First Baptist Church of Ocala stands along SE Maricamp Road on the southeast side of Ocala, a campus known for its warm welcome to first-time visitors and a deep investment in families. The church's three-word rhythm - Know God, Grow Together, Change the World - shapes everything from its Sunday gatherings to its mission partnerships far beyond Marion County. FBC Ocala is in cooperation with the Southern Baptist Convention and subscribes to The Baptist Faith and Message, and the congregation leans fully into that identity while serving its city.
Sunday Mornings in Ocala at 10:30
Worship is the front door of life at FBC Ocala. Each Sunday at 10:30 AM, the congregation gathers for a service built around Christ-centered worship and biblical teaching. Deaf interpretation is provided so that members of the deaf community can follow along, and the service is livestreamed on the church's Facebook page and through the web-casting page for those who cannot attend in person. A full archive of past messages lives on Vimeo for anyone who wants to catch up.
The atmosphere is friendly and accessible for first-time guests. Visitors are encouraged to park in the North parking lot, marked by Kids flags, if they plan to drop off children for Preschool or Kids Worship. Community Groups meet on campus an hour earlier, at 9:15 AM, so anyone who wants a smaller setting for studying the Bible can arrive then and flow straight into the gathered service. The church's motto is Know God. Grow Together. Change the World., and Sunday morning is built to make those first two words a weekly habit.
Community Groups: Sunday Mornings on Campus and Across the City
Community Groups are the backbone of how FBC Ocala disciples its people. The church's own description calls them application-based discussion groups centered on the Bible, designed to help members grow together as they apply Scripture to everyday life. On Sunday mornings, a range of groups meet on campus in classrooms across the building, including:
- Allcott Community Group, led by Henry Allcott, studying The Gospel Project in Room 206/208.
- Robinson Community Group, led by Paul Robinson, using Explore the Bible, meeting in the Choir Room.
- Baxley Community Group, led by Micah Baxley, walking through books of the Bible in Room 210/212.
- Upton Community Group, led by Scott Upton, in Room 205.
- Moreno Community Group, led by Dave Moreno, using Explore the Bible in Room C6.
- Women of the Word Community Group, led by MaryLee Graham, in Room C10.
- Priest Community Group, led by Fred Priest, using The Gospel Project in Room 202/204.
- Benckert Adult Community Group, led by Charlie Benckert, using Explore the Bible in Room 201/203.
- Waugh Women's Community Group, led by Pat Waugh, in Room C12.
- Phillips Men's Community Group, led by Bill Phillips, in Room C2.
- Phillips Women's Community Group, led by Lori Phillips, in Room C4.
- Spadaccini Women's Community Group, led by Tammy Spadaccini, in the Conference Room.
Two specialty groups round out the Sunday morning lineup. The Guerra Community Group, led by José Guerra, serves Spanish-speaking members using The Gospel Project in Room E209. The Rhodes Community Group, led by Steve Rhodes, gathers the Deaf Community in Room C8 to study through Explore the Bible. Beyond Sunday morning, off-campus groups meet throughout the week across the city, and an online interest form lets newcomers pick a time and stage of life to find a fit.
Wednesday Nights for the Whole Family
Wednesdays at FBC Ocala look like a full family night. At 6 PM, three things happen at once. Preschool and Kids open their classrooms for KidzClub (birth through 4 years) and CHARGED (kindergarten through 5th grade), with small groups, teaching, and missions emphasis built in. Students in grades 6 through 12 meet for The SIX, the church's midweek student gathering. And adults settle into Bible studies of their own. The result is a single midweek hour when an entire household can be in the building at the same time, learning the same things in age-appropriate rooms.
NextGen: Laying Foundations from Preschool Through High School
The NextGen Ministry describes its purpose with two lines: Serving Parents. Strengthening Families. The ministry is a strategic discipleship initiative for children and students, built to partner with parents as the primary disciplers of their children. FBC Ocala wants the kids who pass through NextGen to grow up into worshippers who are fully devoted to Christ and His Church, passionate, sacrificial, and missional.
On Sundays at 10:30 AM, Preschool Worship serves children from birth through 4 years, while Kids Worship welcomes kindergarteners through 5th graders. Both follow the same four worship habits the church teaches its adults: reading the Bible, singing, praying, and giving. On Wednesday nights, KidzClub and CHARGED provide parallel programming with the same DNA, plus age-appropriate missions emphases throughout the year.
NextGen is staffed by a dedicated team. Dee Helinski serves as NextGen Preschool Director and Disciplemaking and Mobilization Assistant, while Seth Robinette serves as Interim NextGen Kids Director. The broader philosophy behind the ministry is simple: church works alongside parents rather than substituting for them, helping families build rhythms of worship, Scripture, and prayer in their own homes.
