Founded in 1893, the congregation met in tents, houses, and a small building until the current structure was completed in 1966. The building has unique historical features, including the first stained-glass window depicting a Black Jesus in the county, a chapel named in memory of the four children killed in the 16th Street bombing, and wood-beamed ceilings designed to resemble an upside-down Noah’s Ark. In the 1960s, the church’s pastors participated in protests after the city failed to desegregate public schools. In 1983, Englewood’s mayor presented a key to the city to Rosa Parks at a service at First Baptist.

The congregation has a long history of community service. In the 1990s, the church served as a shelter until it helped establish a transitional home for unhoused women and children in 1999. The church also hosted a summer youth employment program, as well as debates between political candidates. In more recent history, the church hosted a weekly food distribution site for over 3,000 families from 2020 to 2023, until the program’s needs grew too large for the space. Currently, the church provides space for the local NAACP chapter, a Korean church’s tutoring program, a community choir, CPR trainings, voter registration drives, and pop-up food distributions.

In 2025, the church requested an inspection by the Englewood Fire Department after an alarm started chirping. The inspection identified violations, and the church was issued a citation. While the church addressed many of the issues immediately, they discovered their fire alarm system was not up to code and would need to be replaced. At the time of the inspection, the church was in the process of renovating the kitchen and preparing to reconfigure classroom spaces in order to host additional community programs. These renovations are on pause until the church addresses this life safety issue.

An Intervention Fund grant of $37,621 will help First Baptist replace its fire alarm system, enabling the church to address this life safety issue and safely continue renovation projects.

Photo by Keisha McLean