First Baptist Church Cantonment sits on Morris Avenue in Cantonment, Florida, a Southern Baptist congregation whose stated mission is to love God, to love people, and to make disciples of Jesus Christ. The church gathers on Sundays for Sunday School and worship, midweek for prayer and Bible study, and offers a wide range of programs for every age from the nursery through senior adults. Its most distinctive ministry is In His Image, a special needs program that serves children, teens, and adults with disabilities and their families. Across the street from the current site at 118 Morris Avenue, plans are underway for a new church facility at 298 Morris Avenue, the next chapter for a congregation already known for its expository preaching and warm welcome to guests.
Sunday Mornings: Bible Study, Worship, and a Livestream
The Sunday rhythm at FBCC starts at 9:00 AM with Sunday School for every age. Adults gather in graded classes, students meet their peers for a focused Bible study, and children work through age-appropriate lessons. The Sunday School hour ends in time for everyone to transition into the 10:30 AM Worship Service, which runs through noon. Each gathering includes prayer, congregational singing, giving, and expository preaching built around a single passage of Scripture, with the goal of transforming lives to be more like Jesus Christ. God's Word is at the center of every gathering, and the sermons are built on Scripture rather than the pastor's ideas.
Guests who cannot attend in person can join the Sunday Morning Live Stream, which begins at 10:15 AM and runs through 12:30 PM on YouTube. Worship is built around biblical themes that are timeless, with music and preaching meant to feel both familiar and refreshed. Greeters stand ready at the doors to welcome first-time guests and direct them to the right classrooms and worship spaces, reflecting the church's desire to be a place where every person feels a sense of belonging.
Wednesday Nights: Prayer, Bible Study, and Kids Club
Midweek programming is one of the strongest rhythms at FBCC. The Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting runs from 6:00 to 7:30 PM and is livestreamed so members can join from home. Immediately following, at 6:15 PM, the church opens its Wednesday night activities for adults, youth, children, and the nursery, giving the whole family a single evening to study the Bible and connect with one another. The student ministry for middle and high schoolers meets from 6:15 to 7:30 PM, and FIRST Kids, the children's program, is offered at 6:15 PM as well.
A separate outreach, KiDs Beach Club, runs at Jim Allen Elementary School on Wednesdays from 2:00 to 3:00 PM, introducing children in the surrounding community to Bible stories and Christian values during the school day. The program is hosted by FBCC and registered through the KiDs Beach Club network, giving local families an entry point into the church's ministry.
FBCC Kids: From Nursery through Seventh Grade
The children's ministry, branded FBCC Kids, treats every child as a blessing from the Lord and partners with parents to help the next generation grow closer to Jesus. Workers are trained and background-checked, and the ministry groups children by birth date so each one is in a setting suited to their stage. Programs are offered on Sunday mornings at 9:00 AM and during the worship service, and FIRST Kids meets on Wednesday evenings at 6:15 PM. A clean, well-staffed nursery is provided during all church services for infants and toddlers, giving parents a chance to focus on worship and teaching. Matthew 19:14 frames the philosophy: "Let the little children come to me."
Three tracks make up the children's ministry: a nursery for infants and toddlers, a class for kindergarten through second grade, and a class for third through seventh grade. Each one aims to help children learn relevant truth about God and live it out every day, while parents are invited to engage and grow in their own walk with Christ. The ministry's stated goal is to partner with parents and help families learn more about God's Word and build a relationship with Jesus, with every child valued, accepted, and taught by a group of caring leaders.
In His Image: A Special Needs Community
One of the most distinctive ministries at FBCC is In His Image, a special needs ministry that began as a way to serve children, teens, and adults with disabilities and their families. The ministry gathers on Sunday mornings at 9:00 AM and Wednesday evenings at 6:15 PM, with trained workers who create an environment of safety, love, and learning. Each student participates in lessons to the extent of their abilities, and the ministry practices inclusion whenever possible, celebrating every achievement. Weekly lessons include fun activities and teaching from the Bible, and the staff works hard to make sure no child or family walks through the journey alone.
A monthly worship service called Pure Praise is in development for the special needs community, offering another setting where families can worship together. The In His Image team describes its mission as a lighthouse of hope, acceptance, and belonging, pointing every student toward the love of Jesus and the potential God has given them. Anchored in Proverbs 27:17, "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another," the ministry welcomes any family seeking a church home where everyone is known and valued. The team invites families to get in touch through the church to discuss how best to minister to their needs.
Student Ministry for Middle and High School
FBCC Students is designed to help middle and high schoolers know Jesus Christ and find their ultimate joy and satisfaction in Him. The ministry deepens understanding of the greatness of God and gives encouragement in the pursuit of godliness, walking alongside families during the teenage years. On Sunday mornings from 9:00 to 10:00 AM, students gather for Bible study, then join the broader church for worship. On Wednesday evenings from 6:15 to 7:30 PM, the student ministry offers a high-energy experience built around belonging, fun, and growing in a relationship with Jesus. The stated goal is to equip every student to love and serve the local church for a lifetime.
Adult Ministries: Men, Women, and Senior Life
FBCC's adult ministries include a Men's Ministry built around 1 Corinthians 16:13, encouraging men to be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, and be strong. The men's program balances worship, biblical teaching, fellowship, prayer, and evangelism, with Bible studies, breakfasts, and special gatherings throughout the year. The Men's Ministry is committed to encouraging the growth of spiritual leaders among the men of the church.
