172 and ten years later membership had grown to 224 members. From 1905 with 15 members, the church grew to 700 members in 1969 - with a growth of 200 members from 1965 to 1969. Records of comments from early members include "The church was the hub of spiritual and social activities. The church was very friendly and very neighborly." A November 8, 1953 picture of Longwood Baptist Church in The Sanford Builder carried the caption, "Down through the years, residents of the Seminole County community (Longwood) have earned the reputation of being sincere church-goers. "
Sunday School remained strong with enrollment usually exceeding church membership, which served as an evangelistic base. Not only were new members brought in from Christian families moving to the area, but also from Sunday School. Baptisms reached a high of 51 in 1958-1959 (1 baptism for every 7 members).
Mission giving remained consistent and dependable with the congregation giving an average of 10% to mission causes from 1933-1960. Giving was extremely low for a few years but the reasons are not readily apparent. Records of numerous years indicate giving to missions was at a 20% or higher level (1940-1945, 1951-1952, 1955). Growth in membership did not cause a loss of vision.
The church continued to reach out with the sponsorship of mission churches in Altamonte Springs, Lake Mary, and Deltona. In 1957, the Lake Mary mission was constituted into a church and in the same year the Altamonte Springs Chapel became First Baptist Church of Altamonte Springs (later changed to Friendship Baptist Church, then Fellowship of Joy, and more recently back to First Baptist Church of Altamonte Springs).
In 1957 Longwood Baptist Church officially became First Baptist Church of Longwood.
During the tumultuous years of the 1960s in our country, our church also faced several crisis situations that brought with them many opportunities. Some of these years were very tough for First Baptist Church, Longwood but the members met the challenges and continued to build upon the foundations that had been laid. The church's spirit remained consistent. The future was looking brighter.
In the 60s and 70s membership continued to grow, doubling in the 60s and leveling off in the late 70s. From a base of 353 members in 1960, First Baptist Church of Longwood was home to 760 believers in 1969-l 970. Baptisms averaged 30 a year and reached a high of 56 on 1962 (1 for every 7 members). Sunday School remained the foundation for outreach. In a 50-year history there were only four years in which First Baptist of Longwood 's Sunday School enrollment failed to surpass church membership. The church continued to do well in ministry reaching out into the community and starting a ministry at the Sanford Jail (1960); Seminole County Jail (1961); and Orlando Rescue Mission (1964). Mission churches in Deltona and Chuluota were begun and ultimately constituted as churches. During this time a Kindergarten was started and continued until public schools incorporated Kindergarten.
It was during this time period that Rev. Jack Lindsay, pastor for 12 and ½ years, had the vision to purchase the 7.5 acres where we are currently located. This was explored and presented to the church body that voted to purchase the land. The first building to be erected on this property was a gymnasium for an outreach to the community as well as a place of fellowship for our own members. This ministry flourished under the leadership of Rev. Bob Shettler and today we are still seeing the fruit of this outreach ministry.
Not only did FBC-L have many pastors over the years to lead our church but we were also fortunate to host some of the great leaders of all Southern Baptist history such as R. G. Lee (his granddaughter and her family were members of our church and we were privileged to see him baptize one of his great-grandchildren) (1970 & 1971). Also visiting the pulpit was John Maquire, a long time leader of Florida Baptists who led the State Board of Missions to recommend dividing all gifts with the national convention on a 50-50 basis. "Mr. Southern Baptist Evangelist", Vance Havner, also preached in our pulpit. It was also our privilege to have Dr. Millar Burrows speak to our adult training group. Dr. Burrows was a pioneer archaeologist and one of the first scholars to begin interpreting the Dead Sea Scrolls in Jerusalem, in the late 1940s and early 1950s.
We also had a videotape ministry back in the early 1970s and would share the videos with the shut-ins on a weekly basis.
During this time period FBC-L was recognized in a Sunday School Board publication of 1973 entitled, "Involving People in Reaching People ".
As a result of a Sunday School-led Revival the church experienced a new sense of excitement. Revival had truly taken place. New growth was taking place in Sunday School, the people were excited and visiting, new departments and classes being created, space being more efficiently utilized to hold more people. The same thing was occurring in the Church Training departments. As a result seven people accepted Christ and came for baptism and church membership. The church had now grown to nearly 800.
In its history FBC-L has had many pastors and each of them as well as those who were members have added to the foundation that was laid over 100 years ago.
During the year 1977 FBC-L called James Hammock as pastor and he was to lead the church for the next 15 years. A fresh and exciting spirit blew through the church and even though the membership had dropped to 607 before he came, under Pastor Hammock 's leadership the congregation grew to 1,300. This increase was not dramatic, but was over the period of the 15-year tenure of Pastor Hammock.
