Enrollment for First Baptist Day School 2026-2027
Enrollment for the 2026-2027 school year for First Baptist Church members and current students will be held January 12-16, 2026. First Baptist Day School, a private preschool founded in 1952, serves 200 children ages eight weeks through five years. Our school year runs from mid-August until mid-May. Our hours are 9:00am-1:00pm with options for early […]
TRY January
Happy New Year! I am excited to embark on a new year filled with its unexpected opportunities and possibilities! Years ago, I left behind setting lofty, unsustainable resolutions that made me feel worse by mid-January and instead embraced a “Try January” mindset. With less guilt and more freedom to allow small, consistent changes to slowly […]
The Branch—January 5, 2026
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Peace and Grace, Matt Rollins
Dear friends and family of First Baptist Greenville, In 2003, I applied for the position of Recreation Coordinator at the church my wife grew up in. Over twenty-two years, seven offices, five positions, and two theology degrees later, I feel as though I grew up here too! Ministering alongside this congregation, figuring out together what […]
From the Senior Minister (January 5, 2026)
After 22 years of faithful service, Matt Rollins will transition from First Baptist Greenville to full-time work with Village Engage. As I reflect on his ministry among us, I am struck by the gift Matt has given this congregation: longevity, an increasingly rare contribution in our hyperactive and transient culture. Since Matt is a math […]
Poinsettia Dedications
Members of our congregation provided the beautiful poinsettias displayed in our Sanctuary. One poinsettia is given …in memory of Gregg Gallagher by his family. …by Tom and Sheri Ledbetter in memory of Robert L. Shaw. …in honor of the Johnson Sunday School Class by Prudence Taylor. …by the Hope Sunday School Class in memory of […]
From the Senior Minister (December 22, 2025)
We all long for connection with one another, within a community where we belong, and for a sense of meaning at the beginning of a new year. Epiphany Sunday at First Baptist offers these gifts, and we hope you will be part of it! We will begin the new year together with a hot, church-wide […]
The Branch—December 22, 2025
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Church Epiphany Breakfast on January 4
Kick off the new year with a churchwide breakfast on Sunday, January 4, 2026! January 4 is Epiphany Sunday, the date in the church year that marks the official end of the Christmas season and commemorates the arrival of the magi in Bethlehem. We will celebrate Epiphany as a church family with a hot breakfast […]
Music for Advent: Sanctuary Choir & Harpist Kari Novilla
On December 21, at both our morning worship service and our evening Candlelight and Carols service, we will enjoy the music of our Sanctuary Choir and guest harpist Kari Novilla. Kari is a former student of mine who has gone on to have a successful career as a harpist with the Chicago Civic Orchestra. Kari […]