First Baptist Church of Middletown sits at 4500 Riverview Avenue, on the corner of North Breiel Boulevard and Riverview Avenue in Middletown, Ohio, just minutes from I-75 in Butler County. The congregation traces its roots to the first Baptist gathering on the banks of the Great Miami River and has worshipped in five different buildings across the city, including the present brick-and-stained-glass sanctuary that opened on Palm Sunday in 1972. Its motto, "Connecting Hearts and Lifting Spirits," hints at the range of life that happens in and around the building on any given week: a blended Sunday service, a Sanctuary Choir, a state-accredited daycare, Scout troops, AA meetings, MOPS, Tai Chi on the walking track, and missionaries supported on three continents.
Sunday morning at 10:30
Worship is held every Sunday at 10:30 a.m. and usually lasts about an hour. The order of service moves from a time of greeting and community prayer into music, scripture and the sermon, with a hymn of invitation at the close. The interim pastor, Rev. Dr. Karen E. Johnson, preaches most Sundays, and the service is livestreamed through Christian World Media and archived online so that worshipers who are traveling, homebound, or simply curious can follow along from anywhere.
The music is a deliberate mix. The Sanctuary Choir performs most weeks from September through May, accompanied by a 1932 Kilgen pipe organ that was rebuilt and reinstalled in the sanctuary in 1999 to replace a 1976 Allen electric instrument. Praise Singers lead the congregation in two or three contemporary praise songs each month, the First Baptist Ringers (a handbell ensemble) and a children's choir add special music, and solo vocalists and instrumentalists round out the program. Words are projected on a screen at the front of the sanctuary, so visitors do not have to flip through a hymnal.
What to expect on a first visit
Visitors are greeted at the door and invited to sit anywhere they like. Dress is whatever feels comfortable for worship; ties and dresses share the pews with khakis, polos, and jeans. Communion is celebrated on the first Sunday of every month, and the practice is open: anyone who believes in Jesus Christ is welcome to participate, whether or not they are a member. The elements are juice rather than wine, and the congregation remains seated while members of the Board of Deacons serve. At the close of communion, everyone joins hands with the people next to them and sings the first verse of "Blest Be the Tie That Binds," a long-standing tradition with the words projected for anyone who does not know them.
Children in kindergarten through third grade begin the service with their families in the sanctuary and are dismissed to Children's Church after the children's message. Children's Church meets on alternating weeks. Students in grades four through twelve are invited to remain in the sanctuary for the full service. A nursery and the daycare's older classrooms are also available for the youngest children.
Two centuries on the Great Miami
The congregation's own history page begins in 1791, when Daniel Doty, a Baptist farmer from Essex County, New Jersey, scouted the Miami Valley and built a cabin on the banks of the Great Miami River near present-day 11th Avenue and South Main Street. After Doty returned home and brought his wife Betsy back in 1795, friends from New Jersey joined him and the small settlement soon wanted a place to worship. In 1799, Doty rode on horseback to Danville, Kentucky, to recruit the Rev. Dan'l Clark, and in 1800 Clark organized "The Little Prairie Baptist Church," a small building on the riverbank where the Great Miami itself served as the baptismal font.
A flood damaged the Little Prairie building in 1804 and the group disbanded in 1805. On August 9, 1808, former members of Little Prairie organized Salem Baptist Church at the home of James and David Heaton, and that date is the one the congregation marks as its founding. Salem Baptist Church became "The First Baptist Church of Middletown, Ohio" by resolution on August 9, 1828, the same year members bought a lot on North Main Street for $250 and began building a second house of worship that was finished in 1832 at a cost of $3,000.
The third church on the same North Main foundation rose in 1854, with wooden chairs, a grand piano, electric lights and an indoor baptismal font, and a parsonage behind it with ten sheds to house the horses and carriages of those who came to worship. The North Main buildings were sold in 1902, and with financial help from Paul Sorg, one of Middletown's first multimillionaires, and his wife Jennie, the congregation built its fourth house of worship at 119 S. Main St., a stone church dedicated January 21, 1906, and just down the street from the Sorg Mansion.
