On a rise above East Stuart Drive in the City of Galax, First Baptist Church has stood for generations as one of the twin counties' best-known Baptist congregations. From its present building, the church runs a Sunday school and an 11:00 AM worship service, a weekday preschool, a choir that puts on three holiday productions a year, a livestreamed Monday Bible study, and a network of mission partnerships reaching from a Christ-centered children's home called Joy Ranch to the Free Clinic of Twin Counties and God's Storehouse soup kitchen just down the road.
What makes First Baptist Galax unusual is not any single program but the steady, decades-long habit of starting things. The congregation has helped launch three other Baptist churches in and around Galax, founded a free medical clinic in 1992, established a Hispanic mission in 2001, and continues to feed the hungry, drive children to Sunday school on a church bus that has been running since 1998, and staff a parish nurse program through the local hospital. Senior Pastor Rev. Dr. Kevin Rosenfeld describes the church's heartbeat simply: it is a missional church whose goal is the one Jesus gave in Matthew 28:19, to bring people into a strong and vibrant relationship with Him.
A history written in mission work
First Baptist Church has been evangelistic and mission-oriented from its inception. As the congregation grew in the early twentieth century, it built an educational building to absorb the increase. In 1947 the church sponsored a new mission on the south end of Galax that would become Hillcrest Baptist Church. Members assisted in the development and constitution of Calvary Baptist Church in Galax and held worship services in the brickyard section of the city, work that eventually led to the formation of East Galax Baptist Church.
For the next several decades, the church sent mission teams to Southern India and the Outer Banks of North Carolina. In 1992 it helped found the Baptist Free Medical Clinic, a non-profit "clinic without walls" that accepted patients who qualified by need, staffed by volunteer physicians and other workers. In 2001 the church established a Hispanic church mission that continues to serve the Spanish-speaking community under the pastoral care of Pastor Lino Rodriguez. Worship services are held in both English and Spanish.
Today Rev. Dr. Kevin Rosenfeld serves as senior pastor, and the church continues to seek God's wisdom in carrying out its mission in the Galax community and beyond.
What to expect on a first visit
Visitors who arrive unsure what to wear can relax. The congregation has no dress code: come casual or dressy, whatever feels comfortable. There are no assigned seats, so guests can sit anywhere. Members are quick to introduce themselves, and the church warns newcomers that "someone WILL speak to you." Guests are never asked to give; the offering plate is reserved for members.
Children are cared for at every level. A spacious, well-staffed nursery and preschool classrooms welcome children five and under. Kidz Quest is a worship experience designed especially for children in kindergarten through fifth grade. Older youth gather in a separate Tru-North class. Guests who arrive with kids simply need to let a greeter know, and they will be pointed in the right direction.
Sunday on East Stuart Drive
The rhythm of the week begins on Sunday morning. Sunday School classes for adults, teens, and children start at 9:45 AM. Greeters meet arrivals at the door and help steer each person toward a class that fits.
For adults, the options include Faith Explorers (ages 25 to 50, singles and young couples, in the Common Ground Classroom), Common Ground (age 30 and above, married couples and older singles, in the Fellowship Hall), Willing Workers (age 50 and up, ladies, in Room 140), and a Preschool Class for ages 2 to 5. Children in kindergarten through sixth grade meet in the KidzQuest classroom. Teens in grades 7 through 12 gather in the TruNorth classroom.
At 11:00 AM the congregation assembles for the weekly worship service, led from the choir loft and the pulpit and supported by the technical team that handles audio, video, and lighting. The service is also livestreamed on Facebook Live, YouTube, and on the radio at 98.1 FM (audio only) for those who cannot attend in person.
Sunday evenings at 6:00 PM keep the building full. Kids Explorers gathers children in kindergarten through fifth grade, while pre-teens in sixth through eighth grade and high schoolers in ninth through twelfth grade meet separately as TruNorth Youth. Both groups run until 7:30 PM.
Monday Bible study, Wednesday choir, and the rhythm of the week
Monday nights belong to the Bible study Pastor Kevin Rosenfeld leads in the sanctuary at 5:30 PM. The same study is broadcast on Facebook Live and YouTube, so shut-ins and travelers can keep up. The Bible study takes a summer break during June, July, and August.
Tuesdays bring the Paper Pals craft ministry from 10:00 AM to noon, when volunteers gather in the church parlor to assemble crafts used by the preschool. On the second Tuesday of each month, Women on Mission meets at 11:00 AM with a sack lunch to coordinate mission projects.
Wednesdays are crowded and lively. Kingdom Kids gathers children at 5:30 PM, the prayer group meets at 6:00 PM, and at 6:30 PM the Sanctuary Choir gathers in the choir room to rehearse.
On the third Thursday of each month a Loss Support Group meets from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM for anyone who has lost a loved one and wants encouragement. The Deacons' Meeting follows at 6:30 PM that evening.
