Eight decades after a small group of worshippers first gathered around O.F. McEuen's dining table in Owensboro, Kentucky, First General Baptist Church still meets just off Frederica Street in a quiet block of Maple Avenue. The congregation, which often calls itself simply "First General Baptist," has made its home at 620 Maple Avenue since 1947 and built its identity around a single line from Acts 20:28: "Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood." With a casual sanctuary, a busy children's wing, a Family Life Center, and a steady stream of mission work in Honduras, the church keeps the motto "Making Disciple Makers!" at the center of everything it does.
From a Front Porch to Maple Avenue
First General Baptist traces its first service to August 18, 1946, when eighteen members of Pleasant Hope General Baptist Church in McLean County walked through the front door of O.F. McEuen's home in Owensboro. With Rev. Rodney Holder elected as the first pastor, the new fellowship met in member homes for several months, then moved that same year into Owensboro High School. Within a year the congregation had outgrown the high school as well, and in 1947 it settled into 620 Maple Avenue, the address it still calls home. Eighteen people had carried the church into being; they set the tone for a fellowship that has stayed in one place ever since.
The Buildings That Grew With the Family
The Maple Avenue property was modest at first, but every generation of members has added something to it. In the early 1950s, under Rev. Carmen Albright, an educational building went up alongside the original meeting place. By 1958, when Rev. Gaylon Price was pastor, the current sanctuary was built. Rev. Leland Duncan guided the church through formal incorporation and adoption of a written constitution in the late 1960s, and he brought on Dennis Morgan as Minister of Music, a role Mr. Morgan continues to fill. The biggest leap came in 2000, when Rev. Bob Kennedy's tenure produced both the Family Life Center and a paved parking lot on adjacent land the church had purchased years before. Today the Family Life Center, called the FLC, houses classrooms, the Crusaders Classroom where Operation Christmas Child supplies are gathered, and the dining space used for the birthday and anniversary meals that follow many Sunday services.
Sunday Morning: Casual, Friendly, Bible-Based
Worship at First General Baptist begins at 10:00 a.m. with Sunday School for all ages, then moves into the main sanctuary at 11:00 a.m. for the worship service. People arrive in jeans or business casual attire; greeters welcome visitors at the front door and on the FLC sidewalk. The weekly bulletin prints an easy-to-follow order: an opening song, scripture read aloud from the pulpit, the morning message, a closing decision hymn, and a benediction. Music leans contemporary, with choruses such as "Praise You Anywhere," "He Set Me Free," "Living Hope," and "Glory, Glory (God Is Able)" sitting alongside more familiar gospel and hymn standards.
A pastor or elder gives a Bible-based message with practical application for the week ahead. Communion is observed on some Sundays; those who have put their trust in Christ are welcome at the table, but no one is pressured to take part. The service lasts a little over an hour, and folks tend to linger in the pews or on the front steps to talk afterwards.
Children and Youth at the Center
From the earliest days the church has put its youngest members first. A secure nursery staffed by trained volunteers cares for babies and toddlers under age three. Children from three years old through fifth grade are dismissed mid-service for Children's Church, a separate gathering with music, games, and a Bible lesson taught at their level. Middle school and high school students sit with their parents for the main service; their own midweek program, R.O.C.K. youth group, meets Wednesdays at 6:00 p.m. The youth also take part in the Operation Christmas Child shoebox packing party held each fall in the FLC, when as many as 250 boxes are filled in a single morning.
Wednesday: Bible Study and Outreach
Midweek at First General Baptist starts with Bible Study at 10:00 a.m., an hour set aside for adults to dig into Scripture together in smaller groups. At 6:00 p.m. the building shifts gear again for R.O.C.K., the youth group, which combines games, teaching, and fellowship for middle and high schoolers. The church also keeps an active Wednesday tradition of gathering supplies for Operation Christmas Child year-round; the Crusaders Classroom in the FLC holds donated items such as matchbox cars, trucks, Barbies, and coloring books, with monetary gifts covering the shipping.
A Long Line of Shepherds
First General Baptist has called thirteen pastors since 1946. Rev. Rodney Holder shepherded the first year. Rev. Carmen Albright led the church through the 1950s and organized the Brotherhood, a youth group, and Christian Endeavor. Rev. Gaylon Price oversaw construction of the current sanctuary. Rev. Leland Duncan incorporated the church and hired Dennis Morgan as Minister of Music. Rev. Edward Carver guided the congregation through its silver anniversary, and Rev. Pete Coble started the Young at Heart Seniors Ministry along with a cassette ministry for shut-ins during the 1980s. Rev. Bob Kennedy served twice; his first stint produced the parking lot, the Family Life Center in 2000, and the church's ongoing mission to Honduras, where members helped build a children's home, ran Vacation Bible School week after week, and planted a new church. After a brief interim season with Rev. Dwight Bland, Rev. Dale Hartlein returned from serving as a missionary at Faith Home in Honduras to become the ninth pastor. Brief tenures followed under Rev. Larry Shadowen and Rev. Matt Moore, then Rev. Bob Kennedy returned for a second pastorate. Rev. John Swain served as interim from 2022 through June 2025. Rev. Alec Hensley was called as the thirteenth pastor in July 2025, and he and his wife Julie are now the visible presence of the church alongside Secretary Pam Lockhart.
What the Church Believes
The beliefs printed by the church begin with the Bible: First General Baptist teaches that the sixty-six books of the Bible are the inspired, error-free Word of God and the final authority for Christian faith and life. Members affirm one God existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Son, Jesus Christ, is fully God and fully man, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, who lived without sin, died on the cross as the sacrifice for sin, rose again bodily, and ascended into heaven. The Holy Spirit convicts people of sin and regenerates, guides, instructs, and empowers believers for godly living. Salvation comes only through faith in the finished work of Christ; adding any human work to it, the church teaches, "infers Jesus' death is insufficient." The congregation welcomes all sinners, holds that no sin is too big for God to forgive, and teaches that following Christ means turning from sin and pursuing holiness. The statement deliberately avoids taking a position on areas where Bible-believing Christians disagree, such as modes of baptism or the timing of end-times events.
Reaching Beyond Maple Avenue
First General Baptist has always been an outwardly focused fellowship. The Help Office in Owensboro has received steady support from the church since the 1980s, and a Van Ministry still picks up members and visitors who need a ride to Sunday School and worship. The Young at Heart seniors group keeps older members connected, and after many Sunday services the fellowship gathers in the FLC for a birthday and anniversary dinner. Mission work is another long thread: under Rev. Bob Kennedy members helped build a children's home in Honduras, led Vacation Bible School, and planted a new church. Even after the founding pastor of that Honduras work, Rev. Dale Hartlein, returned to Owensboro and served as the church's ninth pastor, the Honduras partnership has remained a defining part of who the church is. The Operation Christmas Child shoebox ministry is the year-round, hands-on expression of that same heart for children around the world.
Planning a Visit
First General Baptist Church sits at 620 Maple Avenue, four blocks off Frederica Street near the Daviess County Library, on the left. The phone number is (270) 683-8383, and the office email is office@fgbowensboro.com. A "Plan Your Visit" form lets newcomers leave their name, contact information, date and time of arrival, and a head count of children they would like to pre-register for the nursery and Children's Church; a host is assigned to greet each guest. The Van Ministry is available for those without a ride. Visitors are welcome to stay for the birthday and anniversary meal that often follows the service, and the greeters' favorite question is whether someone is looking for a church family.