Two Centuries on North College Avenue
First Baptist Church of Indianapolis was founded in 1822 as the first congregation organized in the new city of Indianapolis. Almost two hundred years later, the church still worships in the same city it grew up with, having moved to its current home at 8600 North College Avenue in the spring of 1960. From that location in the Nora area on the city's north side, the congregation has continued its ministry to Indianapolis, sharing what its mission statement calls "good news of God's unconditional love for this city, our nation and the world."
The church is affiliated with American Baptist Churches USA and is a member of the American Baptist Churches of Greater Indianapolis. Its mission statement sums up the congregation's sense of itself: "Welcoming, diverse, engaging community of faith transformed by the Spirit of Christ." The phrase visitors encounter most often is the church's simple motto, "Come as you are."
An Open and Affirming Welcome
First Baptist describes itself as "an open, welcoming, and affirming church," and the written welcoming statement that backs up the phrase is unusually thorough. Members and visitors are told, "We trust one another to study the scriptures, search our conscience, and live with integrity before God. God's Spirit calls us to embrace diversity fully, and to welcome anyone into full membership and participation in our faith community, regardless of their background or perspective." The statement goes further, naming "skin color, age, sex, gender, sexual orientation, faith, nationality, ethnicity, and economic, family, physical and mental status" as categories in which the dignity of every person is upheld, because everyone is made in the image of God.
A long-running series of personal reflections posted under the heading "Loving and Embracing All" traces years of congregational discernment around LGBTQ inclusion. In November 2019 the Administrative Council voted unanimously to form a task force to design a process of conversation and education around LGBTQ inclusion. The task force was officially established in May 2020 and began its work with workshops, written testimonies, and guest preaching from leaders connected with the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists. Members and friends continue to share personal stories of how the congregation has shaped their understanding of welcome, faith, and belonging.
The church also operates on five stated principles: freedom of thought and belief encouraged in all settings; inclusive, broad-spirited worship; active participation of all members in worship and the work of faith in the community; commitment to social justice; and full support of women in ministry. A list of nine values stretches from commitment to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, to diversity as it represents God's wholeness, to Baptist principles and freedoms, to hospitality and welcoming all people, to generously sharing resources.
Sunday Morning Worship
Sunday worship begins at 10:00 a.m. and usually lasts about seventy minutes. The service blends traditional hymns with modern choruses, drawing on the musical gifts of the FBC Choir and the FBC Children's Choir, both led by Minister of Music Mark Gilgallon. Visitors are told to "wear whatever feels comfortable," so dress runs the full range from business casual to jeans. Childcare is provided for infants and toddlers during the service. Accessible parking is available on the north side of the building. Worshipers enter through Door 1, proceed through the atrium, and turn left into the sanctuary. Coffee and refreshments are served after each service.
Worship is also livestreamed on Facebook Live for those who want to join from home. A Weekly Update email keeps members and friends informed about everything happening around the church; readers can sign up by sending a name and email address to information@fbcindy.org.
Sunday School and Lifelong Learning
Sunday School begins at 8:50 a.m. and is organized so the whole family can learn at the same time. Classes are available for children from infancy through fifth grade, for middle and high school youth, and for adults. Children are checked in at the welcome desk just inside Door 1, where a volunteer or staff member directs them to their room and helps parents find a class that is a good fit. One adult Sunday School class also meets immediately after the 10 a.m. worship service for those who prefer a later hour.
Beyond Sunday mornings, the church runs a Saturday Morning Bible Study at 8:30 a.m., entering through Door 6. Education and formation programs serve men, women, young adults, children, and teenagers, and the American Baptist Women's Ministries group gathers under the church's umbrella. The FBC Choir and FBC Children's Choir offer additional ways to use musical gifts in worship and in the wider life of the congregation.
The Ministerial Staff
The Rev. Evan Bever has been the congregation's Senior Minister since October 1, 2018, after first joining the staff as Associate Minister in July 2012. A graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary and Purdue University, he was ordained by First Baptist Church in 2013. His responsibilities include worship leadership, pastoral care, outreach, and Christian education for children, youth, and adults. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Baptist Student Foundation at Purdue, an American Baptist campus ministry, and on the board of the Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana. He and his wife Breanna live in Washington Township with their son Isaiah.
Mark Gilgallon, the Minister of Music, came to First Baptist after twenty-two years as Music Director at North United Methodist Church in Indianapolis. His faith journey began in a devout Irish Catholic home and has carried him through Episcopal and Methodist congregations before landing at First Baptist, a path he says continues to shape his approach to worship and ministry. He is also a studio musician who records extensively for leading music publishers and serves as an Adjunct Professor of Voice at the University of Indianapolis.
The Visitation Minister is the Rev. George Boyd Kimsey, who has served in active Christian ministry for more than fifty-five years in roles ranging from Youth Director and Minister of Christian Education to Minister of Visitation and Pastor in Indiana, Illinois, and Ohio. He and his wife Joyce have been married for more than fifty years and have four grown children - Dawn, Julie, Margean, and David - and six grandchildren.