In addition to completing the move to the new facility on State Road 434 in 1980, Pastor Hammock led the church in finding a new vision for its mission: The Ministry of the Laity. Ministry groups were formed that focused on the necessary ministries of the church. New member orientation was established to introduce all incoming members to the concepts of the ministry of the laity and the uniqueness of our church.
In 1979-1980 the church followed through with the relocation to its present site. For about a year and a half growth continued almost unchecked with some Sundays seeing as many as 20 additions.
The 1980s brought a great emphasis on discipleship, mainly through MasterLife Discipleship Training. Over an eight-year span over 100 members were introduced to a closer walk with the Lord through this 26-week course.
The 1980s also saw the construction of a new education building and replacing the deteriorating Family Life Center (gym).
During this growth period Noah 's Ark, a Christian childcare center, was opened in August of 1985 with initial enrollment of 86-day care and preschool children. As of the spring of 1991 there were 49 children in day care, 21 children enrolled in preschool, and 16 children enrolled in the after school program.
In December 1963 First Baptist Church of Longwood voted to purchase Casselberry Baptist Church that was about to disband. The fellowship became known as Casselberry Baptist Mission and 35 members from the Longwood church made one-year commitments to begin the new work in Casselberry. Nearly that many from Casselberry joined the work. Under the leadership of their bi-vocational pastor, Cullen Chesser, this fellowship was constituted as a church in May of 1991.
Through the years FBC-L has had a multitude of ministries that have flourished over the years, many of which are still active. In addition to that we have added several ministries. The first Children 's Church was started during the 1950s. For the past 17 years our church has had a very strong ministry/outreach work in its free Thanksgiving Dinner. Church members volunteer to provide the food for a full course complete Thanksgiving dinner, cook, serve, clean up, deliver meals to shut-ins, provide transportation to and from the church, and greet those who arrive for their meal served to them at the table. Carry out meals are provided for those who must work on Thanksgiving day at fire stations, hospital emergency rooms, police stations, etc. Many of those who come to the gym ask for meals to carry out with them so they will have food that evening.
Under Bro. Jim's leadership mission trips became and continue to be a staple of the church's ministry as groups travel across Florida, throughout the United States, Bahamas, Jamaica, and other areas around the world.
When Bro. Jim resigned the church was without a full time pastor for 2.5 years while a pastor search committed prayed and searched for God's man to lead us. In 1994 Dr. Gerald Robison answered that call and led us for the next five years. The church continued its emphasis on missions that was reinforced with the reactivation of a Missions Ministry Group that sponsored our first International Missions Conference in 2000. This has resulted in our sponsoring several missionaries with funds from our Missions budget. This year, 2001, we had the privilege of hosting 20 missionaries from all over the world in a four-day conference.
Under Dr. Robison's ministry we built and for the last seven years we have presented "Walk Through Bethlehem" to our community two weekends in December and have seen upwards of 15,000 people come through the "city" and over 350 saved each year.
This and the Thanksgiving Dinner continue to be the major outreach efforts to our community.
During this time we also added AWANA (our children 's outreach ministry),
Dr. Robison resigned in August 1999 to partner with a friend in the ministry called "Unveiling Glory". The time came once again for us to search for a leader. A search committee was elected and as their search and review of the resumes was progressing, within a few months God led them to Rev. Chris Whaley, who had resigned his pastorate about three months prior to the contact with our committee. They were unanimous in their sense of God's call to Pastor Chris to come to our church. At one of the meetings prior to the church vote, which was an unheard of 97%, one of the committee members said it really concerned her that our church might be taking a pastor away from another congregation and they would be left without a leader. God had already made the way clear and that was one of the affirming things to her that Pastor Chris was God's man for us.
Pastor Chris has led our church to become involved in the FAITH evangelistic outreach through the Sunday School - continuing the history of First Baptist Longwood in growing the church through the Sunday School.
When FBC-L moved into its present location we went into considerable debt and with the expansion of the education building and the rebuilding of the gymnasium, our debt expanded. The church has entered into a debt reduction program where we pray that over the next five years or so we will be debt free.
We continue to grow and reach out to our community. Our emphasis continues on evangelism, Sunday School, missions, and preparing the saints for a life of enduring commitment to Jesus Christ and lasting contribution to His kingdom . . . through worship, fellowship, discipleship, evangelism and ministry.
This year First Baptist Church of Longwood celebrates 110 years of ministry. There is not room to list the entire history or those who have made outstanding contributions but we, like the author of Hebrews in Chapter 11 can say,
"And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having some better things for us, that they without us should not be made perfect."
Our past is behind us and our future is before us. What are we going to do in the present with our past for our future and what are we adding to the foundation already laid before us?
We can only be responsible for where we are and as we continue what those before us started will those in the future find us faithful as we find those before us faithful? Let us pray that we will do our part to leave the legacy of steadfast faithfulness to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.