A Bible-Centered Congregation on Sheridan Road
Liberty Baptist Church meets at 2105 Sheridan Road in Pekin, Illinois, in a sanctuary the congregation describes as beautiful and open to all who walk through its doors. Rooted in the Southern Baptist tradition, the church centers its life and teaching on the Bible, holding it up as God's revelation to humanity and the authority for faith and daily practice. The church's mission is short and direct: "God's Holy Spirit lives in us, and changes us from what we should otherwise be without Him."
The congregation is marked by a wide range of backgrounds. Members come from every race, from many languages and nationalities, and from all ages, educational levels, marital statuses, and economic levels, a diversity the church counts as one of its gifts. A full Spanish-language ministry accompanies the English-language one, so newcomers and longtime attenders can find a place in either tongue.
Sundays at Liberty Baptist
Sundays at Liberty Baptist follow a familiar rhythm of study and gathered worship. A Connect Group meets at 9:30 a.m., followed at 10:00 a.m. by Sunday School for adults (offered both in person and on Zoom) and Sunday School for children in person for ages 4 through 16. The morning worship service begins at 11:00 a.m. and is offered in person, on Zoom, and through Facebook Live, so members and friends can join from wherever they happen to be on a Sunday morning.
The worship service follows the pattern Liberty Baptist sees in the New Testament and the early church: scripture reading, preaching, congregational singing, prayer, the Lord's Supper as a memorial of Jesus, and an invitation extended after the sermon for those who wish to respond in faith. Members are also given the opportunity to contribute financially to the work of the church during the gathering. An evening gathering for youth rounds out the day at 6:00 p.m., with a Youth Fellowship and Bible Study for teenagers in grades 7 through 12.
Wednesdays and Fridays: Midweek Prayer and Study
Midweek at Liberty Baptist is anchored by two accessible moments. A Call to Prayer runs from 12:00 p.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, a half-hour pause in the middle of the day when members dial in by phone. In the evening, the church's Bible study called The CONNECTION meets at 7:00 p.m., available both by audio conference and on Zoom. The format, with options to listen only or join the video call, is designed to make midweek study accessible to people at work, at home, or on the road.
Friday mornings begin with Precious Moments with Him, a time of meditation at 6:45 a.m. followed by group prayer at 7:00 a.m. Like the Wednesday offerings, this time can be joined by phone or through the church's Zoom platform. The early-morning rhythm gives the congregation a way to start the weekend grounded in scripture and prayer.
What Liberty Baptist Believes
Liberty Baptist's core teaching centers on the Bible as the inspired Word of God and the authority for faith and practice. The church teaches that God is understood as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - the Creator, Redeemer, and Comforter respectively. Two ordinances mark the life of the church: Believer's Baptism and the Lord's Supper, both understood as symbols of redemption that nonetheless carry deep spiritual meaning for the Christian life.
The church also teaches that the church itself is made up of people redeemed by Jesus Christ who voluntarily gather for worship, fellowship, nurture, and ministry. This is a confession that shapes how Liberty Baptist understands itself - not as a building or an institution, but as a community of believers who choose to come together.
Pastors Who Shepherd the Flock
Liberty Baptist is served by a three-person pastoral team with deep roots in Christian ministry and education.
The Senior Pastor, Stanley Williams, came to the church with decades of vocational ministry experience and a Master of Divinity in Great Commission Studies from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has served in campus ministries, congregations, and denominational work in Alaska, Texas, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, and has also participated in international mission efforts. His ministry is marked by what the church describes as an abiding visceral sense of calling to engage the next generation. He and his wife, Trina, have four adult children and a host of adopted children and grandchildren.
The Associate Pastor, Rev. Jerry E. Martin, was called to preach in 1987, licensed in 1989, and ordained in 1991. Music is woven into his calling. He began playing piano at age seven, joined his local church choir at twelve, and went on to study music at Motlow State Community College and Tennessee State University. He later founded Jazspir, a jazz and gospel band, and The Eternal Spirits, a male gospel group. He is a past president of the National Federation of Bible Studies. He and his wife Averill have four children, eight grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.
The Pastor Emeritus is Rev. Fernando Downs Jr., a native of Nicaragua who holds a Bachelor of Arts from Mars Hill University and a Master of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. He is married to Terry, and they have two daughters, a son, and two grandchildren.
Children, Youth, and Vacation Bible School
Liberty Baptist takes seriously the call to walk alongside the next generation. Children's Sunday School meets on Sunday mornings at 10:00 a.m. for ages 4 through 16, in person. A weekly Youth Fellowship and Bible Study is held on Sundays at 6:00 p.m. for teenagers in grades 7 through 12, a time the church describes as an opportunity for young people to explore what it means to live a life of God-centered righteousness while navigating a culture the ministry sees as offering misguided hope.
Each summer, Liberty Baptist hosts a Vacation Bible School for children ages 4 (potty trained) up through twelfth grade, with snacks served each evening. VBS has become one of the church's signature outreach events for families in the Pekin area, and the church invites children from the community to register each year.
Brotherhood, Women's Mission Union, and Outreach
Three long-standing adult ministries shape life at Liberty Baptist. The Brotherhood Ministry gathers the men of the church for mission awareness and action, with a monthly breakfast and Bible study and a Men's Choir that sings on the fourth Sunday of each month. The Women's Mission Union gathers the women for a similar purpose, with a "Chat and Chew" devotional hour and Bible study on the first and third Wednesdays of each month and a women's Bible study on the second and fourth Thursdays.
The Outreach Ministry reaches beyond the walls of the church, encouraging members to share the good news of Jesus Christ with family, friends, and neighbors in surrounding communities. The ministry sees the church's mission as extending well beyond Sunday morning into everyday relationships.
A Social Justice Ministry
Alongside its traditional ministries, Liberty Baptist maintains a Social Justice Ministry grounded in the words of Psalm 82:3: "Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute." The ministry is one of the ways the church seeks to live out its faith in the wider community, applying biblical principles to questions of fairness, care for the vulnerable, and the common good.
A First Visit to Liberty Baptist
Liberty Baptist welcomes visitors warmly. The sanctuary has a front entrance at grade level for wheelchair accessibility, and the doors and aisles are wide enough to accommodate wheelchair entry. Newcomers will be greeted and acknowledged, but no one will be asked to stand before the congregation or be put on the spot. Visitors are free to simply take in the service.
For those who cannot attend in person, services are available on Zoom and through Facebook Live, and sermons are archived on the church's YouTube channel. Giving is available online through Tithe.ly. The church calendar is maintained online, and the office can be reached at office@lbcpekin.org or (309) 347-7158 during the week.
For those wanting to dig deeper, Sunday School and midweek Bible study are open to anyone who wants to learn, and the church encourages visitors to come as they are. Liberty Baptist's doors - and its phone lines, and its Zoom rooms - are open to all.