Our History
“We will walk together in Christian love; caring for, encouraging, and counseling with one another; sharing our joys and endeavoring to bear one another’s burdens and sorrows.”
history of fbccs
Our church originated as a special missions project by the Morningside Baptist Church in July 1956. There were 10 persons attending the initial service of Camp Springs Baptist Chapel help at the former elementary school on Allentown Road Mr. George C. Thorne was ordained as its first pastor. The chapel was constituted the First Baptist Church of Camp Springs on June 22, 1958.
The congregation purchased property at the current church location in November 1958, and services were held for the first time in a renovated house on the property in February 1959. That house continued in use as a Sunday school class building until razed on completion of the second education building.
Groundbreaking for the sanctuary and the first education building took place in November 1963, and the first services were held in the new building in June 1964. Ground was broken for a second educational building behind the sanctuary in April 1971 and it was dedicated in April 1972. An adjacent home on Allentown Road was purchased as an overflow education building in 1977.
Our church celebrated its 25 anniversary with a banquet in June 1983. Two of its three previous pastors returned for the celebration – Robert Whaley from Greenville, South Carolina and Richard Delleney from Denver, Colorado. Dr. James Langley, Executive Secretary of the District of Columbia Baptist Convention presided.
Pastors of FBCCs
George C. Thorne ~ July 1956 – March 1959
Richard T. Smith ~ July 1959 – December 1962
Richard M. Graham ~ January 1963 – June 1964
Robert B. Whaley ~ January 1965 – April 1973
James Brannon ~ October 1973 – June 1977
Richard Delleney ~ December 1977 – May 1983
Robert Randolph ~ May 1984 – March 1986
Harry B. Hearne ~ December 1986 – May 1988
David K. Freeman ~ August 1989 – August 1991
Robert L. Jordan ~ January 1993 – June 2003
James W. Tiefel ~ August 2004 – present
Church Covenant
Since we have committed ourselves to Jesus Christ and have experienced the acceptance, forgiveness, and redemption of God our Father, we covenant together as members of this church that with God’s help through the guiding presence of His Spirit:
We will walk together in Christian love; caring for, encouraging, and counseling with one another; sharing our joys and endeavoring to bear one another’s burdens and sorrows.
We will assemble faithfully to maintain a ministry of worship and praise, a fellowship of witness and provide a forum for Christian education and growth.
We will seek by Christian example and personal effort to win others to Christ and encourage their growth toward Christian maturity, praying for them as for ourselves.
We will strive to conduct ourselves as appropriate to our Christian faith and high standards of morality, endeavoring to avoid experiences and habits that hinder our witness and defile the body.
We will be faithful stewards of our resources and abilities, contributing regularly to the support of our programs and sharing our talents to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ our Savior with all people and nations.
As a result of this covenant relationship, we seek earnestly to live to the glory of God who brought us out of the darkness into His marvelous light.