First Baptist Church of Gary, Indiana has anchored the Means Manor area on the city's south side for more than a century. Founded in 1908 by Raymond Rankins, Samuel J. Duncan, and Samuel R. Clay, the congregation belongs to the historic Black Baptist tradition rooted in the National Baptist Convention, USA, Incorporated, and it describes itself today as a thriving, intergenerational, Christ-centered, Spirit-filled community of believers whose mission is to share the gospel, embrace diversity, and extend radical hospitality to Gary and the wider world.
A Founding on Washington Street
The first minister was Rev. Suggs. Rev. Blake of Olivet Baptist Church in Chicago followed as the second pastor, and a succession of early leaders - among them Rev. Zimmerman, Rev. Davis, and Rev. Ogelsby - shepherded the young congregation at its original home on Washington Street. In 1913, Rev. Charles E. Hawkins began what would become a 31-year pastorate, and his wife Belle Hawkins organized the Alpha Arts Club in 1916, the first club organized in the church and the seed of a women's mission tradition that continues today. The congregation moved to 2101 Washington Street in 1917.
A New Home on West 21st Avenue
When Rev. Dr. Robert E. Penn became Senior Pastor in 1952, plans moved forward for a new building at 626 West 21st Avenue, and the present sanctuary was completed in 1955. The congregation has worshipped there ever since. The decades that followed brought a long line of pastors - Rev. Dr. Colvin Blanford, Sr. (1973 to 1981), Rev. Samuel Roberts (1981 to 1983), Rev. William D. Booth, Sr. (1983 to 1990), Rev. Allen H. Smith (1991 to 1994), Rev. Dr. Leo Reese (1994 to 1996), Rev. Dr. Bennie T. Henson (1996 to 2009), and Pastor Timothy F. Brown (2012 to 2022) - along with seasons led by associate ministers and interim pastors, including Rev. Michelle Cobb as spiritual leader in 1990, Rev. Dr. Eric Pearman as interim in 2009 to 2010, and Pastor De'Wan Bynum in 2024.
Rev. Nicole Patrice Guns Takes the Pulpit
On May 18, 2025, Rev. Nicole Patrice Guns was elected Senior Pastor, becoming the first woman to lead the congregation and only the second woman to pastor a historically Black Baptist church in Indiana. A sixth-generation licensed and ordained preacher from Richmond, Virginia, and the youngest daughter of Dr. Geoffrey and Mrs. Rosetta Guns, she graduated Magna Cum Laude from Hampton University with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2003 and earned her Master of Divinity, also Magna Cum Laude, from the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University in 2022, where she received the Ella P. Mitchell Preaching Award.
Rev. Guns previously served as Youth Pastor of Mt. Hope Baptist Church in Fredericksburg, Virginia, under Dr. Raymond Bell, and as College and Young Adult Pastor at Second Calvary Baptist Church in Norfolk. She has taken part in international mission work in Kenya and Nigeria and led tours to the Holy Land. In 2024, she was named Assistant General Secretary of the National Baptist Convention, USA, Incorporated - the first woman to serve as a cabinet member in the convention's history - and she is a contributing writer for the Sunday School Publishing Board of the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc., and co-host of The Kingdom Podcast.
Sunday Mornings in Worship and Study
Sunday School meets at 9:00 a.m., with classes for every age from children through adults. Worship follows at 10:00 a.m., with preaching the congregation describes as speaking to both heart and mind and music led by the Sanctuary Choir under Minister of Music Patrice Mack, joined by percussionist Thomas Sanders.
Throughout the Week
Family Bible Study gathers on Wednesday evenings at 6:00 p.m., and a midday Bible Study meets on Thursdays at noon. On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings at 6:30 a.m. CST, the church opens a telephone prayer line at (605) 313-9667, access code 6524341, for anyone who wants to begin the day in prayer. Saturday mornings at 10:00 a.m. bring a self-defense class open to all ages and skill levels.
Music as Worship
The Music Ministry sees song as a way to share the gospel, encourage believers, lead the congregation in worship, and give musicians an avenue to share their gifts. The Sanctuary Choir is the heart of that ministry each Sunday morning.
The Food Pantry at Forty
Since March 25, 1983, the First Baptist Food Pantry has fed neighbors in the Means Manor community and beyond. Completely funded by the church itself, with no outside grants or agency support, the pantry distributes food on the third Wednesday of each month from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Volunteers describe the work in the words of Matthew 25:35 - "For I was hungry and you gave me food to eat" - and see each distribution as a chance to feed both body and soul.
Brotherhood, Mission Circles, and the Deaconess Board
The Brotherhood calls the men of the congregation into Christian ministry and into mentoring young men in becoming men of value. The Deaconess Ministry assists the Pastor and Deacon Board with Holy Communion and Baptism and helps nurture reverence for Christ and his sacrificial death. The Senior Usher Board greets members and visitors before, during, and after each service, committed to being Door Keepers in the House of the Lord.
Three mission circles carry forward a women's ministry tradition that reaches back more than a century. The Miriam Mission Circle, the Bessie Griggs Mission Circle, and the C.B. Johnson Mission Circle each gather for personal devotion, study, and service to the church and beyond. The General Mission Union coordinates the work of the circles and supports local, district, state, national, and foreign missions, embodying the church's motto: "Not for ourselves; but for others." The Evangelism Ministry reaches out to those who are lost, unsaved, or hurting, and other ministries include the Nurses Guild, a Volunteer Club, and Prison Ministry.
Reaching the Next Generation
Teen Scene is the church's outreach ministry for young people ages 13 to 19, engaging teens in community service projects, fellowship, and leadership under adult advisors. Rev. Kenneth L. Gray, Sr. serves as Youth Pastor. The Scholarship and Academic Encouragement Committee supports the church's youth through tutoring and awards monetary gifts, scholarships, and First Baptist education grants to deserving high school seniors. The Alpha Arts Ministry continues to sponsor the annual Corinne Jones Scholarship Banquet in honor of one of the church's longtime educators.
Worship in the Beauty of Holiness
The Altar Guild sees that fresh flowers adorn the altar each Sunday morning, ordered from local neighborhood florists. At Christmas and Easter, members order poinsettias and lilies in memory of or in honor of loved ones. After each service, volunteers create individual bouquets from the altar arrangements and deliver them to members who are hospitalized or in nursing homes, spreading the beauty of the love of Jesus Christ to those who cannot regularly attend.
Giving and Contact
First Baptist accepts checks and cash on Sundays, checks by mail, and gifts through Givelify. Office Manager and Church Clerk Maxine Hurson staffs the office. The church is located at 626 West 21st Avenue, Gary, Indiana 46407, and can be reached at (219) 883-3216 or garyfbc1908@gmail.com.