A Karenni Congregation Shares the Sanctuary
First Baptist Church also hosts the Karenni Hto Seh Htyar Baptist Church, a refugee congregation that meets in the FBC sanctuary at 1 p.m. on Sundays. The two congregations come together for special combined services such as World Communion Sunday, when worship and a pitch-in dinner are shared between the two communities. The arrangement reflects the congregation's commitment to walking with immigrant and refugee neighbors in Indianapolis and is one expression of the "Come as you are" spirit that runs through every part of the church's life.
Beginnings Preschool and Child Care
Beginnings Preschool and Child Care is a registered ministry of First Baptist Church that offers a developmental program for children from infancy through age five. Open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., it serves families in the Nora area using an August-to-July school calendar. The school is a certified Level 3 provider in Indiana's Paths to Quality program and accepts Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) vouchers as well as On My Way PreK vouchers.
Children at Beginnings are taught by staff trained in Conscious Discipline, a research-grounded, adult-first framework that the school credits with shaping its classroom culture. The school's approach balances opportunities to choose, explore, and discover with group activities and quiet times for individual exploration, and aims to prepare children for kindergarten in a safe and loving environment. Children of any race, religion, color, and national or ethnic origin are welcomed, and the program keeps low child-to-adult ratios. Sylvia Harris serves as Director; she can be reached at 317-574-6454 or sharris@fbcindy.org. The preschool maintains its own presence on Facebook and Instagram under the name FBC Beginnings.
The Nora Food Pantry
Each month, First Baptist Church serves the local Nora community through a food pantry that operates on the last Tuesday of the month from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Volunteers and clients enter through Door 4 on the west lot, and clients are now invited inside to choose items directly from the shelves rather than receiving pre-packed boxes. The pantry is one of the church's clearest expressions of its mission to serve Christ as we serve others.
Cash and check donations are the pantry's most pressing need, since bulk purchasing lets the program buy supplies at lower cost than individual shoppers can. Donations can be mailed to FBC Food Pantry, 8600 N. College Ave., Indianapolis, IN 46240, or made online. Each month the pantry also highlights a small list of personal-care items, ranging from toothbrushes and toothpaste to toilet paper, deodorant, and feminine hygiene products. Corporations interested in supporting the work are invited to contact information@fbcindy.org.
First Baptist Athletics
First Baptist Athletics operates as a separate ministry out of the same building. The athletics program hosts Parents' Night Out events during which children from eighteen months through sixth grade enjoy sports, games, crafts, pizza, and supervised play, with First Baptist Athletics staff and Beginnings staff sharing the supervision. The building's gym space and parking lot support the program. First Baptist Athletics can be reached at 317-844-3559.
A Building in Renewal
In 2020 the church undertook a major renovation of its building, and a long sequence of before-and-after photographs documents the work. Among the projects: a refreshed atrium with new main doors at Door 1 and new interior doors at Door 5; a renovated south-side entrance; a refurbished youth lounge; new family and gender-specific restrooms; an updated foyer and kitchen; a fresh HVAC system on both floors; a repaired roof; and a repaved parking lot with new accessible spaces on the south side. A new Beginnings office and a remodeled business office round out the upgrades. Worshipers and preschool families experience those refreshed spaces every week.
Sermon Recordings on Facebook Live
Sermon recordings are preserved going back to spring 2020, organized by season. Each entry lists the date, the preacher, and a link to the Facebook Live broadcast of that day's service, with many entries also offering a written transcript of the sermon. The 2022 archive includes a special Bicentennial Sermon Series that ran from August through September of that year, marking the congregation's two-hundredth anniversary. Guest preachers for that series included the executive minister of American Baptist Churches of Greater Indianapolis, the executive director of American Baptist International Ministries, the director of Intercultural Ministries for American Baptist Home Mission Societies, a global servant from International Ministries, the pastor of the Baptist Student Foundation at Purdue, the executive minister of Mid-American Baptist Churches, and the former senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Indianapolis. Recent seasons have continued to welcome periodic guest preachers, including pastors connected with the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists and other American Baptist leaders.
Getting Connected, Joining, and Giving
Gifts to First Baptist Church support the congregation's ministries for children, youth, and adults, the worship life of the church, and the wider work of serving neighbors with love. Online giving is available without creating an account, and an online pledge form lets members commit to support of the year's ministry. First Baptist Church of Indianapolis is a 501(c)(3) organization, and contributions are tax-deductible, with a giving statement available.
Beyond Sunday morning, members and friends can sing in the FBC Choir or the FBC Children's Choir, volunteer at the food pantry, take part in a formation group, or serve through any of the church's programs for men, women, young adults, children, or teenagers. The office is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and on Sundays from 9 to 11 a.m., and can be reached at 317-846-5821 or information@fbcindy.org.