About Us
OUR HISTORY
“This is the LORD'S doing; it is marvelous in our eyes."
Psalm 118:23
In 1968, a group of seven families began holding services in the home of Don Thatcher. The new church was called “Fostoria Baptist Church.”
By 1969, the church moved to a former restaurant in Fostoria, MI. Soon plans were being made to construct a church building, and the ground breaking ceremony took place in 1974. The building was erected with a great deal of volunteer labor by the church people, and the Dedication Service was held in 1976.
Since then an educational wing in 1982 and a gymnasium in 2000 were added to accommodate the growing church family.
Now as the church continues to minister to the surrounding communities, we look forward to what God has in store for the future.
If you want a more in-depth explanation of our church's history, purpose, and vision for the future, check out these videos!
OUR PASTOR
With Christ as our Head, FBC has been blessed throughout its history with Godly men who have served the Lord as pastor or shepherd of this local flock, faithfully leading in following our Savior.
Steven and Erica
Henry
The Lord brought Pastor Henry to Fostoria Baptist Church in August of 2011 as their senior pastor. Having grown up in a pastor’s home in Indiana, Pastor Henry is well-acquainted with full-time ministry—he counts it both a tremendous privilege and awesome responsibility to serve the Lord and others as pastor of FBC.
Pastor Henry was saved at an early age and enjoyed attending Christian schools throughout his school-age years along with being heavily active in his local church. After graduating from Bible College, the Lord led Pastor Henry to work within his father’s local church in many areas while also teaching in a local Christian School.
It is during this time, that the Lord blessed him with his beautiful wife Erica, who likewise graduated from Bible College with a burden to give her life to her Lord through the local church ministry. The Lord soon moved the Henrys on to work at a church and Christian school in Terre Haute, Indiana for several years. In 2006, the Lord called Pastor Henry to be the youth pastor at Temple Baptist Church in Herndon, Virginia, where the Lord blessed the Henrys with a fruitful ministry to His glory.
In 2011, through much prayer and clear direction, Pastor Henry and Erica followed the Lord’s calling to Fostoria, Michigan, where they are delighted to serve Him and this local group of believers. Both Pastor Henry and Erica are passionate about seeing families “know God, love God, and live for God.”
Through his preaching ministry, Pastor Henry’s burden for people to “know what they believe and why they believe it” comes through; his passionate and dynamic preaching makes his love for the Lord and people obvious. Ministering together, Pastor Henry and Erica’s attitude is simple: “…ourselves your servants, for Jesus’ sake.” (II Corinthians 4:5b)
OUR STATEMENT OF FAITH
1. THE SCRIPTURES
We believe in the plenary, verbal inspiration of the sixty-six books of the Bible. The Old and New Testaments are inerrant in the original writings, and they are the supreme and final authority in all matters of faith and practice. We believe that the Masoretic Text of the Old Testament and the Textus Receptus of the New Testament are the preserved Word of God. It is our practice to use only the King James Version.
2. THE GODHEAD
We believe in one God, eternally existing in three Persons ~ Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
3. CREATION
We believe in direct and instant creation that was completed in six literal, twenty-four-hour days. We reject any theory of evolution.
4. THE PERSON AND WORK OF JESUS CHRIST
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men. This redemption was accomplished through His death on the cross, and was made sure to us by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead. He ascended into heaven, and is now exalted at the right hand of God the Father.
5. THE PERSON AND WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
We believe that the Holy Spirit is the Supernatural Agent in regeneration and sanctification, indwelling equally and permanently every believer and sealing him unto the day of redemption.
6. THE WAY OF SALVATION
We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to sinful man by grace and received solely by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. All who believe in Him are justified on the ground of His shed blood. We reject all theories, philosophies, and theologies that are inconsistent with the Bible.
We reject the systems of Calvinism and Arminianism.
We conclude biblically that Christ died for all men and that salvation is appropriated by individual choice by faith in Jesus Christ.
We reject an “unconditional election” to heaven and a predetermined sentence to Hell as being unbiblical.
We believe that all who receive the Lord Jesus Christ by faith are born again of the Holy Spirit, are the children of God, and are eternally secure.
7. THE DEVIL
We believe in a literal devil who was the agent in the fall of man. He is presently the prince of this world, and he will be judged and shall be eternally punished.
