At 300 W Upshur Avenue in Gladewater, Texas, First Baptist Church of Gladewater is a Baptist family of faith with a heritage of Christian fellowship dating to 1845. The church is known for connecting people to Jesus, pursuing personal transformation one life at a time, and offering hope and love to everyone. Its week is built around a clear rhythm: small groups and worship on Sunday, followed by Bible study, student ministry, and children's programs on Wednesday. People at any point in their faith journey are welcome, and the church emphasizes inclusion and belonging as central to church life.
A Gladewater Family Since 1845
First Baptist Church of Gladewater describes itself first as a family of individuals who have found hope in Jesus and want others to experience that same freedom. Its stated mission is Embracing Community, Offering Hope, Transforming Lives. The vision is to be a multigenerational, multietnic church that reaches East Texas and beyond for Christ, while remaining open to people who are new to faith or simply seeking a church home.
That welcome is practical. A place is being saved for every guest, and people are accepted wherever they are in their faith journey. The church's values pair love for God and others with forgiveness, service, generosity, spiritual disciplines, transparent relationships, and regular worship with the faith community. Rather than presenting one program as the center of church life, First Baptist Church of Gladewater organizes much of its shared life around groups sized to stages of life and relationships.
The church dates its heritage of Christian fellowship to 1845. That long history is joined to a present emphasis on becoming a family that includes people across generations and ethnic backgrounds. The physical address is 300 W Upshur Avenue in Gladewater, and the church is a family of believers living on mission together: worshiping Christ, serving neighbors, and sharing love throughout Gladewater and beyond.
Small Groups at 9:00, Worship at 10:15
Sunday begins with Small Groups from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. These gatherings bring together people in the same stage of life to build faith-based relationships. Groups are offered for young couples, people raising children, middle-age adults, older active adults, and seniors. Dedicated small groups for children meet at the same time, giving families a practical way to enter the church's life before the 10:15 a.m. worship gathering rather than treating the morning as one undifferentiated block.
Small-group space is arranged by age. Birth through Kindergarten classes meet in the Kingdom Kids Preschool Suite. First through sixth-grade classes are downstairs in the children's hall, while seventh through twelfth-grade students gather upstairs. A visitor who wants help finding the right class may call the church office at 903-845-2171 and ask for a volunteer to meet them at the entrance and accompany them and their children to class.
Worship follows at 10:15 a.m. and is planned as an hour-long service, ending around 11:15. People greet one another, sing four or five songs, and hear a message from the pastor. Sunday worship has an exciting, casual, and relaxed atmosphere, and the dress guidance is simply to come as you are. An embedded YouTube player and the church's YouTube channel provide online access to the church's video content.
Two Parking Lots for Sunday
There are two large parking lots on the campus. Families attending small groups with small children are encouraged to use the back lot for easier access to the nursery and children's small-group rooms. Those coming for worship only can use the front lot, which has easy access to the sanctuary. This practical guidance, along with casual clothing and a volunteer greeting, gives first-time visitors a clear sense of what to expect.
Children Have a Place from Birth Through Sixth Grade
Children's Ministry covers birth through sixth grade and is organized differently by age and day. On Sunday, babies and toddlers are cared for in the nursery for the full service. Preschoolers have a special teaching session that extends from Sunday School at 9:00 a.m. through the worship service. The Kingdom Kids Preschool Suite serves children from birth through Pre-K with an extended session, giving families with the youngest children a defined place to begin the morning.
Kindergarten through third graders also have Sunday School at 9:00. During worship, they first sit with their parents for the singing portion. They are then dismissed to Children's Church for the remainder of the service, where they receive a snack and a lesson designed for them. Adults are told to watch for the dismissal slide, and children's leaders greet the children at the front of the sanctuary. This arrangement allows younger children to remain with their families for part of worship while still receiving age-specific teaching.
Wednesday's Club 252 program continues that age-conscious care. Club 252 serves Kindergarten through sixth grade and meets at 6:00 p.m. Club 252 Jr. is for Pre-K and Kindergarten children and meets from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. The nursery is open Wednesday evenings from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. for children from birth through three years whose parents attend Bible study or volunteer. The Wednesday rhythm therefore includes both a children's program and nursery support connected to adult Bible study.
Each summer, Vacation Bible School hosts a week-long program for children four years old through sixth grade. Its activities include Bible stories, worship songs, crafts, games, and interactive lessons, with volunteers leading each session. The stated aim is for children to grow in faith, build friendships, and make lasting memories.
Student, Women's, and Men's Ministries Meet Wednesday
Student Ministry serves seventh through twelfth grades and meets in the Family Life Center on Wednesdays from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Students also gather in the main building on Sunday mornings at 9:00. The ministry's stated focus is to equip students to be disciple makers, connecting the Wednesday gathering with the same Sunday rhythm used by the church's other students.
