Coming Events
Pastors’ Conference
October 6th!
Great Hall at Truett Seminary.
The cost for the meal is $5.00.
Please RSVP by September 29th.
To register contact the WRBA office at admin@wacoregionalbaptistassociation.org
or call 753-2408
WACO REGIONAL BAPTIST ASSOCIATION SESQUICENTENNIAL CELEBRATION
Waco Regional Baptist Association will observe its 150th Anniversary on Tuesday, October 26 at First Baptist Church, Waco.
The Association began with nine congregations in 1860, including Blue Ridge; Bold Springs (later First Baptist, West); Bosque (later Bosqueville); Caddo; Cow Bayou; First Baptist, Marlin; First Baptist, Waco; Union Springs; and White Rock (later Chalk Bluff).
Today, the group of voluntarily cooperating churches numbers more than 135. The goal remains to extend and embody the good
news of Jesus Christ.
For additional information about the celebration or to make reservations click on our anniversary logo.
Get to Know One of the Founding Churches of the WRBA
First Baptist Church of West
First Baptist Church of West is one of the oldest churches in the Waco Baptist Regional Association. The church is 152 years old and was one of the nine founding churches in our association. West is a Czech community. Since Catholicism is a big part of the Czech culture, most of the people in West who claim a church affiliation are Catholic. It has not always been easy to be a Baptist in a Catholic community, but over the past twenty years or so, the people in West have enjoyed working and worshiping together.
Today, First West is a healthy church that has been blessed in some wonderful ways in the past few years. They outgrew their building in the 90s and started a second worship service. In 2002 they built a new sanctuary and renovated the old one into additional Sunday School space. Financially speaking, the million dollar project was the largest undertaking in the church’s history. They sold church bonds to raise the necessary capital funds. The goal was to pay off the bonds in 15 years, but by God’s help, they were able to accomplish that goal in half the time.
West is experiencing an exciting season of growth this year. Since January 1, 2010 they have welcomed 30 new members, 13 of whom joined by baptism. On most Sundays there are 250-275 people in worship. There is a good spirit in the church and they have a strong fellowship. There is an active women’s ministry and they are beginning to organize a men’s
ministry that will have a number of different opportunities for growth and service. Teenagers and children are always a priority at First West and they reach a number of kids each year.
They have recently lost their Minister of Music, and have begun the hard work of finding someone to come and lead in worship. The position is part-time and almost all of the work can be done on Sundays. There are some talented musicians and they worship with a good balance of traditional hymns and contemporary choruses. Anyone interested in the position can contact John Crowder at jwcrowder@fbcwest.com.
