Two Sunday Mornings, One Sermon
Georgetown Baptist Church meets twice on Sunday mornings in its worship center on South Hamilton Street, and the two services share the same sermon while offering very different musical settings. At 8:45 am the congregation worships in a more traditional style, with the pipe organ, classic hymns, and choral music from the Celebration Choir, joined on occasion by the handbell choir and other ensembles. At 11:00 am a praise team leads contemporary choruses and fresh arrangements of favorite hymns with guitars and drums. Both services are held in the same building, and the warm fellowship between the two congregations is a point of pride for the church.
Between the two services at 10:00 am, Sunday School classes meet for every age. Nursery care is available starting at 8:45 am on the second floor for children from birth through age two. During the 11:00 service, after the Time for Children, children ages three through second grade are invited to Children's Church on the third floor for the remainder of the service.
Visitors are welcome to come as they are, in anything from jeans to suits and dresses, and greeters are ready to help newcomers find the right door and the right room. Parking is available on site, and the church has prepared a map and directions to help first-time visitors find their way in.
A Church That Has Been Here Since 1810
Georgetown Baptist Church began in 1810, when a small group of believers came together to start a Baptist church in the young community of Georgetown. The heartbeat of the congregation from the start has been missions: through the years GBC has helped start nearly a dozen new churches in Georgetown, Scott County, and northern Fayette County. That same spirit continues today through partnerships with organizations like the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and through mission trips that are central to the youth ministry.
Since 1842 the church has stood next to Georgetown College, and that long relationship is part of GBC's identity. Countless Georgetown College students, faculty, staff, and alumni have found a church home here, and the college remains one of the church's most cherished ministry partners. The church welcomes the arrival of GC students each fall and is intentional about weaving them into the life of the congregation.
The congregation describes itself as a place that loves building bridges. Believer's Baptism is affirmed for those coming from sister Baptist and other evangelical churches. The Lord's Supper is celebrated on the first Sunday of each month with an open table, open to sisters and brothers in Christ who are not members of GBC. The church also recognizes the gifts of women in all areas of church life, including leadership, and explicitly welcomes people of diverse political affiliations, nationalities, denominations, and backgrounds.
Georgetown College Next Door: We Will Feed You
For college students, the church has a standing invitation. Every Sunday after the 11:00 service, GBC takes visiting college students to lunch through a program called We Will Feed You. The program is built on a simple idea: away from home and balancing the challenges of college life, students need a safe place to worship, grow in their faith, and make meaningful connections with people of all ages. The church is just across the parking lot behind Georgetown College's LRC, and the invitation is open to any visiting student any week.
Georgetown College students also serve the church. The fall music schedule has included a Sunday afternoon service with the Georgetown College football team, and youth and college students frequently lead in worship and serve in children's and outreach ministries. Recent combined services have included Youth Sunday, when the youth of the church lead and graduating high school seniors are recognized.
Children from the Giraffe Room to GBC JAM
GBC's children are a major part of the congregation, and the church offers programs for nursery through sixth grade throughout the week. Sunday School meets at 10:00 am in age-appropriate rooms: nursery for birth through age two on the second floor, preschool (ages three through kindergarten) in the Giraffe Room on the second floor, and grades one through three and grades four through six in the Children's Suite on the third floor. Children's Church for ages three through second grade meets during the 11:00 worship service, and after the Time for Children, those children are dismissed to the Children's Suite.
On Sunday evenings during the school year, children's choirs rehearse at 6:00 pm. Music Makers (preschool through second grade) meet in the Children's Suite on the third floor, and GBC JAM (Jesus and Me) for third through sixth graders meets in the Osborne Suite and Hutchins Classroom on the fourth floor.
Georgetown Baptist Preschool is a weekday ministry of the church that has been serving three- and four-year-olds for many years. The preschool operates Monday through Friday from 8:30 am to 12:00 pm and is led by director Kathy Loar. It functions as a separate program of the church and is open to the wider Georgetown community.
Special events round out the year for children. Vacation Bible School runs for several evenings in early summer, and Camp Cup of Cold Water is a three-session summer program for rising fourth through seventh graders that combines Bible study with hands-on service in the community.
Youth Ministry on the Fourth Floor
Tim Schindler has served as GBC's Associate Pastor of Youth and Worship since November 2006, and he is one of the longest-tenured youth workers in the area. His philosophy is straightforward: youth ministry is not the church's ministry to young people, but rather empowering students to change their world. Service and mission trips are central to the schedule, and Schindler believes that if a student goes on a mission trip with an open heart, it will change their life.
