Skip to main content
Church NewsMinistry HighlightsNews

Michigan Church Celebrates 175th Anniversary

By June 22, 2015June 24th, 2015No Comments

PortlanMI2_inlinePORTLAND, Mich.—First Baptist Church celebrated 175 years of ministry around the theme “Great Is Thy Faithfulness.” The June 7  day of celebration took place in the church’s beautiful facility that was subsequently damaged  by a tornado on June 22. Anniversary events began with an extended morning worship service, featuring a testimony from former pastor Don Chapel and a message by Dr. John Greening, GARBC national representative.

That afternoon, canopies were set up outside for a catered lunch, and memorabilia and photos of the church’s history were displayed for attendees to peruse.

Thirty-four pastors have served the church faithfully since its inception. In a celebration service from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. (30 minutes longer than scheduled) four of those former pastors—Andy Brubaker, Cliff Owens (a retired Regular Baptist chaplain), Tad Jameson, and Jim Howard—shared testimonies. Ken Floyd, director of the Michigan Association of Regular Baptist Churches, spoke on “Generational Faithfulness.” The church was also honored to have two prominent community leaders in attendance: Brian Calley, Michigan’s lieutenant governor and a former deacon at the church, presented a tribute to First Baptist from the governor and himself, and James Barnes, mayor of Portland, made a presentation to the church.

“Our gracious Lord gave us a wonderful day to praise Him,” says Pastor Gary L. Coleman. “We are so thankful for all who worked to prepare for the day and for all who participated in it. To God be the glory!”