In 1967, members dedicated a seven-acre site at Riverview Avenue and Breiel Boulevard for a fifth church building, which was completed on Palm Sunday, March 26, 1972, using 265,000 bricks. The Crusader's Cross from the peak of the South Main Street entrance now stands in the traffic circle at the front of the Riverview campus, and the 1854 inscription stone is set into the hillside behind the building. Air conditioning was added to the entire Riverview building in 1990, the mortgage was burned in 1991, the rebuilt Kilgen organ was installed in 1999, and in 2006 the congregation dedicated the 19,000-square-foot Celebration Center that has since become the hub of weekday life at the church.
Music that fills the week
Music ministry at the church is organized around the Sanctuary Choir, the Praise Singers, the First Baptist Ringers, a children's choir and various soloists. The Sanctuary Choir is open to anyone without audition and rehearses on Wednesday evenings during the program year. Praise Singers, also audition-free, lead contemporary worship two or three Sundays a month and rehearse from 6:30 to 7:15 p.m. on Wednesdays, just before the Sanctuary Choir rehearsal, so singers can take part in both. Madeline Tsai, who joined the staff as Director of Music Ministries in 2019 and is studying for a Doctor of Music degree at the University of Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, also directs the church's seasonal concerts and the music for weddings.
Children, youth and the daycare
Children's ministry at First Baptist is built around the conviction that every child is uniquely created and loved by God. Children's Church serves children in kindergarten through third grade on alternating Sundays, gathering after the children's message for an age-appropriate time of worship and learning. Sunday School classes meet from 9 to 10:15 a.m. across the building, with childcare available for the youngest learners.
American Baptist Youth, the church's ministry for students in grades seven through twelve, is led by Joni and Nelson Janney and meets on Sundays at 6 p.m. The group includes weekly fellowship, service activities, faith-based trips, fundraising, church overnighters, and mission trips. A separate Sunday morning Sunday School hour is offered for the same age group.
The First Baptist Church Daycare is a ministry of the church in its own right, providing state-accredited care and instruction for children from 18 months through sixth grade for more than forty-five years. The daycare operates from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, closing for eleven holidays during the year and following the daycare director's call on weather closures that are announced on AM 1290 WHIO, 95.3/101.1 FM WZLR, 99.1 FM WHKO and WHIO-TV Channel 7. Cyndi Sparks serves as daycare director, and the daycare phone line (513-423-5511) reaches the daycare office.
Christian education and small groups
Sunday School meets from 9 to 10:15 a.m. between three core adult classes and the children's offerings. The Mary Martha Class, for adult women of all ages, studies together on the main level of the Celebration Center. The Koinonia Class, for adults of all ages, works through scripture on the second level of the Celebration Center. The Topics Class, also for adults, rotates through different studies during the year in the parlor on the second level. Bible study is also offered at varying times across the program year, with the Koinonia classroom on the main level of the Celebration Center as a regular location. The current study topic can be confirmed through the church office.
The Prayer Chain ministry gathers requests by phone and email and circulates them to a list of intercessors. Those who would like to join the prayer chain can contact the church office.
Health ministries and the walking track
Health Ministries at First Baptist is built around the idea that faith and physical wellbeing belong together. The Celebration Center's second-level walking track is open to the community; walkers sign in at the church office and sign out before leaving. Group programs have included Rev It Up aerobics, Tai Chi and Yoga. Erica Collins of Harmony Healing Arts, a certified clinical hypnotherapist, nationally certified yoga instructor, certified yoga therapist, Pilates and GYROTONIC practitioner, and Reiki master and teacher, is in residency at the church and offers one-on-one clinical services, weekly Barre Pilates and Gentle Yoga on Wednesday evenings, and a free Chair Yoga class on Tuesdays at noon. Harmony Healing Arts can be reached at erica@harmonyohio.com.
