Information about the Church and Congregation
The First Baptist Church of Rushville is a small city church located in a small town in Southeastern Indiana. Eighty percent of our congregation lives within 5 miles of the church. Our Congregation has had a long history of ministry and may have helped other churches. We serve a small town with a population of 5,802 and the surrounding county with a population of 17,918. Approximately two members attend the biennial of the ABC/USA; six, the regional biennial meetings; eight, our association/area meetings; and ten attend camps and conference programs. We also provide a Teacher Training Seminar with the speaker from the Regional personnel.
The First Baptist Church of Rushville was organized on January 14, 1908 at a meeting held in the Assembly Room of the County Court House. Rev. Shelby Lee had spent some time in the community, seeking out the Baptist families and hold meeting. He encouraged the organization of a church in Rushville. In addition to Rev. Lee, Rev. C.E. Myers stands out in our church history by being the church's first full time pastor. S.J. Huntington also hols a place in history by being the pastor during the building and dedication of the first church building. James L Ranard was pastor during the church fire. He led the church in rebuilding in it's present location. The significant turning points for our church include the fire of the first church and the building of the Friendship Hall. We celebrated these turning points by building a larger church to accommodate a growing congregation and by burning the mortgage of the Friendship Hall a short time later.
The First Baptist Church usually uses the lay leaders to make the announcements and pray. We always obtain prayer concerns from the people verbally and in written form. Communion is always served by the Minister and assisted by the deacons, and a invitation is always extended to make a decision to join church or make a public decision for Christ. Our congregation participated in singing praise songs/choruses, familiar hymns, and gospel songs. Children regularly participate in worship. We greet people on a regular basis as part of worship.
If you are looking for a loving, caring , and family oriented church home, we invite you to visit our church. There will always be an open invitation to all!