Students: The SIX and a College Community Group
Middle and high school students at FBC Ocala meet in two weekly settings. On Sunday mornings at 9:15 AM, they gather in Community Groups, applying the Bible to teenage life with leaders who know their world. On Wednesday evenings at 6 PM, they show up for The SIX, a worship service aimed specifically at students, with live teaching, worship, and small-group breakouts called SIX Groups.
Travis Cornell serves as Pastor for Students and oversees this ministry. The stated goal is to teach students that in a world full of distractions and the pursuit of self, only Christ can truly satisfy and is worthy of a lifetime of worship. To that end, students are also given regular opportunities to serve through missions.
On Thursday evenings at 7 PM, a College Community Group meets off campus. The church treats college students as a distinct stage of life, with its own small group and its own space to wrestle through what it means to follow Christ in the transition out of high school.
MomCo: A Place for Mothers of Young Children
SE Ocala MomCo is the church's outreach to mothers walking through the early years of raising children. It meets on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month and exists to offer gospel hope to women in the trenches of mothering young children. The goal is to provide a welcoming environment while giving mothers room to grow, both in community and in their faith.
The program is affiliated with MomCo and operates out of the local chapter hosted at FBC Ocala. Members describe the group as a place where friendships form and isolation breaks. One mother shared that MomCo helped her see how living life in community opens doors to share the gospel and speak truth into others' lives like nothing else she had experienced. Another, a mother of four, said the Christ-centered environment fed her soul and that joining the group was a turning point in a season that had scattered her support network.
Men's Ministry, Women's Ministry, and Young at Heart
FBC Ocala runs three adult ministries built around life stage. The Women's Ministry gathers women of all ages for events and small groups, with a stated focus on fostering deep, intentional friendships. Men meet through the Men's Ministry, anchored by the verse Proverbs 27:17: Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another. Men gather for M3 Men's Ministry Meetings in the Fellowship Center several times a year, with a recurring Saturday morning format at 8:30 AM.
The Young at Heart ministry, led by Pastor Emeritus Dr. Ed Johnson, focuses on adults age 55 and older, creating opportunities for leadership, service, outreach, and mission work within the church and the local community. Young at Heart is intentionally missional, giving older adults a way to keep investing in the next generation of disciples while staying deeply rooted in their own.
Support Groups and ESL Classes
For people walking through hard seasons, the church runs two long-standing support groups. DivorceCare meets on Sundays at 4 PM. It is a 13-week, video-based series designed to help those who have recently faced divorce on their journey to hope and healing. GriefShare meets on Mondays at 6 PM and offers a safe, welcoming place to process the difficult emotions of grief, also in a 13-week format. Both groups are open to the wider Ocala community, not just members of FBC Ocala, and inquiries go through dee@fbcocala.org.
ESL classes round out the outreach. FBC Ocala offers conversational English classes each fall and spring. Classes are free, though students purchase or rent a textbook, and all adults at varying language levels are welcome. Trained volunteers lead the sessions, and the church frames the program as another way of caring for the neighbors who live nearby.
Taking the Gospel Farther: Church Planting
Church planting sits at the heart of how FBC Ocala thinks about its mission. The church's mission statement - to glorify God by making disciples of all nations - gets worked out in concrete partnerships with planters locally, domestically, and internationally. The strategy draws from Matthew 28:19-20: Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Locally, the church looks for planters and partner organizations across Ocala who want to see new churches take root in the city. Domestically, the focus is on larger U.S. cities where there are many people but few churches, where the church partners with urban planters to start congregations that can eventually plant more congregations. Internationally, the church works with Christian nationals in other countries, reflecting the conviction that Heaven will be filled with Christians from every nation, tribe, and tongue. Domestic and international mission trip applications are available through the church, along with parental consent and travel permission forms for minors.
The School of Music: Private Lessons Since 1997
Tucked inside the church campus is one of FBC Ocala's longest-running ministries: the School of Music, which has offered private music lessons since 1997. The school welcomes students from age 5 through senior adulthood, and is not limited to members of FBC Ocala. Tuition follows a semester model (fall runs roughly $450 with prorating available), and new students pay a non-refundable $25 registration fee. Lessons come in 30, 45, and 60 minute lengths.
Instrumental and vocal offerings are unusually broad. Students can study banjo, bass, cello, flute, guitar, percussion (group set lessons, private lessons, or ensemble lessons that include xylophone, marimba, timpani, and vibraphone), piano, piccolo, saxophone, ukulele, violin, and voice. A Parent-Toddler Music Class is offered for ages 3 to 5 as a general introduction to music and musical instruments.