The first Monday of each month the church's Soup Kitchen team drives to God's Storehouse to serve the noon meal to the community.
The Sanctuary Choir and three holiday productions
The Music Ministry of First Baptist Galax is led by Wendi Pemberton, Minister of Music since April 2010. A Galax native who returned home after years away, she holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Church Music from Carson-Newman College.
The Sanctuary Choir is composed of adults of all ages and helps lead the congregation during weekly worship. The choir sings a wide variety of musical styles, and three times a year the group stretches into something larger: a Christmas program, an Easter program, and a Patriotic program, each complete with costuming, drama, sets, and orchestra. No audition is required to join, and no prior experience is necessary, only a joyful heart. Rehearsals are held each Wednesday at 6:30 PM in the choir room.
The instrumentalists are equally seasoned. Organist Nancy Hazelwood has served since the spring of 1983 and holds both Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Music from Radford University. Pianist Patty Davis joined the music staff in 2001 after years of playing for special groups and occasions; she is also the pianist for the Highland Camerata, a classical chorus whose members come from both Virginia and North Carolina. Lynn Frank, the Preschool Director, doubles as assistant organist and pianist.
Children, youth, and a weekday preschool
Family ministry at First Baptist is built around three fronts: children's ministry, youth ministry, and parent ministry.
Children's ministry includes Sunday School, Kids Quest (the children's church offered during Sunday worship), and various family events through the year. The Vacation Bible School, held in mid-June each year, is a centerpiece. The 2026 program is called ILLUMINATION STATION: Shining a Light on Who Jesus Really Is, with the memory verse John 8:12 ("I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness"). Registration is open for children in kindergarten through fifth grade.
Youth ministry is built around Sunday School, TruNorth youth meetings, morning worship, the youth band, and a calendar of retreats, mission trips, and family events.
The Parent Ministry is a newer and evolving effort to equip and partner with parents through Sunday School classes, Sunday worship, training classes, and seminars.
The church also operates the FBC Weekday Preschool for children ages 2 through 4. The preschool runs from September through May, with class options Monday through Thursday. Priority registration for returning students and church families opens each January, and public registration begins February 1. The program is built around a developmental curriculum with planned, supervised activities that engage the five senses, plus weekly chapel, Bible stories, songs, and verses. Director Lynn Frank was appointed in 2023 after teaching Kindermusik for four decades.
Bus Ministry, Faith Community Nursing, and a church that shows up
One of the most distinctive outreaches is the church's Bus Ministry, which has been running since 1998. Volunteers, coordinated by Penny Adams and her husband Dick, drive into the surrounding neighborhoods on Sunday mornings and evenings, and on Wednesday evenings, to pick up children and bring them to church.
First Baptist has been home to a Faith Community Nurse since 2010. Martha Easter, a Basic Life Support Instructor for the American Heart Association and a retired Infection Preventionist from Twin County Regional Hospital, leads a team that promotes health and wellness among the congregation and the surrounding community.
A Loss Support Group, open to anyone in the wider community, meets on the third Thursday of each month to help those who have lost loved ones.
Band of Brothers, Women on Mission, and team-based ministry
The congregation organizes itself into five ministry areas: Administration, Congregational Care, Missions and Evangelism, Spiritual Formation, and Worship and Music. Within each area, teams form as members see a need.
The Band of Brothers is a service-oriented men's fellowship that keeps up the church facility, helps seniors with small household repairs and transportation, and delivers meals for the "Bread of Life" ministry. The group draws its anchor verse from Colossians 3:23-24: "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as working for the Lord."
Women on Mission, the church's Women's Missionary Union chapter, has long been a steady presence in the congregation. The group meets on the second Tuesday of every month with a sack lunch and works on local, national, and international mission projects throughout the year.
Other named teams include the Building and Properties Team, the Security Team, the First Impressions Team (greeters and welcome center workers), the Fellowship and Hospitality Team, the Pastor Support Team, the Library/Media Services Team, the Gifts Identification Team, the Arrangements Team, the Baptism and Communion Teams, and the Technical Support Team, which manages the audio, video, and lighting both in the sanctuary and on the livestream.
Mission partners across the region and the world
First Baptist Galax supports a wide circle of mission partners, most of them within driving distance of the church.
Joy Ranch provides a Christ-centered home for children coming from difficult or painful situations, including some in the foster care system. Each cottage is set up family-style with house parents, and the program takes a trauma-informed approach to care.
The Free Clinic of Twin Counties aims to provide health, dental, and pharmacy services to indigent residents of Carroll, Grayson, and the City of Galax through a network of volunteer providers.
God's Storehouse Soup Kitchen has been providing free hot meals to the Galax community since 2014 and also hosts Celebrate Recovery, a Christ-centered program for people with hurts, habits, or hang-ups, with locations now in both Galax and Fries.
Hope House provides a Christ-based recovery program for the homeless and hurting, helping them become healthy, happy, productive, and self-sufficient.
