Union Baptist Temple sits on West Springfield Avenue on the west side of Union, the county seat of Franklin County, Missouri. The independent, fundamental Baptist congregation has called the same pastor, Phil Hudson, since February 1992. Its ministry pairs old-fashioned hymn singing with verse-by-verse preaching of the King James Bible, and its reach extends from a Sunday bus route that picks up children in the community to a network of missionaries supported on several continents. The church also produces a teaching podcast called The Cancelled Preacher, available on YouTube.
Three Sundays and a Wednesday
The church gathers four times a week. Sunday School for all ages begins at 10:00 AM, followed by the morning preaching service at 11:00 AM and a Sunday evening service at 6:00 PM. Wednesday Bible Study for adults, the Knights of Christ program for children, and a teen preaching service meet together at 6:30 PM. Services are also livestreamed on the church's YouTube channel, and an online bulletin keeps members informed throughout the week.
Nursery care is provided for infants through three-year-olds during every service, Sunday school class, and Bible study, so parents can take in the teaching without distraction.
Come in Your Sunday Best
The congregation still dresses in traditional Sunday Best. Many men wear jackets and ties, and most ladies wear dresses or skirts and blouses. There is no formal dress code, however; guests are welcomed exactly as they are, and the greeters want first-time visitors to feel at home from the moment they walk in. As a guest, you are invited but never expected to give during the weekly offering, and donations can also be made online.
Pastor Phil Hudson
Pastor Phil Hudson was born on July 12, 1961, and grew up in Salem County, New Jersey. At eighteen he surrendered to preach at Kingsway Baptist Church in Mickleton, New Jersey, and soon left home for Hyles-Anderson Bible College in Crown Point, Indiana, where he met and married Yoli Gonzales on August 9, 1986. After college, Hudson served as Youth Director at Bible Baptist Church in Griffith, Indiana, and later as Bus Director at Bible Baptist Church in St. Charles, Missouri. In February 1992 he became pastor of Union Baptist Temple, where he has now faithfully served alongside Yoli and their five children for more than three decades. He still teaches the adult Sunday school class and preaches through the Bible chapter by chapter at the Wednesday evening Bible study.
Sunday School for Every Age
Sunday School meets at 10:00 AM each Sunday in classes tailored to age and stage. Pastor Hudson teaches the adult class, working through doctrines and subjects such as salvation, marriage, parenting, wisdom, money, and the nature of God. Teenagers meet in their own room for practical lessons on dating, purity, character, decision-making, and principled living in today's world. Children ages four through preteen gather for Bible stories and corresponding life applications designed to make Scripture come alive for young hearts.
Wednesday Evenings Around the Word
Wednesday at 6:30 PM is a more laid-back gathering that still has something for everyone. Adults stay in the auditorium while Pastor Hudson teaches through the Bible chapter by chapter, using an interactive PowerPoint presentation to unfold themes, symbolism, and life applications. Teens head downstairs for a preaching service and a time of fellowship, and children have their own class with a fun Bible lesson in a separate area.
The Bus Ministry
A team of faithful bus workers fans out into the highways and hedges of the community each Sunday to bring children and teenagers who might otherwise miss church to Union Baptist Temple. Many children ride the bus to Sunday School, and the ministry continues to be supported by the generosity of church members. Anyone wishing to arrange a ride to church can call the church office at (636) 583-8228.
Temple Baptist Academy
Temple Baptist Academy was started in 2002 so families at Union Baptist Temple could choose an education that works hand-in-hand with the church. The academy uses the Accelerated Christian Education curriculum and welcomes only students of like faith who attend church regularly. The most important class of the week, TBA staff say, is the one held on Sunday when the church gathers. Parents can call the church, send an email, or submit an online application.
What We Believe
Union Baptist Temple teaches that the Bible, in its 66 books from Genesis to Revelation, is the fully and verbally inspired, inerrant Word of God, and that the King James Version is the preserved Word for English-speaking people. God is one in essence and three in person: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is the virgin-born, sinless Son of God whose death on the Cross is the substitutionary payment for sin and who ascended to Heaven, where He sits at the Father's right hand awaiting the Rapture of His church and His return to reign for a thousand years. All people are born with a sin nature inherited from Adam and are incapable of saving themselves; salvation comes only through faith in Christ's finished work. The local church began at Pentecost and remains God's institution for worship, fellowship, and service.
Missions Around the World
Union Baptist Temple supports a far-reaching slate of missionaries. The church underwrites Emanuel and Helen Digap in Cambodia, the Wynne family in Mexico, Zach and Cassandra Foust in Peru, George and Barbara Zarris with Christian Radio International, the Simon Jacob family in Pakistan, Ruth King in Japan, Ryan David in the Philippines, Wes and Cynthia Palla in Brazil, Darrell and Buffy Ratcliff in Mexico, Daniel and Erin Lang in Nigeria, and Mike and Ruth Morrissey in the Philippines. Missionaries interested in being considered for support can fill out the church's missions questionnaire online.