8. THE CHURCH
We believe that a New Testament Baptist church is a local assembly of baptized believers, assembled for worship, edification, and obedience to the Great Commission. Baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper are the only two ordinances of the church. The pastor and deacon are the only valid officers.
9. BIBLICAL SEPARATION
We believe all believers should honor the Lord by a life of separation from the world’s philosophies and practices. This separation should affect the believer morally, personally, and ecclesiastically. We stand in opposition to the Ecumenical Movement, New Evangelicalism, Neo-Orthodoxy, the Charismatic Movement, and Cooperative Evangelism between churches who are not of the same faith and practice.
10. THE RETURN OF CHRIST
We believe in the imminent rapture of the believers of this current age, followed by a literal seven-year period of tribulation upon this earth. This tribulation time will be climaxed by the return of the Lord Jesus Christ to the earth to introduce a literal millennial reign.
11. OUR ETERNAL STATE
We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men — the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment. We believe in a literal heaven and a literal hell.
OUR MESSAGE
Have you ever heard it said that there are “only two things certain in life, death and taxes”?
That statement is attributed to none other than Benjamin Franklin who replied with this statement when addressing whether or not the Constitution of the United States of America would stand the test of time—well, as an American, I am sure glad our Constitution is still going strong!
But Mr. Franklin was right on about one thing . . . there is very little in life that ANY of us can be 100% sure of. In fact, there is much that is uncertain: the economy, our jobs, our health, our future, etc.
It has been said that we each truly live LIVES OF UNCERTAINTY.Now think about the uncertainty of what lies ahead after this life . . . we are surrounded by death every day, a news cast doesn’t go by without the report of a fatal accident or a murder.
Neither you nor I know what tomorrow truly holds, or if we will be even here to see it. So, what awaits us when we are ushered into eternity via death???
Some say we return to dust, others say we come back on this earth as something or someone else, but the Bible, which has NEVER been proven wrong, says that each one of us will spend ALL of ETERNITY either in a place called Heaven, a paradise, or a place called Hell, a place of utter torment and pain.
When it comes to what happens after death, we can be 100% sure, based upon what the Bible teaches, of a few different things . . .
First, EVERYONE will die. . . Hebrews 9:27 says,
“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.”
Once death comes, and it will come, you and I will go on into eternity.
Secondly, EVERYONE has already punched their ticket for hell. . . when we read together Romans 3:23 which says, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” and Romans 6:23 which says, “For the wages of sin is death” we come to some simple, but sorrowful truths:
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Each one of us is a sinner—-we prove it daily don’t we?
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Each one of us in and of ourselves “fall short” of the righteousness and holiness demanded for entrance into Heaven.
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Each one of us face the “wage” or cost of our sin—death, eternal separation from a loving, holy God. The sad reality is that in and of ourselves we are without hope of escaping hell when we die—we are 100% assured of going there. But there is HOPE in Jesus Christ . . .
Thirdly, EVERYONE can gain Heaven through Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for all of mankind. . . one of the best verses in all the Bible is found in John 3:16 which states,
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Yes, that is right, God loves everyone! And because He does, He has lovingly and graciously made a way for you and I to escape hell and gain Heaven—we can be 100% sure that when we die, Heaven will be our eternal home! Romans 5:8 adds a little more:
“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
The love of God for EVERY ONE of us was demonstrated in Jesus Christ coming to earth, living a perfect life, and dying on a cross for your sins and mine. Though my sins and your sins condemn us to hell, the love of God has opened the gates of Heaven for each and every one of us.
So, HOW can YOU be 100% sure that you will be in Heaven for all of eternity??? It’s pretty simple.
EVERYONE can know for SURE
. . . the Bible says that anyone can be saved, escape hell and gain Heaven, through faith in Christ alone. Acts 16:31 says,
“…Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved…”
All you must do is lift your heart to God in prayer, expressing to Him that you realize you are a sinner and that your sin makes you deserving of hell, that you understand that Jesus died for you and made a way for you to gain Heaven, and that, in this moment, you confess your sins and trust Jesus as your personal Savior. As you express this to Him and mean it from your heart, you can be 100% sure that you will spend all of eternity in Heaven! There is no greater peace than to know that Heaven awaits once death ushers us from this life . . . if you have trusted Christ today, won’t you please let us know by sending us a note via email or give us a call as we would like to rejoice with you in your decision to trust Christ.