The instructor roster reads like a cross-section of Central Florida's music scene. Mrs. Audrey teaches cello, violin, and viola; she came to the U.S. from Taiwan at 18 to study violin at Biola University, then transferred to the University of Florida to finish a Bachelor of Arts in Violin Performance. Mrs. Beth teaches beginners through intermediate students in piano and has served in church music, youth, and children's ministry for more than 30 years. Mr. John teaches pipe organ and piano, with a background that includes sixteen years on the music staff of First Baptist Church of Flushing, New York, working with English, Chinese, and Spanish congregations. Mrs. Karen teaches piano and violin using the Suzuki method and leads the Parent-Toddler Music Class. Ms. Kathy teaches piano and serves as the church's Worship Arts Ministry Assistant and pianist. Ms. Lawana teaches voice to students ages 12 and up. Mr. Marcus teaches percussion and works as the percussion instructor at Forest High School, Trinity High School, and Vanguard High. Ms. Mary teaches piano and voice and brings a career as a former Director of Choral Activities at Coral Gables Senior High School. Mr. Nick teaches acoustic or electric guitar and bass guitar and currently teaches high school Bible, worship band, and drama. Ms. Rebekah teaches piano both in person and online and has a master's degree in education. Ms. Riley teaches violin and assists Mrs. Audrey. Ms. Sally teaches piano using both traditional and improvisational methods. Dr. Sarah teaches flute, piccolo, and saxophone and serves as Department Chair of Visual and Performing Arts at the College of Central Florida. Mr. Steven teaches beginner bluegrass banjo and beginner ukulele. Mrs. Teresa teaches piano and flute. Every instructor is background-screened and takes yearly abuse prevention training.
The school's administration runs through the church's Worship Arts Department, led by Melody Grant as School of Music Administrator. Recital photos from each term are shared on the school of music gallery, and a Spotify account has been set up with worship playlists that listeners can follow.
Worship Arts and Creative Expression
The Worship Arts Department at FBC Ocala is small but tightly organized. Dr. Darren Gaddis, the Senior Pastor, oversees the broader ministry of the church, and the Worship Arts Department is staffed by Kathy Coleman as Worship and Media Assistant, Melody Grant as School of Music Administrator, and Josiah Gant as Worship Associate. Together they shape the music, media, and creative elements that show up in the Sunday gathering and in special services throughout the year.
For those who want to keep worship going through the week, the church maintains curated Spotify playlists designed to focus the heart and mind on Jesus, accessible through its Spotify page.
What FBC Ocala Believes
The mission of FBC Ocala is simple and unqualified: First Baptist Church of Ocala exists to glorify God by making disciples of all nations. The Core Values that grow out of that mission are nine commitments. The Glory of God comes first, with every person and ministry of the church aiming to please and glorify God above all else. The Sufficiency of Scripture means every ministry is rooted in God's Word and embraces it as the final authority in all matters of faith and practice. Godly Leadership means the church calls, equips, and empowers leaders who live for Christ and who lead others to do so as well. Missional Living commissions every believer to think and act as a missionary in his or her local context. Global Disciplemaking equips and empowers believers locally and abroad to be disciples who make disciples. Genuine Relationships means encouraging mutual accountability in an atmosphere of grace, love, service, and acceptance. Christ-Centered Worship means engaging in Christ-exalting personal and corporate worship. Generous Participation asks every person to enthusiastically participate in the life of the church. And Prayerful Dependence means confessing dependence on God in all things by living prayerfully.
The church is in cooperation with the Southern Baptist Convention and subscribes to The Baptist Faith and Message. It partners with the Florida Baptist Convention, the North American Mission Board, and the International Mission Board as it sends and supports workers at home and abroad.
The Pastoral Team
The pastoral team reflects the breadth of the church's ministry. Dr. Darren Gaddis serves as Senior Pastor. Danny Heath serves as Executive Pastor. BJ Hurse serves as Pastor for Disciplemaking and Mobilization, the role that oversees the church's missions and church planting partnerships. Monty Grant serves as Pastor of Operations and Membership. Dr. Ed Johnson, Pastor Emeritus, also leads the Young at Heart ministry for adults age 55 and older. Travis Cornell serves as Pastor for Students. Together they are supported by NextGen directors, the Worship Arts staff, and a wider team of ministry and financial assistants who keep the church's many programs running week to week.
Plan a Visit
First-time visitors are warmly welcomed at FBC Ocala. Sunday Community Groups meet at 9:15 AM, and the worship gathering follows at 10:30 AM. Preschool and Kids Worship are available during the 10:30 gathering for children from birth through 5th grade, with the North parking lot marked by Kids flags for easy drop-off. Deaf interpretation is provided in the main service. The church also offers a Spanish-speaking Community Group and a Deaf Community Group, reflecting its commitment to making the gospel accessible across the city. Anyone with questions can reach the church office at (352) 629-5683 or info@fbcocala.org.