About Us (continued)
For a time the members tried to stay together by worshipping at local churches, hoping that First Baptist would survive yet another crisis. During that time understandably, membership dropped off tremendously. But God blessed the little church and with Pastor Godard’s leadership, it weathered that storm and after extensive renovations, was back to its regular worship schedule a little more than two years later. The remaining congregation was small in number but big in spirit.
It would not be until 2019 that the church's new steeple and cross was placed atop the building -- the final piece of the entire six-year restoration. The steeple and cross rising upward into the sky points the way to God and makes First Baptist Church of Belmar instantly recognizable as a House of God -- a place for people to come and worship and fellowship in the name of Jesus.
In the Spring of 2016, after 38 years of pastoring First Baptist, the 94 year old Rev. Goddard stated that God had released him of his service and with that, God had another prepared to take over the helm. Later that year, the congregation was extremely blessed to have Rev. James A. Jackson, Jr. installed as its fifth pastor. On February 3, 2017, with heavy hearts the congregation announced that Rev. Arthur C. Goddard had gone home to be with the Lord.
After his installation, Pastor Jackson began laying the groundwork to steer the church forward with a focus on the future. With God's help, he established a mandated mission and an enriched vision for the church that centers on the following core elements: expanding biblical educational opportunities; developing additional ministries relevant to today’s needs; fostering an environment for Godly fellowship; assisting members with the discovery of God-given gifts and talents; and continuing to improve efforts to provide effective ministerial and counseling services.
Rev. Jackson considers community involvement very important. God’s people can and should effect change where they are. As a result, First Baptist developed progressive partnerships with community and other church leaders, as well as academia and local health organizations to enhance and improve the lives of its members and the people in the surrounding areas. With its new membership in the American Baptist Conference, First Baptist Church now had opportunities to tap into the resources needed to do all of that and more.
In furthering First Baptist's mission and vision, the church in April 2018 licensed the first female minister in its 118-year history -- Adrianne J. Robinson. She and husband, Minister Edward G. Robinson, III, joined First Baptist Church a little more than a year before her licensing, Minister Ed was added to the pastoral staff at that time and the FBC family immediately embraced the couple as their own. Even before they officially joined the church; Sis. Adrianne was the facilitator of the church's first Women's Retreat. But God had bigger plans for her and shortly after the retreat; Rev. Jackson began her ministerial training.
Beginning circa 2017 and throughout the 2020's more spiritual classes were formed or enhanced; various new training sessions begun, and new ministries were established to help trackle specific issues important to the congregration and community. All of this growth created more opportunities for its members to study, learn, share, teach, mentor, and fellowship... allowing members to get even closer to God; and also more involved in the life of the church.
The Men and Women of First Baptist Church have always worked together to do God's work, but around that same timeframe, each group also began focusing on their own group. The organizing of true ministries and actually doing the work specific to Men and Women shortly followed.
After their first Women's retreat and Women's Day in 2017, the women began creating other events especially for women. A monthly bible study began in 2022 and actually blossomed into the official Women's Ministry -- S.I.S.T.E.R.S. in Christ which began in January 2023.
The Men's Ministry hosted their first Men's Day Service in 2019. Men's Day has continued over the years and has expanded to become a Men's Weekend featuring guest preachers and speakers; and a health workshop. They also conduct a monthly bible study especially for Men.
The Youth Squad was created in 2019 and has continued to grow in number and in deed. The First Baptist Youth are busy with many activities including Sunday School, Educational bus trips, summer events and community outreach through Get Well card making and visiting local nursing homes. A new leadership series -- FBC Youth Squad Sundays -- kicked off in 2022. Every fifth Sunday, the youth are in charge of worship and ushering duties, as well as singing during service. With a theme of "Train Up a Child..." (Proverbs 22:6), the group's goal is to teach young people about God's love and the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Several other ministries would be formed under Pastor Jackson's tutelage including the Marriage Ministry which encourages healthy, Godly marriages by gathering with like-minded married couples in fun activities; the Health Ministry which promotes healthy living through monthly information presentations along with blood pressure checks; the Hospitality Ministry, which encompasses the Ushers, is responsible in part for all in-house events; the Evangelism Ministry which is our main outreach in spreading the Gospel to the churched and unchurched outside of First Baptist, and the Communication and Social Media Ministry which takes care of all forms of communication including but not limited to correspondence, news releases, all printed materials and all social media outlets.
In 2019, the church embarked on the task of creating a new Constitution and By-Laws which would bring the church up-to-date with many issues that now needed to be addressed as it moved into the 2020s and beyond.
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