The ministry also sends greeting cards to people in the church family who are recovering from surgery or experiencing loss, places seasonal health information in the church's restrooms and kitchens, hosts occasional health fairs on diet and exercise, home safety, and back care, and lends walkers, canes and wheelchairs donated by the congregation to anyone in the community who needs them. A partnership with Parish Health Ministry in Cincinnati provides additional seminars and resources. Shut-ins are visited at home and receive devotional material on a regular rotation; anyone who would like to be added to the visitation list can contact the church office.
American Baptist Women, Scouts and MOPS
American Baptist Women (ABW) is open to all women in the church and community and meets for mutual encouragement, Bible study and mission projects. Among its ongoing drives, ABW collects aluminum pull tabs for Ronald McDonald House Charities at the Welcome Center in the narthex and gathers Box Tops for Education to benefit Dayton Christian Center.
The church is also a long-time charter for scouting. Boy Scout Troop 718 and Cub Scout Pack 19 use the building for meetings, overnights and special events, and the church celebrates Scout Sunday each year, with the Scouts taking part in the worship service. Girl Scout Troop 99 meets at the church as well, joining the broader Scout Sunday tradition when Girl Scout Sunday falls on the calendar.
Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) meets twice a month: on the first Friday of the month from 9:30 to 11 a.m. at The Oaks Community Church, and on the third Thursday of the month from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at First Baptist Church itself. The local chapter welcomes mothers of school-age children of all ages, with childcare provided. Membership is $50 per year, with limited scholarships available; the group can be reached through the contact form on the church's MOPS page or by emailing mopsmiddletown@gmail.com.
Recovery, hospitality and weekday groups
Alcoholics Anonymous meets at the church at 7 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays. Worshipers may also cross paths with the Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, fitness classes, choir rehearsals and other groups that fill the building from morning to evening on most days of the week.
Local and national missions
The church's Mission Board and partner groups sponsor a steady rhythm of community work. Members donate empty, label-removed pill bottles for Matthew 25: Ministries in Blue Ash, which uses them to ship medicine abroad; non-perishable groceries for the Salvation Army food pantry (drop-offs accepted in the grocery cart in the narthex on Sundays); aluminum pull tabs for Ronald McDonald House Charities; and Box Tops for Education to benefit Dayton Christian Center.
Seasonal drives include a Thanksgiving food drive in the weeks before the holiday, a Coats for Christ collection beginning in October, a July school-supply drive for the Salvation Army, and a Christmas food drive paired with a mission tree of ornaments that provide gifts for local children in need.
Two annual denominational offerings are taken in addition to regular giving. The America for Christ Offering, collected in March, supports American Baptist mission work in the United States, and the Retired Ministers and Missionaries Offering, collected in December, provides year-end thank-you checks and emergency assistance to retired American Baptist clergy and missionaries.
The church takes its turn at the SHALOM network, a rotation of fifteen Middletown churches that host homeless guests from November through March for a week at a time. When it is First Baptist's week, guests are served dinner and breakfast, given access to shower and laundry facilities, and offered a warm place to sleep and a chance to socialize. Other organizational partners supported by the church include Hope House Mission, Abilities First, Camp Kirkwood and Conference Center, Habitat for Humanity, Judson Care Center, Matthew 25: Ministries, the Miami Baptist Association, Murrow Indian Children's Home, One Way Farm Children's Home, PARACHUTE, and United Mission of American Baptist Churches USA.
