Two Centuries and Counting on North Cable Road
First Baptist Church has stood at 451 North Cable Road in Lima, Ohio since 1960, but the story stretches back through six generations of Allen County families. On January 26, 1834, twenty-six men and women gathered to found what would become one of Lima's oldest continuing ministries. Within a year, a small frame building rose on South Union Street as the first church home. By 1853, the young congregation had purchased property on what is now Central Avenue, and three years later, in June 1856, a brick building was dedicated for worship. After another half century, on January 10, 1909, the church moved again, this time to a building on the corner of High and McDonel Streets, where it remained for fifty-one years.
The move to North Cable Road came on May 1, 1960, with the formal building dedication following in September of that same year. Just five years later, in September 1965, the mortgage was burned, an anniversary the congregation still marks with thanksgiving. In 2009, First Baptist celebrated its 175th anniversary with a year of special events. Through every decade, teaching, preaching, and sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ has remained the steady work of the congregation.
Sunday Morning: Worship, Sunday School, and an Open Table
Worship gathers at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday morning inside the sanctuary. The service follows a blended format that weaves older hymns together with newer contemporary praise songs, and a worship team led by the church's Director of Music sets the tone each week. Each gathering includes a time of prayer, preaching, singing, and giving. From the pulpit, listeners hear sound expository preaching, with sermons built on the point of the Biblical text being addressed. Series at First Baptist have walked through Ezra and Nehemiah, exploring themes of rebuilding the temple, the walls, and the faithfulness of God's people, alongside topical studies from Matthew, 2 Corinthians, Ephesians, and Luke.
First Baptist celebrates the Lord's Supper on the first Sunday of each month, and the table is open. Visitors who are not members of the congregation, and guests from Christian traditions other than Baptist, are welcome to take communion alongside the regular attenders. The church's stated reason is simple: the congregation believes in personal confession of faith expressed through believer's baptism and open communion.
Adult Sunday School begins at 9:30 a.m., giving an hour to study and discussion before the service. Children of all ages are welcome to remain in the sanctuary throughout worship. The Cuddle Cove nursery is just steps from the sanctuary and offers a monitor so parents can follow along with the service while tending little ones. Following the Children's Parable each week, children head downstairs for Children's Church and Sunday School, where a team of caring leaders provides real spiritual training in age-appropriate classes.
Wednesday Nights for the Whole Family
Midweek is where First Baptist's intergenerational life really shows. Three things happen at once on Wednesday evenings, beginning at 6:15 p.m., and every member of the family has a place to go.
Adult Bible Study meets in the Fellowship Hall at 6:15 p.m. It is a discussion-based exploration of the Bible and how it shapes daily life, working through books of the Old and New Testaments as well as topical series. Recent studies have covered the book of Acts, Ecclesiastes, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Handouts are distributed each week so no preparation at home is required, and Bibles are available for anyone who needs one. Sessions run until 7:30 p.m., led by Karlyn Lauer.
EPIC Youth meets in the Youth Room from 6:15 to 8:00 p.m., open to students in 5th through 12th grade. The goal is to give young people a safe place to make friends, have fun, and grow in faith. The group enjoys swimming parties, adventure walks, skating parties, and other outings throughout the year that build community as much as they entertain. EPIC Kids runs at the same time in the Big Room for students in kindergarten through 4th grade, with games, lessons, and small group time tailored to younger children. Christian Education Director Jackee Neal oversees both EPIC Kids and EPIC Youth, and the two groups often share combined events.
Weekly Groups for Every Season of Life
Two smaller gatherings round out the week. On Thursday afternoons at 1:00 p.m., the Primetimers meet in the Fellowship Hall. Open to anyone who enjoys friendly games, fellowship, and laughter, the group is led by Bruce Wells and draws a steady crowd of senior adults, along with anyone else who likes good company. On Friday mornings at 10:00 a.m., the Ruth Whitney Ladies Crochet Group gathers in the Parlor. The ladies make lap blankets, baby wraps, and other pieces by hand, then donate the finished work to nursing homes, hospitals, and fundraisers around the region. Karlyn Lauer leads the crochet group as well, and the gathering typically runs until noon, with plenty of conversation woven between the stitches.
First Baptist also hosts a Vocational Bible School in partnership with Southside Christian Center and a local United Methodist church. Together the congregations run a week of summer learning that has become a highlight for many neighborhood families. New Member Classes are offered periodically for anyone curious about joining, with sessions covering baptism, the Lord's Supper, basic Christian beliefs, and what it means to live together as a family of faith.
Reaching Out from Lima, Across the Nation, and Around the World
Mission work is central to life at First Baptist. The congregation takes seriously the words of Isaiah 58, "to feed the hungry and help those in trouble, so that your light will shine out from the darkness," and the words of Jesus in Matthew 25 that whenever the hungry are fed, the naked clothed, and the sick and imprisoned visited, these acts are done for him. The vision of First Baptist, in the church's own words, is "to increase our commitment to Jesus Christ and introduce him to others."
