On Wilmington Island in Savannah, First Baptist Church of the Islands stands at the corner of Johnny Mercer Boulevard and Penn Waller Road, across from the Kroger Shopping Center. The church is known for Sunday worship that blends classic hymns with modern songs, a family-centered rhythm for adults and children, close discipleship in small groups, and training for everyday missionaries.
Two Sunday Services on Johnny Mercer Boulevard
Sunday worship is held at 9:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. The morning gathering is deliberately family-oriented: families worship together, hear a Bible message, and sing in a style that includes both traditional hymns and modern worship music. Pastor Brooks emphasizes understanding Scripture and applying it to life. The congregation dresses in a range of styles, so jeans and a suit and tie are both comfortable choices.
Guest Parking and a Lobby Made for Families
- Guests driving for the first time should use the guest parking spaces near the Johnny Mercer entrance.
- A family can check in together in the Main Lobby by looking for the giant palm tree.
- Families with only elementary-age children may follow the hall signs upstairs to the KidLife check-in area.
- A visitor who needs a Bible can get a free copy at the Information Desk.
For people who cannot attend in person, the church offers a livestream, an sermon library with recent and archived messages, and a podcast updated each week. The church also distributes weekday Five for Five devotionals through its YouTube channel.
Son Seekers, KidLife and Wednesday's Two Age Groups
Young children have a named place in both Sunday services. Son Seekers Preschool Ministry serves Birth through Pre-K, with WorshipCare for infants and toddlers and classes for two's, three's, four's, and Pre-K children at 9:00 and 10:30. Its Sunday mornings combine Bible-based lessons, activities, and music in an environment designed for children to learn and grow.
KidLife is the church's K-5 ministry. Elementary families check in upstairs, while younger children check in downstairs with the family. On Wednesday evenings from August through May, Olympians gathers K-5 students at 6:30 p.m. and Revolution gathers students in grades 6-12 at the same time. The church also gives families free access to RightNow Media, a resource of more than 20,000 discipleship videos for children, students, and adults.
From Worship to a D-Group
Following Jesus is understood as a continuing life rather than a single decision. The discipleship pathway has four connected parts:
- Faithfully Worship. A life with Jesus grows through personal devotion, faithful living, and daily surrender.
- Connect in Community. GROW Groups bring people together to study God's Word, strengthen relationships, and support one another through life.
- Make Disciples. D-Groups are smaller, gender-based groups of three to five believers who meet at least weekly for one to one and a half hours of encouragement, prayer, Bible study, and accountability. Periodic special training is offered to strengthen faith and growth.
- Live on Mission. Mature disciples are encouraged to serve both inside the church and in the world around them, sharing Christ's love through ongoing relationships.
Those four practices also shape membership. A person turns from sin and places faith in Jesus for salvation, then follows Jesus in baptism as a public confession. Membership is not the source of salvation; baptism identifies a believer with Jesus' death and resurrection and marks a life of obedience.
Bible Study Before the 10:30 Service
Adult classes meet from 9:00 to 10:15 a.m., leaving room to move into the later worship service. The church offers groups shaped around different stages and interests rather than one uniform classroom.
- Young Adults, Room D111: singles, married adults, college students, and people beginning careers are welcome.
- Life365, Room D101: newlyweds, single parents, and families with young children connect while studying Scripture together.
- Journeys, D102: adults of any life stage or marital status join teaching and fellowship.
- Mosaic, D103: married and single adults study and find common ground across many life stages.
- Good Neighbors, D109: members build a caring network while working through Biblical themes and passages.
- Ladies of the Friendship Class, E109: women study one Bible book at a time and support one another on Sunday morning and throughout the week.
- Flourish, D110: women study Scripture with the aim of understanding themselves and the world and living out their faith.
- Other Sunday classes: a group in D112 studies and fellowships beyond the main Sunday morning hour, while another D102 group works through Bible books and themes.
Across these classes, the common pattern is Scripture teaching, shared fellowship, and an invitation to apply faith to daily life. Some classes use Bible Studies for Life, while Ladies of the Friendship Class uses Explore the Bible.
