A Baptist church on Leisure Lane in Whitehouse
Gateway Baptist Church sits at 101 Leisure Lane in Whitehouse, Texas, a small city in Smith County east of Tyler. The address is residential, and the building serves as a gathering place for Sunday morning Bible study groups, a 10:45 worship service, and a full slate of Wednesday night activities that begin with a community dinner.
Sunday mornings: groups then worship
Sunday School groups meet at 9:30am and are open to anyone who wants to dig into God's Word and build friendships. Three named groups are featured:
- Joyful Noise Class - a mixed group of men and women, some married and some single, focused on growing in God's Word, encouraging one another, and enjoying fellowship.
- LIFE Group - for men and women who want a different learning experience from the typical Sunday School class.
- CONVERGE - described as for female, male, married, or single, "the pairs and spares" who want a fresh approach.
The main worship service follows at 10:45am. Live video of recent services is shared on the church's Facebook page, and recordings are available afterward.
Wednesday nights: dinner, worship, and Bible study
Wednesday is a full evening at Gateway Baptist. During the school year, a community dinner is served at 6:00pm, giving church members and neighbors a chance to eat together before the evening programs begin. At the same hour, youth, Children in Action, and an Extension Worship time lead into Bible study. Adult Bible Study follows at 6:45pm.
Plugged-In Student Ministry
Plugged-In is the church's student ministry for teens in grades 6 through 9. The focus is Bible study and a Biblical approach to the issues teens face, with plenty of room for fun through games, camps, field trips, and fellowship. Students attend summer camp each year along with several conferences and concerts to stay spiritually engaged. The ministry points to 1 Timothy 4:12 as its anchor verse: "Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity."
Children's Ministry
Gateway Baptist holds a strong conviction that children are the future. Teachers lead children in learning about Jesus Christ straight from God's Word and work to make lessons fun. Children in Action meets on Wednesday nights as part of the midweek program.
What the church believes
Gateway Baptist's statement of faith centers on the Trinity, the full humanity and divinity of Christ, and the saving work of Jesus. The church affirms that Jesus came in the flesh, lived for the purpose of dying for the forgiveness of all sin for all people, and rose from death on the third day. Salvation is open to everyone: the church quotes Acts 2:21, "that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved."
Operation Christmas Child
Each year Gateway Baptist partners with Samaritan's Purse to pack shoebox gifts that share the love of Jesus with children around the world. Items collected include notebooks, stuffed animals, colored pencils, markers, crayons, socks, underwear, soap, toothbrushes, and washcloths. Anyone who wants to pack a box can use the church's link to Samaritan's Purse.
Visiting Gateway Baptist
Gateway Baptist Church is located at 101 Leisure Lane, Whitehouse, TX 75791. The church office is open Monday through Wednesday from 8:00am to 2:00pm and can be reached at (903) 839-7171 or gwbc@suddenlinkmail.com. Worship services are livestreamed, and recordings are posted afterward. Gateway Baptist shares updates and services on Facebook and Instagram at gatewaybaptistwhitehouse.