The Beginning: 1946

Twenty people met for a prayer meeting and ended up founding the New Testament Bible Baptist Church, originally meeting in a home at 1323 Oakland Avenue. The evangelist L. Clifford Wells soon became the fledgling church's first pastor. The congregation first met for tent meetings at 6th and Roosevelt before renting space at the Odd Fellows Hall above the J.C. Penney Co. store at 117 West Sixth. Later, the church gathered at the former Cat & Dog Hospital at 1111 Kansas Ave., which was remodeled to include a large metal baptistry.

1947

The congregation was accepted into the Southern Baptist Convention and became known as First Southern Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas. During this year, the church bought its first church home at 200 Van Buren which was renovated and then occupied in early 1948.

1950-1951

Together with members of Seabrook Baptist Church, the congregation finished construction on the first church building at 12th and Orleans. During the first services, the congregation worshiped with a sawdust floor and theater chairs for seating.

1953

The church members purchased the Seabrook Congregational Church, a small white frame church on the corner of 19th and Gage Boulevard.

1955-1963

Garth L. Pybas became pastor of the church, and over the next decade they saw God moving in a remarkable way within the congregation. During this time, 504 persons were baptized and 960 people were added to the membership rolls.

To accommodate the rapid growth of the church, the congregation made sacrificial giving a priority, resulting in the construction of a permanent building at a total cost of $220,000.

1970s-1980s

With Gene Hawkins as pastor, the church was bursting at the seams. The congregation took a big step of faith and undertook a major renovation of the church facilities, including a major expansion of the worship center and educational space. During several years of this period, morning worship services could be viewed on KTSB Channel 27, the local NBC affiliate.

Today!

For nearly 60 years, the members of First Southern Baptist Church have crossed triumphantly over the tops of many hills, and trudged faithfully through several valleys as well. Over the course of this journey, the loving Christian servants of our church have supported missions throughout the world, started several local mission churches, become debt-free, launched numerous innovative ministries, and made an Eternal Impact on thousands of lives. Many of the founding members of the church are still faithfully serving with us today! Pastor Clark Johnson, who came to us from Arizona in 1989, has seen how God has rewarded our commitment to sharing His Word and the love of Christ to all.

Our style of worship and the size of our buildings may be different than it was earlier in our journey together, but our commitment to sharing the truth of God's Word and making an Eternal Impact on lives within our community and world is the same today as it was when we began under very humble circumstances. Our story is a testament to the power of God to do great things when His people are faithful.