Women on Mission, Mothers and Lunches
Women on Mission exists to inform and inspire Christians to influence their world for Christ. Its gatherings include learning about missionaries, praying for them, and supporting them. The group meets twice a year for projects serving first responders and local nursing homes, with work also directed toward Coastal Harbor, Baptist Collegiate Ministry, and the Savannah Baptist Center.
A recurring service grows from that mission emphasis. On the second and fourth Thursday of each month at 9:45 a.m., women prepare bag lunches in the church kitchen for men who visit the Oasis at the Savannah Baptist Center. Women on Mission also gathers at 11:00 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall.
Savannah Islands MOPS gathers moms on the second and fourth Wednesdays from 9:15 to 11:30 a.m., September through April. Its name began with Mothers of Preschoolers, but the group now welcomes all moms and emphasizes learning from one another's different approaches to parenting and motherhood. Free childcare is available to group members so conversation, food, coffee, and connection can continue without interruption.
Fourteen Weeks of GriefShare
GriefShare is the church's Wednesday evening grief-support gathering from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. Each group runs for 14 weeks. Its rhythm combines expert-led videos with group discussion, personal study, and weekly journaling. The aim is to help participants understand the stages of grief, sort through emotions, and begin rebuilding life after loss while surrounded by people who want to walk with them through the process.
GriefShare is also a friendly, caring community in which people do not have to grieve alone. Weekly participation combines shared learning with personal reflection, giving the same 14-week community both space to speak and space to work through the material individually.
Everyday Missionaries in Neighborhoods, Schools and Workplaces
The Everyday Missionary Initiative is FBCIslands' picture of mature discipleship. Its vision reaches beyond occasional church events to ongoing relationships in every neighborhood, school, business, and community group. Everyday missionaries are to build relationships, serve others in the love of Christ, and introduce people to a surrendered, authentic, joyful relationship with Jesus. The church describes these missionaries as people who go where they live, work, and play, carrying the Gospel into their circles of influence one relationship at a time.
Training is offered through a free online library. The recommended schedule allows ten months to work through the material, while the first ten weeks begin with the Starting Point Bible study. People may proceed at their own pace, study together, or pick up printed readings at the church office or the Everyday Missionary table in the Welcome Lobby.
The wider curriculum includes The Art of Neighboring, Missional Living, Life on Mission, resources on prayer and boldness, rethinking outreach, vocation, neighborhood mission, and sharing the Gospel in everyday conversations. Brooks Cail's My Place in His Story is among the teaching resources. The pathway asks learners to grow in personal faith, take risks, sacrifice, step beyond comfort, and remain present to people over time.
Baptist Faith in Practice
FBCIslands teaches that God is the Creator and ruler of the universe and exists as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, three co-equal persons who are one God. Jesus is the Son of God who lived a sinless life, died as the perfect sacrifice for sin, rose from the dead, ascended in glory, and will return as King. The Holy Spirit makes the world aware of the need for Jesus, lives in every Christian from salvation, gives spiritual gifts, and leads believers toward right living.
The Bible is the church's supreme authority for belief and Christian living. Salvation is God's free gift, received by turning from a self-ruled life and trusting Jesus, not by self-improvement or good works. Those who genuinely receive Jesus are kept by God's grace and power. FBCIslands practices baptism by immersion as a public act of faith, teaches that every believer has direct access to God through prayer and Bible reading, and calls every Christian to serve.
Seven practices connect those beliefs to conduct: the Bible as sole authority, autonomy of each local church, the priesthood of every believer, tithing, immersion baptism, Spirit-led living, and telling others about Christ. The church gives 10 percent of income as its biblical standard for giving, sees the local church as self-governing rather than controlled by a denomination, and expects believers to pursue personal witness and Christian unity.
A Continuing Path of Worship, Community and Service
The church's next steps move outward from a life-changing relationship with Jesus. A person may receive God's free gift of grace through faith alone, choose baptism, join a GROW Group, pursue membership, and invest time, gifts, and resources in service. Tithing supports the church, and online giving and payments are handled through PushPay with two-factor authentication and password protection.
At First Baptist Church of the Islands, the schedule is more than a set of meetings. Sunday worship feeds into classroom learning, children's ministry, small groups, women serving one another, grief support, and missionary training. The desired result is a church whose members love Jesus authentically, serve others selflessly, make disciples intentionally, and carry those commitments into the ordinary places of life.