Celebrating a Faithful Completion

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Across the country, many congregations have faced the steady trends of declining membership and reduced giving (Gallup Story) . Over the past decades, we have felt those realities as well.

Facing a diminished future, our church made a decision: we would not slowly fade away. We would not become lukewarm, trimming ministries just enough to quietly survive a little longer. Instead, we chose to live fully and serve boldly for as long as we were able.

We made the intentional decision to draw from our endowment at an unsustainable pace so that our final chapter would be marked by meaning, generosity, and impact. And what a chapter it has been.

For three years, we opened our doors each Wednesday night with Café Connection—a no-cost, restaurant-style dinner experience. Together, we served over 20,000 meals. But more than that, we created a space where every guest was treated as a VIP. Tables were set. Meals were plated. Names were learned. Stories were shared. Dignity was honored. Community was built.

As we approach our final worship service on Sunday, April 26, we do not gather for a funeral. We gather for a graduation. Graduations are not about loss; they are about completion. They are a time to celebrate what has been learned, who we have become, and how we have been shaped. They mark the moment when a season has done its work in us, and we are prepared, commissioned, and sent into something new.

This church has been a classroom of grace. A workshop of service. A sanctuary of belonging. Here we learned to pray. To forgive. To serve. To welcome. To hope. And now, like any good graduation, we go forward carrying those lessons into new congregations, new communities, and new callings.

We celebrate a story that has shaped generations. We celebrate friendships formed, faith strengthened, lives changed, and a community served. We trust that the years we have shared have prepared us for whatever chapters lie ahead—whether in new congregations, new ministries, new cities, or new callings.

We will see one another again—in reunions, in unexpected divine encounters, and ultimately in the promise of Paradise. We move forward not in dread or fear, but in hope. We believe God calls us into abundant life, not anxious survival.

To prepare for our send off, we want to invite our wider community to our Celebration Dinner on Sunday, April 19 at 4 pm. If you have ever been part of this church’s story—if you worshiped here, served here, were married here, learned here, or were blessed here—we would love to celebrate the stories of our community with you. To prepare for our dinner, Please RSVP at: https://www.fbcofjackson.org/celebration-dinner/.

This is not the end of faith.
It is the faithful completion of a chapter.
And we step forward together with gratitude and joy.

Celebration Dinner

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Join Us for a Special Celebration Dinner

Date: Sunday, April 19, 2026
Time: 4:00 PM
Location: First Baptist Church of Jackson, 201 S. Jackson St., Jackson, MI 49203

For 187 years, the First Baptist Church of Jackson has been a place of worship, service, friendship, and shared purpose. Before our church’s final worship service at the end of April (read story), we invite you to join us for a special Celebration Dinner on Sunday, April 19 at 4pm.

This will be more than a meal. It will be a space to reflect together:

  • What did we learn here?
  • Who helped shape us?
  • What work are we proud to have been part of?
  • How has this community changed us?

If you have ever worshiped here, served here, partnered with us, or been touched by our ministries, we would be honored by your presence.

We gather not in sadness, but in thanksgiving—for the relationships formed, the good accomplished, and the lives changed. We trust that the same God who brought us together now goes before us, preparing new paths and opening a next chapter greater than we can yet imagine.

Please join us as we celebrate what has been and honor the story we’ve shared.

Help us prepare for the occasion by RSVP’ing for the dinner below.

Cafe Connection Pausing

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Cafe Connection director, Logan Dodge, shared a video announcement with our community sharing that the Cafe will be on pause after our last dinner on June 25. The Cafe will be exploring options for the future about where the Cafe will be located.

Read more

Election Day Communion Service

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Election Day Communion Service

Date: Tuesday, November 5, 2024
Time: 6:00 PM
Location: First Baptist Church of Jackson, 201 S. Jackson St., Jackson, MI 49203

Feeling overwhelmed this Election Day? Join us at 6pm for a communion service that transcends party lines and politics. As Christians of diverse backgrounds, we’re coming together to find common ground at the Lord’s table, embracing an identity that goes beyond partisan labels.

This is not a rally for any party or candidate—just a time to focus on Christ’s words, “Blessed are the peacemakers.” We’ll read from the Sermon on the Mount, sing, pray, and share in the bread and cup, reminding ourselves that in Christ, we are one.

The event is being planned by pastors representing at least 8 denomination traditions, including: American Baptist, Assembly of God, Church of God in Christ, Episcopal, Free Methodist, Nazarene, Non-denominational, Presbyterian (PC USA), and United Church of Christ.

Cafe Connection Fundraising Dinner

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You’re Invited: Café Connection Fundraising Dinner

Date: Friday, October 25
Time: 6:00 PM
Location: First Baptist Church of Jackson, 201 S. Jackson St., Jackson, MI 49203
Ticket Price: $25 per person
Register: https://fbcofjackson.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/2519930

Join us for a special evening to support Café Connection, a restaurant-style, no-cost dining experience that has been transforming lives and building community in Jackson every Wednesday night. This fundraising dinner will be a chance to celebrate the impact Café Connection has made while helping us raise funds to continue our mission.

