First Baptist Church Roswell
by Staff Writer
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First Baptist Church Roswell (FBC) was founded in 1872 in an old log school with 22 charter members. In 1927, it moved uptown to its current location on Mimosa Boulevard, the "church road" according to some in the Roswell community.

"Our mission is derived from Acts 1:8. We desire to serve locally, statewide, nationwide and internationally," says Dr. Ron Bradley. Dr. Bradley has been the pastor of First Baptist Church Roswell since 1997. He and his wife, Cheryl, reach the community through their varied ministries, including medical mission trips to the Amazon River and the Hope for Grieving Children program, specifically designed to help children with the loss of family members.

Despite its humble beginnings, First Baptist Church Roswell has a rich history and has grown to more than 1,700 members who are compassionate and willing to serve their community. The church’s "side-walk ministry" welcomes guests during the many activities on Roswell’s historic public square by sharing bathroom facilities, parking lots, children’s inflatables and bottles of water.

Dona and Matt Pietsch have attended FBC since 2002 along with their children Brittany, age 12 and Garrett, age 9. "We moved to Roswell in 2002, and spent more than a year looking for a new church home," Matt says. "We visited countless churches, and on our first visit to First Baptist Church Roswell, we felt at home. Dr. Bradley and others greeted us warmly. When we returned the next Sunday, they remembered our names," he said with a big smile.

The Pietsch family feels that FBC is truly a Christ-centered church. "It has become our family — Dr. Bradley is encouraging in his messages and you always take away something from the sermon, as if he were speaking only to you," Matt related. "The fellowship of the Sunday School class my wife and I experience while learning God’s word is wonderful," he continued. Dona loves the Wednesday morning Women’s Bible study group, and Matt attends the Friday morning men’s group, MENistry.

There are several choir groups at FBC, and Dona teaches the youngest group, the 3 year-olds. She also plays the French horn in the orchestra. Brittany and Garrett also are involved in activities at the church — Brittany enjoys the youth program with Youth Minister Robert Turnbull, and Garrett participates in the Royal Ambassador program.

Matt has joined other men at FBC on mission trips including trips to Tennessee to support the Appalachian Outreach Ministries where the team rebuilds homes for families in need. The church also supports local charities including the Drake House, Georgia Baptist Children’s Home, North Fulton Community Charities and the North Fulton Child Development Center.

Tiffany and Doug Ray and their children Jessica age 12, Merideth age 9, and Ella Claire age 5, have been attending FBC since Doug and Tiffany were married.

Doug assists in the youth department with Youth Minister Robert Turnbull. "I am a high octane kind of a guy and enjoy having fun with the kids," Doug said. He also works with the sixth, seventh, and eighth graders on Sunday morning. There are many activities for the youth to get involved in at First Baptist Church Roswell; one activity is a mission trip planned for Newnan, Georgia to repair a home. After the Wednesday night dinners, the youth bus the tables for tips, which will help sponsor trips during the year. Trips include heading to Florida theme parks and skiing trips to Snowshoe, West Virginia. Each Sunday afternoon finds Doug leading the BMW — Baptist Men on Wheels — bicycling group or playing basketball or volleyball in the gym.

Tiffany and Doug believe the people make up the church. "Our best friends go to this church and we would lay down our lives for them if there ever was a need," Doug said.

Jennifer and Patrick Dodson have been attending FBC for more than eight years along with their daughters Caroline age 7, and Caitlin age 6.

The Dodsons live in Dunwoody and learned about the church when they would visit Patrick’s family who live in Roswell. "We are always in Roswell," Jennifer said, "either visiting Patrick’s parents, dining at some of the great restaurants here or shopping at the great shops."

"We saw the church and decided to visit," Jennifer said. "We fell in love with it because it followed the format we both grew up with — a traditional church. We had a hard time finding a church which truly followed the traditional worship service." Jennifer and Patrick are comfortable with the size of the church, feeling it is large enough to enable meeting several families and getting to know everyone, but it is not too big that you forget someone’s name. They really enjoy the format followed by First Baptist Church Roswell with the old hymns, pews, pipe organ, orchestra and the hand bells as part of the service.

Jennifer and Patrick along with another teacher are busy with the second grade Sunday School class and often will talk to their daughters about what they learned in class. "They tell us about the Bible verses they learn and the stories they hear. An every day application can always come from the stories, and we try to help the girls understand that application and apply it during the week," she continues. "I also feel that the children’s programs at First Baptist Church Roswell are important because they incorporate the children into the worship service rather than having a separate service for them. Rev. Brenda Dedmon is the children’s minister at FBC. Our girls always look forward to her children’s sermon stories at the beginning of the worship service."

Stephanie and Marshall Thomas, along with their children Mackenzie age 6 and Montavious age 3, drive from Woodstock to FBC and have been doing it every Sunday and Wednesday for three years.

"We moved here from Rhode Island, bringing along Stephanie’s mom and dad. We feel God led us to this church," Marshall said. "We belonged to a traditional church in Rhode Island; Stephanie’s grandparents were the trustees, and we both had been baptized in the church. We wanted to find a similar church which focused on traditional hymns, piano, and choir. We visited several churches when a neighbor recommended we try First Baptist Church Roswell. We visited FBC one time, and it became our church of choice. It is a wonderful church. The people were gracious when we came in and they were not pushy about getting us into a Sunday School class. We had a choice of several Sunday School classes and finally decided on the Cornerstone Class which is young adults with children.

Marshall feels that FBC is a true Christian discipleship environment — that it is special and different from a lot of places. It offers Sunday School classes that function like larger churches’ small groups. It is the same concept but in a Sunday School, Bible-based environment. It isn’t a social group; it is a church group.

In a day when many churches are age specific, First Baptist Church Roswell is a dynamic, intergenerational congregation which is reaching people under 40 while also keeping people over 60 years of age involved. Recently, 40 senior adults toured the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, North Carolina and a three-day trip to The Cove is planned for 2009. At FBC it is difficult to know who is more active, the young families or the retirees.

If you have been looking for a traditional church with a contemporary message, First Baptist Church Roswell may be just for you. Visit them next Sunday and experience what the members enjoy and have so largely incorporated into their lives. Worship services are held on Sundays at 9:45 and 11 a.m. and 6:45 p.m. First Baptist Church Roswell is located at 710 Mimosa Boulevard and can be contacted at (770) 587-6980 or online at www.rfbc.org.