As we celebrate Auburn First Baptist Church’s 175th Anniversary, we hope to make this coming year—as we look to our past and anticipate our future—a year of celebration and renewal. Since the time of First Baptist’s founding in 1838, certainly one aspect of who we are today as a congregation stems from the lives and legacies of those who have come before us. Not only will there be opportunities in 2013 to learn more about our church’s institutional heritage and forebearers, but there will also be opportunities to recognize and appreciate the personal histories and experiences that each of us bring to this unique family of faith.
You may have already noticed some of our special projects. For example, Wayne Flynt is writing historical profiles of many of this church’s influential pastors and laypeople; and Betty Williams is creating themed exhibits in the Library windows, which will complement these narratives and present some of our church’s unique historical artifacts.
Being mindful that we are who we are as a congregation because of the personal experiences and shared lives that each of us brings to this time and place, we will also begin another ongoing project in the coming weeks: collecting an Oral History of our church’s current members. Each member will be given the opportunity to record the stories of their past, with the presumption that Auburn First Baptist Church’s future will spring from our shared and diverse, individual histories.
So, as we move further into 2013, be on the lookout for these events (and more).