Youth meet throughout the week. Sunday morning Bible study is at 10:00 am in the Youth Room on the fourth floor, year-round. On Sunday evenings during the school year, small groups meet at 6:00 pm on the second floor of the preschool building. Wednesday Youth gathers at 6:30 pm in the Youth Room on the fourth floor during the school year. Throughout the year the youth also participate in weekend retreats, summer camps, service projects, and fun group outings.
The youth program is supported by a large team of adult volunteers and is integrated into the wider life of the church. Youth lead combined worship services several times a year, including an annual Youth Sunday that recognizes graduating high school seniors, and a spring flower fundraiser and trivia night help fund summer camp and mission trips.
Adults and Senior Adults
For adults, GBC offers an unusually wide range of Sunday School classes at 10:00 am. The classes include the Priscilla/Gleaners class, the Fields class, the Men's class, the Hutchins class, the Caring Christians class, the Kairos class, the New class, and the Young-ish Adult class, meeting in the Fellowship Hall, on the second floor, and on the fourth floor. On Sunday evenings during the school year, an adult study meets in the Fellowship Hall at 6:00 pm, exploring Scripture and a variety of topics. Recent fall studies have been led by Senior Pastor Patrick DeVane.
Senior adults have their own ministry called Live Embers, open to anyone 55 and older and led by Faith Hammond. The group meets on the first Monday of each month for a meal out or trivia at the church, and members also participate in the regular Sunday School classes. The senior adults are an active and visible part of the congregation's mission and fellowship life.
Music at GBC
Music is woven throughout the life of the church. The 8:45 service is led by organist Katy Hale, with the Celebration Choir directed by Sable Snyder and the handbell choir contributing on occasion. The 11:00 service is led by a praise team that includes guitars and drums. In addition, GBC's Gospel Sound ensemble provides music for a variety of occasions and rehearses on Sunday afternoons in the Music Suite on the fourth floor. The Celebration Choir rehearses at 4:30 pm on Sunday afternoons in the Choir Room on the fourth floor, and Music Sunday each spring showcases all the church's musical offerings.
Community Meals, Mission Trips, and Christmas Boxes for Appalachia
Outreach and mission are central to the congregation's identity. Several times a year, GBC forms Community Meal groups of eight to ten people who meet once a month to share a meal and get to know one another across generations. The groups choose when and where to meet, and the program is designed to help newcomers and longtime members connect.
Families on Mission is a Wednesday evening program that runs monthly throughout the school year from 5:30 to 7:30 pm, with a shared meal and a mission project or educational program. Recent projects have included packing Christmas Boxes for children and teenagers in Appalachia in partnership with Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel Scarlette Jasper, and assembling goody bags to drop off to people connected with the church.
The church collects supplies for a number of community partners, including The Gathering Place, and has hosted Mission Spotlight days for ministries like Still Waters. Each spring, the youth lead a flower sale and a trivia night fundraiser to support summer camp and mission trips.
Pastors and Staff
Senior Pastor Patrick DeVane joined GBC in August 2023. A native of Georgia, he has served Baptist churches in Alabama, Georgia, Texas, North Carolina, and now Kentucky. He earned his bachelor's degree from Samford University in Birmingham and both his Master of Divinity (2005) and Doctor of Ministry (2015) from McAfee School of Theology in Atlanta. He and his wife, Sara Rudolph DeVane, have two children, Piper and Andy.
Tim Schindler, Associate Pastor of Youth and Worship, has been at GBC since November 2006 and also provides leadership in contemporary worship. A native of Pikeville, Kentucky, he is a 1998 graduate of the University of Kentucky and earned his Master of Divinity from Asbury Theological Seminary in 2002. He and his wife, Amy, have four children. He has also served Kentucky churches in Falmouth, Versailles, and Somerset.
Ashley Gill Harrington, Associate Pastor of Children and Church Communications, came to GBC in June 2022 after serving as co-pastor, minister to children, interim, and associate pastor in churches in Kentucky, Texas, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Virginia. A graduate of Georgetown College, she earned her Master of Divinity from George W. Truett Theological Seminary.
The staff also includes Office Manager and Financial Secretary Lindsey Allen, Worship Leader and Celebration Choir Director Sable Snyder, Organist and Pianist Katy Hale, Sound and Video Technician Terry Tackett, Custodian Mike Wallace, and Preschool Director Kathy Loar.
Visiting and Giving
The church is located at 207 South Hamilton Street in Georgetown, Kentucky, and the office can be reached at 502-863-2739. Services are livestreamed on YouTube, and a recent worship archive is available online. Giving is available securely online, in the offering plates during worship, or by mail to the church office.