Our Interim Minister

The Rev. Bruce Bramlett began his ministry with First Baptist as Interim Minister on January 22, 2006.

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Sermon Archive--Rev. Esther Hargis

Our former pastor, Rev. Esther Hargis, is a gifted communicator of the deep love of God for every person through Christ Jesus. Some of her sermons are recorded here for your encouragement.

Our adult education series, Second Hour Forum, meets at 11:30 a.m. each Sunday, after the coffee and fellowship time. We blend together a range of topics from Bible study and theology to the church's responses to critical current events. Recent Second Hour series have included such topics as "A Moral Response to Terrorism," "Sharing Our Spiritual Journeys," "Our Church in the Community," "Theology of Hymns & Carols," and "On Dead Prophets & Living Prophecy." Discussions are open and friendly, and guests are always welcome!

Our children's Sunday School meets concurrently with the Second Hour Forum. The children follow a Bible-based curriculum and have Children's Choir as part of their activities. A second Sunday School is provided during a portion of the worship service for children younger than grade 5 each Sunday.

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Among the mission projects that we have been involved with are East Bay Habitat for Humanity and the Berkeley Food Pantry. FBCB has received recognition for the level of mission support that we contribute to American Baptist Churches, USA.

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Theological Practice and Tradition

The First Baptist Church of Berkeley (FBCB) is a theologically open congregation committed to living out the Baptist tradition in today's world. Being non-creedal, we are inclusive of the various ways people come to know and experience God in Jesus Christ. We affirm the freedom of the local congregation to determine the content of its own worship, preaching, and mission. Individual members are free to express their faith and interpret scripture for themselves. We affirm that the Gospel of Jesus Christ offers all people strength and purpose for life. We affirm God's continuing revelation through scripture, the human family, and our individual faith experiences. With these, we integrate contributions from the various areas of human activity, including the sciences, philosophy, and the arts, in continuing to develop our understanding of God's revelation.

The Church

The church is a source of fellowship for nourishing our faith and growth through the mutual care of one another. FBCB is committed to that faith which grows in the interdependency of our community as well as in our individual lives. We are in covenant with the First Congregational Church of Berkeley. FBCB is committed to an ecumenical ministry in our community and the world.

Worship

FBCB corporately experiences the presence of God through preaching, prayer, and congregational singing, led by clergy and laity. Each week we celebrate together our faith experience through a variety of sources from Baptist traditions and the wider community of faith.

Social Mission

FBCB affirms that providing strength for the oppressed and encouragement for the disenfranchised are fundamental to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Through corporate and individual efforts FBCB members actively support projects for the hungry and homeless. We support the liberation of all the oppressed. We affirm women in professional ministry. We welcome and affirm lesbian, gay, and bisexual people in all lay and professional ministries. Believing that God's grace and redemptive love embrace all, we endeavor to be reconcilers in the world. FBCB also has a tradition of emphasizing the role of education in the church, integrating both educational and spiritual growth with the Christian experience. Over the years we have both supported and benefited from university and seminary students participating in our community life. Historically, we have been involved with many students of the American Baptist Seminary of the West, especially through the Ministers in Training program, and continue to be a local church support for that institution.

Adopted June 9, 1991; amended June 6, 1993

First Baptist Church of Berkeley · American Baptist Churches U.S.A.

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Visit the ABC/USA web site to learn more about our denomination. FBCB has been an American Baptist Church since its founding in the late 1800's.

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Visit the web site of the American Baptist Churches of Wisconsin to learn more about our regional home in the Midwest. FBCB joined this region as a participating church in the late 1990's after we took a stand and joined the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists and were removed from fellowship in the California region.

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Visit the PCBA web site to learn more about the local American Baptist association that we belong to in California and the important work that it is doing.

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Visit the AWAB web site to learn more about this important organization and its work of advocacy for full participation of all believers in church membership and leadership, regardless of sexual orientation.

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