International missions
Through International Ministries (the American Baptist Foreign Mission Society), the church supports missionaries in Asia-Pacific, China and Hong Kong, the Dominican Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan, Malaysia, and Thailand. Missionaries currently named on the church's roster include Bruce and Ann Borquist (Asia-Pacific), Rev. Emerson and Ivy Wu (China, Hong Kong), Vital and Ketly Pierre (Dominican Republic), Dr. Bill and Ann Clemmer (Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan), Aaron and Valerie Osterbrock (Malaysia), Kim Brown (Thailand), Ruth Fox (Thailand), and Alise and Mark Juanes (Thailand). Tim and Stacy Reese are also named as a recently added missionary couple. Two annual offerings support the wider work: One Great Hour of Sharing, collected in June, funds disaster relief and food and water projects, and the World Mission Offering, collected in October, supports churches, missionaries, evangelists and teachers in overseas fields.
The Celebration Center and the building
The 19,000-square-foot Celebration Center, completed in February 2006, doubled the footprint of the church and reshaped its weekday ministry. The two-level addition includes a second kitchen, a music suite, classrooms, the indoor walking track, and a carpeted basketball court. Above the main entrance, a stained-glass artwork titled "Shine Jesus Shine," designed by Beau Berre Studios in Middletown, was installed in October 2006, and the Serenity Garden next to the Prayer Room on the second level was dedicated in October 2007. The addition was paid off in May 2016, when the congregation marked the milestone with a second mortgage burning. The Music Director's office and the daycare share space in the same building, and the Celebration Center's flexibility is what allows Scouts, MOPS, fitness classes, AA, choir rehearsals, the daycare, and Sunday morning fellowship all to happen within walking distance of one another.
Weddings, baptism and baby dedication
Most weddings at First Baptist are held in the sanctuary, which seats about 325 people, with smaller ceremonies in the chapel area for thirty-five to fifty guests. A bride's room in the Celebration Center, the main entry canopy, and the church's organist and sound technician are all part of the standard wedding package. Members may use the church facilities for their wedding free of charge; non-members pay $300 in advance, with additional fees for receptions. All couples, members and non-members alike, complete a premarital study of three sessions with the pastor beginning no later than three months before the wedding date. Couples who have been previously divorced are asked to consider the reasons the prior marriage ended and the steps they are taking to make the next one last. The full wedding handbook is available from the church office.
The church practices believers' baptism by full immersion in a baptismal pool in the sanctuary, and anyone who has publicly professed faith in Jesus is invited to be baptized. Parents who wish to mark the arrival of a child are encouraged to consider baby dedication instead, since the church does not baptize infants. Those interested in baptism or dedication come forward during the hymn of invitation at the close of Sunday morning worship.
How to join
Becoming a member of First Baptist means committing to serve the Lord through time, treasure and talent. Members may serve on one of the church's four boards (Deacons, Trustees, Mission, and Christian Education) and vote at church business meetings. People who wish to join come forward at the hymn of invitation during Sunday worship; members of another church who wish to transfer their membership are welcomed in the same way, and the church office handles the paperwork afterward. Anyone who has not yet been baptized is invited to speak with the pastor about that step.
Affiliation and leadership
First Baptist Church of Middletown is affiliated with American Baptist Churches USA and is one of the congregations of the Miami Baptist Association, the regional body of American Baptist churches in greater Cincinnati. The interim pastor is Rev. Dr. Karen E. Johnson, a lifelong Ohio resident who grew up in Dayton, earned an engineering degree from the University of Cincinnati, and later answered a call to ordained ministry at United Theological Seminary. Pastor Karen served as Senior Pastor of Heritage Community Church in Cincinnati and Dorothy Lane American Baptist Church in Kettering for more than ten years each, was ordained at First Baptist Church, and earned a doctorate in church leadership in 2016. She now serves in interim ministry while the congregation seeks its next settled pastor. Madeline Ts leads the music ministry, Joni and Nelson Janney lead American Baptist Youth, Paula Cox serves as Church Secretary and Treasurer, Nicole Redding as Financial Secretary, Larry Shoemaker and Cheryl Basil on the maintenance team, and Cyndi Sparks as Daycare Director. The church office phone is 513-423-5721, the fax is 513-649-8153, and the email is secretary@fbcmiddletown.org. The Good News newsletter is published monthly and is available by email or postal mail on request.