Hope Center Ministries runs a residential program for men and women working to overcome drug and alcohol addiction through faith in Jesus Christ.
The Fellowship of Christian Athletes partners with coaches and athletes in the region to see lives transformed by Christ.
Sunshine Children's Center, connected to the Dr. Mary Bennett Foundation, provides ministry and outreach to children and families with special spiritual, emotional, physical, or other needs.
The church also occasionally hosts visiting missionaries; recent examples include Dr. James and Jaeron DeBoe of Macha Mission Hospital in Zambia, who spoke from the pulpit about their work.
A library that doubles as a teaching tool
One of the surprises inside the building is the size of the church library, which is open for browsing and lending. The non-fiction shelves run from Andrew Murray and Charles Spurgeon to Tim Keller and Max Lucado, from Henry Blackaby on spiritual leadership to Francis Chan on Crazy Love. The fiction collection is dominated by Christian historical and Amish fiction from authors like Janette Oke, Wanda Brunstetter, Beverly Lewis, Karen Kingsbury, and Francine Rivers. There are dedicated Christmas novels, N.T. Wright's "for Everyone" Bible study series, a strong counseling section, and a children's DVD shelf that includes Adventures in Odyssey, VeggieTales, the Torchlighters, and the Love Comes Softly film collection.
What First Baptist believes
The church's statement of belief is short and direct. The Holy Bible is the inspired word of God. Jesus Christ, the church's Lord and Savior, is the standard by which the Bible is to be interpreted. Members voluntarily unite as a body of baptized believers in Jesus Christ, certain of the Christian hope that those who place their trust and obedience in the Lord Jesus will reign with Him forever. They are committed to sharing this good news of salvation with lost humanity.
The mission statement, drawn from Matthew 28:19, calls the church to impact individuals and families throughout the world by sharing Jesus, by serving the broken-hearted and the lost, and by becoming devoted followers of Christ.
The pastor and the team
Rev. Dr. Kevin Rosenfeld was born in upstate New York in 1967. He graduated from Johnson & Wales University with an Associate in Occupational Studies in Culinary Arts and a Bachelor of Science in Food Management, and worked as a chef for many years, eventually becoming Executive Chef of Noble's Grille in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Among those he has cooked for are Julia Child, Frank Sinatra, Jeff Gordon, and Hale Irwin. He entered the Baptist Theological Seminary of Richmond in 1997, graduating with his Master of Divinity in 2000 and his Doctor of Ministry in 2008. It was in seminary that he met his wife Linda. They have two sons, Elijah and Joshua, and a dog named Ruby Mae. He loves the mountains, golf, the New York Yankees, movies, and classical guitar.
Behind the pastor stands a long-tenured staff. Barbara Bourne came to FBC in 2021 as administrative secretary after forty-four years in the same role at Twin County Regional Hospital. Marie Combs, a retired Galax High School teacher, has served as financial secretary since 2012. Martha Easter has been the Faith Community Nurse since 2010. Nancy Hazelwood has played the organ since the spring of 1983. Wendi Pemberton has led the music ministry since 2010, and Patty Davis has been on the music staff since 2001.
Lynn Frank was appointed Preschool Director in 2023, having taught Kindermusik since 1984. Penny Adams, who with her husband Dick has run the church's Bus Ministry since 1998, volunteers as Bus Ministry Coordinator.
The church app, livestream, and other ways to stay connected
Worship services are livestreamed on Facebook Live, on YouTube, and on local radio at 98.1 FM. Sermon recordings going back through the past several years are posted to the church's sermon archive, with series including The Gospel and Jonah, The Prodigal Son, Worship, Lenten, and The Seven Deadly Sins.
A weekly podcast-style "Pastor's Vlog" carries Pastor Rosenfeld's devotions and meditations on current events and Scripture.
The Forerunner, the church's monthly newsletter, has been published since at least 2018 and is available as a downloadable PDF.
A dedicated Our Church app, available for both iOS and Android, gives members and friends another way to stay connected throughout the week.
Online giving is handled through Tithe.ly, and gifts can be one-time or recurring, drawn from a checking account, debit card, or credit card.
A prayer wall allows anyone to submit prayer requests, either publicly or privately, and to pray for others who have asked.
Becoming a part of First Baptist Galax
Anyone interested in plugging in can call the church office at 276-236-5185 or email secretary@fbcgalax.org. Those who want to learn how to serve can fill out the church's Spiritual Gifts Survey, which the Gifts Identification Team uses to help match people with the right ministry team.
The church keeps a running list of open positions for both paid staff and volunteers, and the Family Directory is available to members through the church's online portal.
First Baptist Galax is a "perfect place for imperfect people." The doors are open on East Stuart Drive every Sunday morning at 9:45 for Sunday School and 11:00 for worship, and the livestream is on for anyone who cannot be there in person.