What to Expect:

  • A Delicious Meal: Enjoy a carefully crafted dinner, served by the same dedicated volunteers who bring hospitality to Café Connection each week.
  • Stories of Impact: Hear personal stories and reflections on how Café Connection has touched lives, served the community, and brought people together. We’ll share updates on the number of guests served and the volunteers who help make it all possible.
  • Silent Auction: Throughout the evening, you’ll have the chance to bid on a variety of exciting items, with all proceeds directly supporting Café Connection’s mission. It’s a fun way to make a big difference!
  • Get Involved: Learn about opportunities to volunteer at Café Connection and how you can become part of this incredible effort to serve the Jackson community.

Why Your Support Matters:

Café Connection is entirely supported by donations, ensuring that we can continue to offer free, high-quality meals in a restaurant-style setting to anyone who walks through our doors. By attending this fundraising dinner, you’re helping us continue to provide a place of dignity, connection, and community for all.

Purchase your tickets now online to reserve your spot for this special evening. Together, we can nourish both bodies and spirits in Jackson.

Introducing the Breakout Space

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Do you need a break from your day? To reset or recharge?

You’re invited to the Breakout Space – a space for 10 minute self-guided meditation during the middle of the day, in the middle of the week. Starting October 17, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 11:30 am – 1:00 pm, you are free to come and go as you need to reset your day.

At the Breakout Space, you choose what you want or don’t want to do. Sit. Kneel. Listen. Pray. Light a candle. It’s your time!

Audio devices are provided to listen to a 10 minute meditation. There are two new tracks each week. One track is motivational for folks needing to recharge. One track is contemplative for those who need rest and peace.

The Breakout Space is available in our historic sanctuary, built in 1870 before the invention of the light bulb. Enter into this historic space to dream and imagine something bigger for your life and your day.

The Breakout Space is a great way to reset your day on your lunch break. We’re a safe, open space for people to come and reset their days in the way they need to.

Worship is on the move

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After the pandemic, our worship services moved into our renovated chapel to create a vibrant, intimate worship experience. We always knew that we would outgrow the space at some point. Well, now is the time.

Listen to Pastor Dallas’ announcement video about our upcoming worship location starting September 10!

Cafe Connection Anniversary Fundraising Month

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It’s almost our first anniversary

Café Connection’s grand opening was October 27, 2021, which means we are nearing our first anniversary! In just a year we’ve grown to serving nearly 92 guests per night over the last 3 months. To celebrate our anniversary we’re launching a month long fundraiser to support the Café as we gear up for a second year of offering an amazing sit down dining experience at no cost to our guests.

Donations make it possible

For about $350 a week, we’re able to host a restaurant style dining experience for all. To make this possible, the Café is financially supported by donations. Some of those donations come from our guests. Other donations come from our volunteers, from our community partners, and from the First Baptist Church of Jackson.

For our first anniversary fundraiser, donors have access to several special giving opportunities, including free merch for certain giving tiers, opportunities to collaborate on a menu item for a week, and out top prize – the opportunity to collaborate on a custom name for one of our menu items for the year. Most importantly, every donation no matter the size helps provide our guests with a great dining experience.

Donate to Café Connection

Show off your Café merchandise

Help us share the word about the Café throughout town by wearing or using Café branded merchandise, including short sleeve t’s, long sleeve t’s, hoodies, sweatshirts, coffee mugs, and more. Merch is available for purchase online. Orders placed by October 2 will arrive prior to our anniversary.

Shop Café Merch

Volunteer to make a difference

You don’t need money to support the Café. The Café wouldn’t exist without our team of amazing volunteers. We’ve had over 80 different volunteers make it possible. If you’ve never volunteered with us, we have volunteer opportunities as servers, kitchen plate preparers, dishwashers, hosts, and more. We think you’ll love volunteering with us – it’s meaningful work surrounded by volunteers who share that same passion and mission.

Volunteer

“When the Lord Speaks” by Coletta A. Crews

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“The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ Then Samuel said, ‘Speak, for your servant is listening’ (1 Samuel 3:10).

I wish it was always that clear. Even the prophet Elijah had trouble hearing: “And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind [tore] the mountains and [brake] in pieces the rocks . . . but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire a still small voice.” And Elijah heard the Lord’s whisper.

Previously, I hinted at a time that I nearly failed the Lord. Today, I want to share that experience, in the hope that it may help you on your walk.

Setting: I was still a young Christian. I had brought a friend from college home with me to visit. She was not normally a churchgoer, but on that morning, she elected to come to my church with me and my mother. It was a little country church, but it could have been anywhere.

As sometimes happens, the church’s congregation was beset with trouble: illnesses, financial crises, trouble within families, and so on. Our pastor invited us to stay after the service concluded, to gather at the altar rail, and to pray. My mother and I nodded to each other, indicating that we would stay. I let my guest know.

After the benediction, we went forward. I knelt at the altar rail, folded my hands, closed my eyes, bowed my head, and settled in to pray. It was not the first time that I had answered an altar call. But this time was different.