Locally, First Baptist supports a wide circle of partner ministries in and around Lima. These include the Lima Rescue Mission, Churches United Pantry (C.U.P.), Covenant Ministries, the Lima Samaritan House, Habitat for Humanity, Crossroads Crisis Center, Samaritan's Purse, the Veteran Food Pantry, and Guiding Light Ministries. At the national level, the church stands with the American Bible Society, an outreach at Shell Point in Florida, American Baptist Churches USA, the American Baptist Churches USA Home Mission Society, and the American Baptist Churches of Ohio. Across the world, First Baptist supports American Baptist International Ministries missionaries serving in Thailand, Italy, Belgium, and the Congo.
What First Baptist Believes
First Baptist belongs to the American Baptist Churches, USA, and embraces the centrality of the Bible in guiding daily life, believer's baptism following a personal confession of faith, open communion, the autonomy of the local church, and the church's call to reach out in mission to its community and to the world.
The congregation's core beliefs are organized around twelve convictions. God is one perfect, unchanging Creator who loves everyone and draws people to new life. Jesus, God in human form, lived, died, and was resurrected to restore the broken relationship between humanity and God. The Holy Spirit lives within believers, revealing God's will and strengthening them on the journey. The Bible is God's inspired Word, teaching and encouraging followers to know God and live joyfully for him. The Church unites all Christians in love, worship, service, and spiritual growth. Discipleship is pursuing and modeling a Christlike life. All people are created in love to reflect God and live in unity with him. Outreach and evangelism send believers into the world to proclaim God's love through actions, attitudes, and words. Prayer connects the faithful to God and reveals his power, guidance, and blessings. Sin separates people from God, but faith in Jesus and his sacrifice restores what was broken. Stewardship calls believers to care for God's creation and to use personal resources to further God's kingdom. Authentic worship honors and praises God for who he is and for his unfailing love.
First Baptist receives members by letter of transfer from other Christian churches, on the basis of Christian experience, or by personal confession of faith followed by believer's baptism.
First Baptist Day Care: A Community Ministry
Alongside its ministries for children, youth, and adults, First Baptist runs one of its most enduring outreach efforts: a licensed child care program. First Baptist Day Care is licensed by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services and operates as a self-supported, non-profit outreach of the church. The program is open Monday through Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., twelve months a year, caring for infants through school-age children. Staff help each child develop socially, mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually, with the goal of helping every child reach his or her fullest potential in a caring and loving environment.
The day care closes for major holidays, including New Year's, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Full-time enrolled children receive ten sick or vacation days per school year and five for the summer, with part-time children receiving six and three respectively. Kassi Bergdall, who joined the program as a student from Apollo Career Center in 2002 and earned her CDA credential in 2016, has led the day care as co-director since 2017 and stepped into the director role in 2025. Jackee Neal, the church's Christian Education Director, also serves on the day care team.
Pastoral Leadership
Pastor Andrew Shields has served as Senior Pastor since November 2018. Before coming to Lima, he spent thirteen years as pastor of West Springfield Baptist Church in Pennsylvania, where his preaching, leadership development, and pastoral care shaped a congregation for over a decade. He holds a B.A. from Wheaton College (1997) and an M.Div. from Northern Baptist Theological Seminary in Lombard, Illinois (2000). He and his wife Stephanie have two children, Olivia and Emma.
Pastor Shields is the fifth Senior Pastor to lead First Baptist since 1988. He follows Dr. Kenneth E. Swenson (1988 to 1995), Rev. Kenneth R. Fey (1995 to 2001), Rev. Richard Cook (2003 to 2008), and Rev. Robert White (2009 to 2017). Rev. Cynthia White served alongside her husband during his tenure, and Dr. David Brown and Rev. Ellen Brown walked the congregation through the 2017 to 2018 interim season. The five pastors together have given more than three decades of continuous pastoral leadership to the Lima congregation.
Laura Hawkins serves as the church's Director of Music, leading the worship team through Sunday services and seasonal celebrations. Jackee Neal serves as Christian Education Director, shaping the Sunday School ministry, supporting EPIC Kids and EPIC Youth, and bridging the church and the day care.
Welcoming First-Time Visitors
First Baptist is used to welcoming new faces. Greeters stand at the doors ready to help anyone find their way. Parking is available on each side of the building, with handicap-accessible spaces reserved near the main doors. Inside, an FM transmitter supports those who are hearing impaired. Most members dress in the casual-to-business-casual range, but the heart of the matter is being present, not being formal. The church's welcome is wide and intentional, extending to those who believe and to those who are still seeking.
Open Doors: Weddings and Building Rental
The campus serves the wider community through its rental program. Couples can hold weddings in the sanctuary and fellowship spaces, and member and non-member groups can reserve the building for meetings, dinners, and special events. The church publishes a Church Use Policy, Wedding Policies, and a Request for Use of Church Facilities form, with separate fee structures for member and friend groups versus civic and non-member groups. Anyone interested in hosting an event can call the church office at 419-224-4921.
Staying Connected Through the Week
Office hours run Monday through Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., and the office is closed on Fridays. Giving can be done online or mailed directly to the church. A sermon archive is available online, with messages from Pastor Andrews walking through books of restoration like Ezra and Nehemiah, alongside topical studies from the Gospels and Epistles. The church also shares a weekly bulletin, a publication called The Broadcaster, and a prayer request form for anyone who would like the congregation to pray. Prayer requests can be submitted online, and a Prayer Board shares ongoing concerns with regular attenders.