Lenten/Easter Schedule
March 2 – Ash Wednesday: drive thru ashes, FBC parking lot, 11 AM – 1 PM
March 6 – Lenten Series begins, Sundays @ 10:30 AM and Thursdays @ 6:30 PM
April 10 – Palm Sunday service @ 10:30 AM
April 14 – Maundy Thursday service @ 6:30 PM
April 17 – Easter Sunday service @ 10:30 AM
April 21 – Earth Day service @ 6:30 PM
For further information and to register at Eventbrite, click here.
Sunday, September 19, at 2PM.
In-person: 518 N. Franklin Ave., Madison (masks and social distancing required)
Livestreaming options:
Questions: Call 608-233-1880
First Baptist Church of Madison continues its 170-year history of building a Christ-centered and socially active community as it installs its new pastor, the Rev. Tim Schaefer, on Sunday, September 19th.
Reflecting on his role as pastor, Rev. Schaefer said, “As Christians, I believe strongly that we are called by God to love unconditionally, to bring healing and wholeness to the world, to practice inclusion and celebrate diversity, and to challenge unjust systems through our mission and social justice work. These are among the many values that First Baptist embodies as a congregation.”
Before starting work at First Baptist in November 2020, Rev. Schaefer served as the Minister to Youth at Royal Lane Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, where he was ordained in May 2019. Rev. Schaefer earned his Master of Divinity degree with a certificate in sexual and gender justice from Brite Divinity School. As a member of the Royal Lane ministry team, he was actively involved in social justice advocacy before the Texas legislature. He planned and led educational opportunities for the church and the local community on racial justice, human sexuality, suicide prevention, and gun violence. Rev. Schaefer is joined in Madison by his husband, John Duncan.
The installation message will be given by Tim’s father, Rev. Frank Schaefer, pastor, University United Methodist Church, Isla Vista, California. The installation will be led by Rev. Dr. Marie Onwubuariri, Assistant General Secretary for Mission Resource Development, American Baptist Churches USA, with participation by various ministry partners and members of First Baptist Church.
Please join us in-person or via livestream! This service is open to the public.
Are you new to Madison? Just visited First Baptist Church through our Sunday worship services? Want to know more about who we are and what we do? We extend this invite:
“Meet and Greet”
7/10, 10 AM
La Brioche Restaurant, 2862 University Ave.
Please join us for coffee, pastries and a casual time of fellowship – just look for a friendly face by the front door with a sign that says “FBC”. Please RSVP (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/meet-greet-tickets-161147407233) by the Thursday prior to each meeting so we will know how many to plan for.
We will be hosting these regularly on the 2nd Saturday of each month, same location and time, until we deem it safe to meet in our church again. This will be posted on the church website and Sunday morning bulletins. We are so happy to be able to meet you our visitors in person and welcome this time together.
Pastor Tim Schaefer
Mary Fiore (deacon chair)
A condensed version of Pastor Tim’s message on the first Sunday of Advent is included in this article in the Christmas Day issue of the Wisconsin State Journal. Also note the piece by Jenny Arneson, daughter of Ken and Jan Arneson. The influence of First Baptist shows up in Madison in many ways.
We’ve seen the news of the deaths of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Breonna Taylor in Louisville, KY, Tony McDade in Tallahassee, FL, Ahmaud Arbery in GA and countless others who have been victims of police brutality, white supremacy, and senseless acts of violence. We have seen the protests across the country demanding justice for these victims, their families, and Black people across the country and the globe. We have seen the effects of this pandemic disproportionately impact Black people and communities of color due to structural racism in our country and abroad.
In these times of grief, despair, and fear, we are reminded of our duties as Christians as Pastor Michael Newheart preached to us not too long ago: “what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8). We here at First Baptist want to dig into what it means to do these things in this moment that is exposing to all the deep and festering wounds of racial injustice in this country.
We recognize that our church has supported the mission of social justice for quite some time and celebrate that history and draw wisdom from our experiences, but we still have work to do. Racial inequity is still pervasive in our communities here in Dane County. We have seen police violence against Black people in this city too. What can we do to be a force of change in our own communities and around the world? What does it mean for us as Christians to commit to racial justice in this time and beyond? We are re-committing ourselves to this journey and recognize that we have work to do. We’re starting with educating ourselves on systemic racism and its impacts on our communities, so we can be part of the solution in dismantling these systems. We then plan to share with the public our individual commitments and collective commitments as a church to racial justice. We feel that sharing these commitments better holds us accountable and inspires others to join us in the journey.
(Adopted unanimously by the church membership on June 14, 2020)
Our services are streamed live to multiple platforms.
On our website: live.firstbaptistmadison.org
On our YouTube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCJHk7PdGaa700k4UFphlnhw
On our Facebook page: facebook.com/FBCMadison
Masks may be worn but are not required. If you are feeling sick, we ask that you please worship with us from home using one of the livestream options above.
First Baptist is a warm and welcoming community that strives to live the Christian faith with an open heart, an open mind, and an open spirit. We are not afraid to ask tough questions as we seek to be wise and intelligent Christians in the modern world. We freely embrace people of diverse backgrounds and experiences, welcoming them into our lives. We strive to faithfully engage the great issues of our day by reaching out into our world with God’s love, justice, and mercy. We would love to have you share with us in our life together as we join in following Jesus Christ.
