Our town was established on the site of one of the Methodist Camp Meetings which were popular during the nineteenth century. A tabernacle was built and twelve avenues radiated out from this center. On opening day in 1871 about 600 tents were erected along these avenues where for ten days in August, worshipers slept on straw and attended worship and revival services in the tabernacle. The tents were later replaced by summer cottages and even later became winterized. A popular evangelist, Charles Pitman, gave the town its name. In December 1908, 33 Baptists found each other and met in a home for worship. Only four months later a church was incorporated, a small building had been purchased on site of 30 North Broadway, a Sunday school was instituted, and the first minister was called - beginning his service on April 7th 1909. Founded in 1909, the First Baptist Church of Pitman has deep roots within the Pitman community. Since our birth, we have had our ups and downs, victories and defeats, but we remain steady in our purpose. We are community of care and service empowered by prayer, action, and our love for Jesus. First Baptist Church of Pitman is all about love and faith for God and our fellow human. We demonstrate these characteristics through regular acts of service to our local community and beyond. We are not your typical Baptist church at all. In fact, most of our members come from various denominational backgrounds and have spent their adult lives in and out of various churches looking for that special place where they can both be loved and love others. We are a community of nurturing followers of Jesus Christ. You can find us in many places. We are in the schools, the banks, the local businesses. You can find us on a soccer field, in the kitchen or in the hospital. And on Sunday mornings, you can find us at 30 North Broadway in Pitman, worshipping the Lord who has given us life to share. Everywhere we are, we are seeking to live out our mission of love and faith. Notice that it is active and when we live it, people's lives are transformed. God's grace (real unconditional love) pours into us. So if you are looking for a church that is more than a building, but rather a group of people who are loving God and loving others, then First Baptist Church of Pitman might be just the church you are looking for.

We believe that God: Is the Creator of all, above all, all knowing Is not tangible, God is spirit, God is love Is an eternal force and power We believe that Jesus: Is God’s son, our brother Came to earth to show the power of God, the manifestation of God in the person Died for us, to forgive our sins, to provide eternal life for us Shows us how to live our life by example, Jesus is our leader Is “the way, the truth, and the light” We believe that the Holy Spirit is: What lives on The continuing presence of God “the inner light” Makes it possible for us to experience the fruits of the spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control The Bible and its use: The Bible is the word of God and includes eternal/spiritual truths The Bible inspires, challenges, provides guidelines and examples of living As Baptists, we believe the Bible is open to interpretation We believe that Baptism: Is the cleansing of the body of sin allowing new life with Christ Is a symbolic death and resurrection to be born again Is a following of Christ’s life and our profession of faith in him Immersion is an important part of our denomination We believe that the role of the laity should be: To support all church activities including regular attendance at worship To provide a witness in the community by living a Christ-like life by example To care for each other, support each other, To constantly be aware of our relationship with God and grow in it To be aware of our relationship with each other and to grow in it To be aware of our relationship with our church and be willing to serve in all areas as needed The role of the Minister should be to: Love the Lord and demonstrate this love in sermons and personal life by example The role of the Church is to: Spread the word of God Help people with their needs/missions Our commitment in support of America Baptist Churches (ABC): We thoughtfully, prayerfully, and financially support the missions and programs of ABC We believe that Communion: Brings us closer to God and each other by remembering Christ’s life and death We gather around the Lord’s table and reinforce our sense of family We close by joining hands in a fellowship circle and singing