The Women's Ministry, anchored in Proverbs 31:25, gathers women to grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord and to think through practical applications to everyday life. Bible studies and special events run throughout the year, and the women's ministry is described as a place where women laugh at the time to come, clothed in strength and dignity.
Senior Life exists for fellowship, friendship, and encouragement to seniors, whether married, widowed, or single. The group meets monthly for fellowship, plans trips, and serves together in outreach, creating community for older adults at FBCC and a place to belong across the decades of adult life.
A Heart for Missions: Schools, Backpacks, and Brazil
FBCC takes the Baptist Faith and Message's call to evangelism and missions seriously, supporting both local and international work. The Backpack Ministry partners with Jim Allen Elementary School to fill backpacks each week with enough food to feed a child through the weekend. Each week, volunteers pack enough food for a single child and deliver the backpacks to the school for distribution to families who need them most. The prayer of the ministry is that the food would open the door for sharing the Gospel with children and their families, addressing spiritual needs even as physical needs are met.
Internationally, FBCC partners with Congregacao Batista em Jucara, a church in Jucara, Brazil. After prayer and the generosity of the congregation, money was raised for the construction of a new church building in Jucara, deepening a long-term relationship with Brazilian believers. The Missions team also encourages members to pray for the church's partners and to consider joining short-term mission trips when the opportunity arises, just as Senior Pastor Will Stone has served on teams in Russia, Greece, Tanzania, Ghana, Jamaica, and Brazil.
What FBCC Believes
First Baptist Church Cantonment holds to the Baptist Faith and Message 2000, the confession of faith of the Southern Baptist Convention, last amended by action of the 2023 Southern Baptist Convention. The church teaches that the Holy Bible is the divinely inspired, totally true and trustworthy revelation of God, and the supreme standard for Christian faith and practice. There is one true God, infinite in holiness and perfections, who exists eternally as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes but without division of nature, essence, or being.
Salvation is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and includes regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification. The church practices two ordinances, believer's baptism by immersion and the Lord's Supper, and teaches that a New Testament church is an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers, governed by its members under the Lordship of Christ through democratic processes. Its scriptural offices are pastor, elder, and deacon, with the office of pastor limited to men as qualified by Scripture.
The church holds to the bodily resurrection of Christ, the personal and visible return of Christ in glory, the eternal reward of the righteous in heaven, and the eternal punishment of the unrighteous. The family is taught as the foundational institution of human society, with marriage defined as the union of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. Christians are called to oppose racism, greed, selfishness, and sexual immorality, to provide for the orphaned, the needy, the abused, the aged, the helpless, and the sick, and to speak on behalf of the unborn.
Religious liberty is also a core conviction: God alone is Lord of the conscience, and church and state should be separate. The state owes every church protection and full freedom in the pursuit of its spiritual ends, with no ecclesiastical group favored over others. A free church in a free state is the Christian ideal, and the gospel of Christ contemplates spiritual means alone for the pursuit of its ends.
The Pastoral Team
Dr. Will Stone has served as Senior Pastor at First Baptist Church Cantonment since 2010. He earned a Bachelor of Science from Mid-Continent University in Mayfield, Kentucky, a Master of Divinity from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, and a Doctor of Ministry from Liberty Theological Seminary in Lynchburg, Virginia. He began his pastorate in 1997, pastoring Pleasant View Baptist Church in Kentucky for four years and Casky Baptist Church in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, for more than eight years before coming to Cantonment. He and his wife, Paulette, have been married since 1991 and have two adult sons, Noah and Micah. He has served on short-term mission teams in Russia, Greece, Tanzania, Ghana, Jamaica, Brazil, Maine, Eastern Kentucky, Louisiana, and Utah. His love for preaching and teaching the Word of God shapes the pulpit ministry of FBCC.
Mark Taghon serves as Worship Pastor, leading the church in congregational music and worship planning.
Plan a Visit at 118 Morris Avenue
First Baptist Church Cantonment meets at 118 Morris Avenue, Cantonment, FL 32533, with a parking lot near the church and designated guest spots near the front door. Greeters stand at the doors to help newcomers find their way around the building, and the church is more concerned about the presence of a guest than what they wear. Most members dress in the range of business formal to business casual, gathering to worship the Lord in a way that honors God. The atmosphere is described as relaxed and comfortable, with music and worship built around biblical themes that are timeless.
A clean, well-staffed nursery is provided during every service for infants and toddlers, and FBCC Kids programming is available for older children during Sunday morning services and Wednesday evenings. The In His Image special needs ministry also meets during these times, and a connect card is available for guests who want to follow up or get more information about the church and its ministries. The church is a group of regular people who want to honor the Lord Jesus Christ and encourage each other to grow in their walk with Him, and no matter a guest's family dynamics or background, the church welcomes them as part of the family.
Sermons are available through a media archive that includes video and audio from recent weeks and past series. Giving is available online through the church's giving page and by mail to the church office. The church is active on Facebook, X, Instagram, and YouTube, where the Sunday Morning Live Stream and Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting are broadcast each week. Dr. Will Stone and the staff can be reached at 850-968-9135.