Adult women have a place for Bible study on Wednesday nights, and adult men have a men's Bible study at the same weekly time. Both groups begin at 6:00 p.m. The broader small-group family for adults includes young couples, those raising children, middle-age adults, older active adults, and seniors, giving people at different life stages regular opportunities to study and build relationships.
The ministries work toward a common purpose outlined in the church's values: to teach believers to live in obedience to God's Word, educate them to disciple others, equip them to share their faith, and encourage them to connect with a local church family. Sunday worship, Wednesday Bible study, and age-specific gatherings all serve that stated emphasis on spiritual growth and multiplication.
Following Jesus Through Grace, Obedience, and Service
First Baptist Church of Gladewater gives a detailed account of its mission through biblical commands, the mission of Christ, and the journey of Christian life. Under God's Command, the church calls people to love God above all, love others as God loves them, love through service, forgive one another, and share generously. Under Christ's Mission, it emphasizes evangelizing the unchurched at home and beyond, teaching obedience to God's Word, educating believers to disciple others, equipping them to share their faith, and encouraging connection with a local church family.
The Life's Journey values add practical expectations: practice spiritual disciplines, experience community, serve in the church and community, pursue genuine and transparent relationships, and share regular worship experiences with the faith community. These statements explain why the church treats small groups, Bible study, worship, and service as connected parts of one life rather than separate activities.
The church's teaching on baptism centers on a public response to salvation already received by grace through faith. Jesus was baptized to identify with people and fulfill the Father's redemptive purpose; in the same way, baptism publicly identifies a person with Christ and is the way Baptists join the local church body. Baptism is therefore presented as a visible response to what Jesus has done.
Messages from the pastor also emphasize salvation as something received by grace and worked out in daily life, rather than earned. The Holy Spirit is described as the permanent presence in every believer, the one who purifies, reveals truth, and empowers witness and service. Growth is portrayed honestly: seasons of struggle and backsliding are real, but they do not have the final word for those in Christ. The response is to keep one's focus on Jesus, remain in the Word, and allow the Spirit to continue forming Christ's character.
A recurring biblical theme is covenant. The church describes a covenant as a committed relationship established by promise, not merely a contract. Humanity was created in God's image to know him, represent him, and exercise faithful stewardship; sin distorted that calling without erasing the image of God. The redemptive story restores people to communion with God and to their mission, with Jesus perfectly revealing God and representing humanity. Redemption gives believers a new identity and calls them to reflect God's righteousness and holiness.
Generosity is also treated as a response of trust rather than a transaction. The church teaches that giving does not earn God's favor and should not be driven by guilt or compulsion. Its members are encouraged to ask whether they are using what they have for the Gospel and to cultivate a cheerful, generous heart.
Sermon Teaching from Covenants to the Spirit
The church keeps an extensive sermon archive organized by date and series, with messages from Pastor Bryan Randolph. The subjects reflect the church's emphasis on biblical revelation and everyday Christian practice. Messages explore the covenants in Genesis, including creation, Noah, and Abraham; the rebuilding of God's people in Nehemiah; baptism and church membership; tithing; and walking in the Holy Spirit.
The Nehemiah messages emphasize that the goal was not merely rebuilding a wall but rebuilding God's people through his Word. The teaching connects leadership with humble service and presents obedience as a response to God's grace rather than a substitute for it. Other messages describe confession as an honest response to God's holiness and grace, leading to cleansing and renewed purpose. The Spirit messages treat spiritual formation as an active, daily choice to turn from the desires of the flesh and live out the new life Christ has given.
The archive is organized by biblical books and passages, allowing themes to be traced across the Old and New Testament rather than encountered only as a short list of recent topics. Sermon notes accompany individual messages, and the collection makes the church's teaching on grace, obedience, the Spirit, church membership, generosity, and everyday discipleship available for continued study.
Generosity in Practical Form
Giving is available through several simple routes. The church offers one-time and recurring gifts through its secure giving option. A text-giving service lets people text the word GIVE to 844-793-8989, complete the gift information and card details, and save that information for future gifts. The Tithe.ly church app provides another way to give from a phone. These options reflect the church's stated value of sharing generously and its teaching that generosity reveals where trust and priorities are placed.
The Ministry Team in Gladewater
Pastor Bryan Randolph leads the church and is the speaker identified across the sermon collection. Michael Webber directs Student Ministry for seventh through twelfth graders. Jamie Cook directs Children's Ministry, which covers birth through sixth grade. Michael Olson serves as worship leader. Their roles line up with the church's age-grouped pattern: pastoral teaching, student discipleship, children's formation, and musical leadership in worship.
First Baptist Church of Gladewater is a family of faith offering hope and love to everyone. From its 1845 heritage to its Sunday gatherings and weekday ministries, the church centers Jesus Christ, personal transformation, belonging, biblical teaching, and service in Gladewater and beyond.