Ministries

Deacon Family Ministry
Our deacons are the spiritual leaders of our church, called out to serve and minister to our congregation. Every member of our church is assigned to a deacon as part of our Deacon Family Ministry. This ministry aims to ensure the spiritual, physical, and emotional well-being of our congregation by deacons staying in touch with and responding to events in the lives of our members.

Women's Missionary Union
WMU's main purpose is to educate and involve women, girls, and preschoolers in the cause of Christian Missions. First Baptist is committed to missions as commanded by Jesus in Matthew 25:35-36:

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.

"We are committed to servanthood missions, to help others and show them Jesus' love.” Janet Austin, Women’s Missionary Union Director.

The Baptist Men
Baptist Men are like the cavalry who seek to take the high ground in a world besieged by stress and indifference. Fueled by Jesus' love, they repair homes for the elderly, teach the boys about missions, and rescue victims of blizzards, tornadoes, and other natural disasters.

Operation Inasmuch
Operating on the principle found in Matthew 25:40:

"Inasmuch as you have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me."

Operation Inasmuch is an interracial, interdenominational, intergenerational biannual community blitz by Christians performing hands-on mission work for folks whose needs are great. It originated at Snyder Memorial Baptist Church in Fayetteville and is now being conducted by dozens of faith communities in North Carolina, Georgia, Kentucky, and South Carolina.

Spend a day serving the Lord’s people on projects such as: roof repair and/or replacement, wood cutting and delivery, building wheelchair ramps, electrical repairs, plumbing repairs, carpentry, and painting. Or spend a day in service that does not need construction tools, such as: blood pressure check-ups, sewing blankets for sick children (Project Linus), Backyard Bible Clubs for children, yard work and house cleaning for the elderly, or assembling care packages of toiletries.

And there are still many support jobs where others can serve such as: project coordination, preparing and delivering lunches, photography, runners for additional building materials, ministerial teams, and child care for volunteers.

The Venezuela Project
Iglesia Bautista Luz y Verdad (Light and Truth Baptist Church) in Maiquetia, Venezuela is a dynamic, growing church on the Caribbean coast just outside of Caracas. This active congregation has a heart for serving God and reaching the lost in the name of Jesus Christ. When their church building, a dilapidated 19th century Spanish-colonial style house, lost part of its roof in 1998, they made plans not to repair it but to build an entirely new 3-story structure within the space of the old one, with a vision of having a worship sanctuary, Sunday School space, week-day child care, and medical clinic facility.

Since June 1999, First Baptist Church has sent a construction team each year (as political situation permits) to work alongside the Venezuelans to help make this dream a reality.

This hands-on mission effort is due to the leadership of one person: Jesus Christ. In Acts 1:8, Christ commanded us to be his witnesses here, there, and everywhere. The churches in Venezuela have responded to this command, and First Baptist Hillsborough is honored to be able to help however we can. Our entire church is on mission in Venezuela, not just the individuals who make the physical journey. People participate through prayer, encouragement, financial support, donations of materials, making arrangements, taking on the responsibilities of those who travel, and also traveling to do the physical work. Those who have made the journey to Venezuela include school teachers, homemakers, artists, police officers, retirees, pharmaceutical researchers, youth ministers, pastors and professional builders, to name a few. The one thing they have in common is a conviction to serve Jesus Christ. The task is not complete. First Baptist will continue this work for as long as the Holy Spirit continues leading us to do so. In a country where unemployment exceeds 25% and the typical income is no more than $400 per month, the Venezuelan churches would need many, many years to finish work on their buildings. With our help, their dreams will be reality much sooner. And as we've watched, their dreams have blossomed into even greater work. For example, the Mamo Baptist Mission is now hoping to purchase and renovate a house to hold their growing congregation. We certainly are not the architects or instigators of this growth, but we are blessed to be able to see it first-hand and to encourage it however we can.