Almost immediately, words filled my consciousness. Even as I heard others pray audibly, I returned the words I had received as a prayer to the Lord.

Then, it came to me that He wanted me to pray the words aloud. I remembered a time, long past, at the tiny church of my childhood, when my mother was asked by that pastor to close the service in prayer. The unexpected request caused her to briefly pray that the cracks in the plank floor would open and swallow her. I had much the same reaction.

I argued with God. Oh, unbelievers, or others who have not experienced arguing with God, will say that I was debating within myself. Not so! I argued with God! It went like this: “But, I have already prayed those words. You heard them. You know me; I don’t pray aloud.” And other words I have since forgotten.

Eventually, however, when others were silent, I surrendered, and prayed the words aloud. Immediately, my mind was at peace. I have not argued with Him since, at least not for so long. It is better to simply do as He asks.

I later received greater encouragement. On our five-hour drive back to school, the conversation eventually turned to our church service. And my friend shared, “When you prayed, that was the most moving thing I have ever heard in a church.”

Not my words — His. Not my will — His. A rare opportunity — and I almost missed it.

Not my words — His. Not my will — His. A rare opportunity — and I almost missed it.

 

 

This article appears in the June – July 2022 issue of the FBCJXN Magazine. If you’d like to sign up to receive a copy of our magazine in print or digitally, you can subscribe online.

“Worshipping from Home” by Dawn White

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My name is Dawn White. I grew up at First Baptist Church and have so many fond memories of the church. My father, John Resor, was a fifty plus year member of the church. In fact the last time I was at the church was for his memorial service in 2006.

My father and mother, Annette, ran The Back Door when I was a teenager. The Back Door was a social space created for teenagers to gather in the basement of First Baptist in the early 1960s with live music and concessions. I worked at the concession stand on those nights. My father auditioned the bands and set their schedules to play and my mother greeted each teen at the back door of the church when they entered the building.

       

I was baptized in the church, married in the church, and our daughter was dedicated in the church. I taught a young girls Sunday School class for a couple of years, served as a Deaconess and after I married Dennis I taught a young adult Sunday School class that was called The Be Seeing You Class. I also taught Vacation Bible School for a few years. We had so many friends in the church and admired our Pastors who became a huge part of our lives. All those memories are so very precious to me.

My husband, Dennis, and I were members there until we moved to Battle Creek in 1979 due to a job change for Dennis. Our daughter Darycka was 1 year old at that time.
God has had us on a journey both spiritually and actually moving us around the Midwest since we left Jackson. Dennis was called to go to seminary, which he did. We moved to Dubuque, Iowa where he attended the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary and received his Masters of Divinity in 1990.

Since that time we always did joint ministry together. We served as Youth Pastors for 5 years in Port Huron, Michigan, and after a year of time to reflect and pray we started a non-denominational church called Our Father’s House in Marysville, MI, which we served for 23 years.

God blessed us with so many other ways to do ministry also. We did marriage workshops in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Canada. Dennis had a lovely gift for music and played the piano and the keyboard. Dennis played and we sang together. We were chaplains for the Billy Graham Ministries and was sent to New Orleans to work for a period of time following Hurricane Katrina.

In 2014, I started noticing that Dennis was having some memory issues. After testing, he was diagnosed with Vascular Dementia. That caused us to close our business and move two years later to Holly to be closer to our daughter and her family. Dennis’ health has continued to deteriorate. He is still at home where I take care of him and he has a caregiver three times a week.

About three years ago I was struggling very hard with the feeling like I was not doing any ministry work and crying out to God about why and what he wanted me to do. One day as I cried out I heard God whisper to me, “You are doing my work taking care of my man Dennis and people are watching you.” I am doing my best to care for Dennis since then with a renewed love for the special man he is. May 17 was our 47th wedding anniversary. He still knows me and tells me daily that he loves me, which blesses my heart.

A few months ago I discovered that you have your worship services live on YouTube. I have so enjoyed watching, listening, and singing with you all. My heart just rejoices to be able to worship from home and I feel at home with you all while I do that. God just blesses my heart each Sunday morning at 10:00am. Thank you so much. I was looking for something, and it filled that connection. What a blessing!

“A few months ago I discovered that you have your worship services live on YouTube. I have so enjoyed watching, listening, and singing with you all. My heart just rejoices to be able to worship from home and I feel at home with you all while I do that. God just blesses my heart each Sunday morning at 10:00am.”

I have had a longing for over a month now to come back to visit First Baptist and go to the room where I gave my life to Christ as my Savior so many years ago. It is in the old part of the church upstairs. I was about 11 years old. It was about 1961, while the church was raising money to build the education building addition to the church. This longing to return to the church and that room has become so strong. I find myself weeping when I think about it and as I type now I can hardly see what I am saying as my eyes have filled with tears. I look forward to visiting Jackson and coming to church in person for a Sunday in July, to worship with you personally and to sit in the room where I gave my life to Christ.

May God’s blessings be on this church and its ministries.

 

 

 

This article appears in the June-July 2022 issue of the FBCJXN Magazine. If you’d like to sign up to receive a copy of our magazine in print or digitally, you can subscribe online.