OUR HISTORY

WHO WE ARE

The First Baptist Church of 29 Palms is a small neighborhood church of commited believers seeking to do the will of God. The church is governed by the Administrative Church Service Committee(ACSC) composed of a moderator ans several sub-committees. Members of the church vote annually on board members, either electing new members, or reelecting those eligible to serve a second term. The congregation works with a willing spirit for the betterment of the church and to carry out the Great Commission(Matt. 28:19-20). The church has a desire to reach out to the families in the area around the church, as well as those living on the military base. During the past few months, several young people have joined First Baptist's fellowship and have become involved in it's ministry.

OUR STORY

The Year Our Church Was Organized

The First Baptist Church of Twentynine Palms was organized in 1954 under the leadership of Harry H. Gromer, an American Baptist minister. He had a great concern for establishing ministry in this area due to the Marine Corp. Base. During the early 50's he enlisted the support of the Southern California Baptist Convention, Los Angeles, to organize a church in Twentynine Palms.

What led People To Establish the Church

Intrest in establishing an American Baptist Church in Twentynine Palms came from several directions.

  • First, as stated, Rev. Harry H. Gromer and a number of local citizens had a great desire to establish a church of Baptist background because there were no Baptist churches in this area.
  • Second, there was a great concern to do a domestic missionary work among the marine personnel.
When the church was officially established, there were 25 charter members. These members worshiped in a small building adjacent to Lucky Park. The rental fee for usage was $10 a month(Those were the good ole days).

PASTORS WHO SERVED FBC 29

56 Years of pastors
Rev. Harry H. Gromer 1953 Rev. Frank L. Harris 1953-1954 Rev. William Brewer 1954- 1957
Rev. C.R. Matthews 1957-1958 Rev. Jack Hurse 1958-1960 Rev. Richard Ashley 1960-1967
Rev. H. Wilbur Skeels 1968-1974 Rev. David Russo 1975-1979 Rev. Max Wiant 1980-1989
Rev. Richard Reed 1989-1996 Rev. Raymond Butcher 1998-2008 Rev. Alex Chisolm 2008-Present
Our Vision: In this dry desert land, it is the vision of First Baptist Church of 29 Palms to provide hydration for the soul. In order to accomplish this we will Invite, Invest, Involve and Impact our community for Jesus Christ.

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