A Stone Church at Clifton and Andrews Since 1900
First Baptist Church of Collingdale has stood at the corner of Clifton Avenue and Andrews Avenue in Collingdale, Pennsylvania, since the cornerstone was laid on April 12, 1900. The large stone building with stained-glass windows replaced an earlier, smaller structure that had been moved to the site from Philadelphia in 1889. To make the move, that one-room church had to be sawn in half in order to fit through the covered bridge at 73rd and Woodland Avenues before being reassembled on the new lot, where it originally seated 75 people. By 1898 the membership had grown to nearly 100, only for the building to be destroyed by fire on November 1 of that year. Residents tried to save it with a bucket brigade, but the fire was beyond control.
The congregation itself dates back to 1887, when four people met in the home of Mr. and Mrs. E.M. Royal at Parker Avenue (now MacDade Boulevard) and Sharon Avenues. From that small beginning the church has grown into a multi-generational Baptist body with more than twenty pastors across five generations. Members describe First Baptist as a family-oriented, Bible-teaching congregation with a heart for the people of Collingdale.
What First Baptist Believes
The doctrinal statement begins with the Trinity: one God eternally existing in three Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, equal in nature, power, and glory. First Baptist teaches that Jesus Christ is the eternally begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, true God and true man, and the only mediator between God and humanity. Christ's death on the cross is described as a substitutionary atonement for the sins of the whole world, and His bodily resurrection, ascension, and present role as High Priest and Advocate at the Father's right hand are central to what is taught from the pulpit.
The church holds that the Old and New Testaments are the verbally inspired, inerrant Word of God and the final authority in faith and life. Salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ; those who receive Him are born again, made alive by the Spirit, and eternally secure in Him. The church practices believers' baptism by immersion and observes the Lord's Supper as ongoing ordinances of the local body.
First Baptist affirms the sanctity of all human life from conception through natural death, defines marriage as the covenant relationship between a biological man and a biological woman, and teaches the pretribulational rapture of the church followed by the personal, visible, premillennial return of Christ. Each local church is described as independent and autonomous, free from interference by any ecclesiastical or political authority. The pastor and board of elders serve as the final interpretive authority on the Bible's meaning for the church's faith, doctrine, and practice.
Sunday Mornings: Sunday School and Worship
The Sunday schedule opens at 9:45 AM with Sunday School for every age. Classes meet in the brick Education Building across the yard from the main stone sanctuary, with younger children on the second floor and youth meeting in the basement of the main church. Ann Golla leads the nursery for ages one through three, additional classes cover preschool through sixth grade, and students in grades seven through twelve gather for topical conversations of faith led by Music Director Elyssa Falls. Adults can choose between a Ladies' Class studying discipleship in the classroom off the auditorium and a General Class working through Ephesians in the Education Building. Coffee and fellowship fill the time before classes wrap up around 10:45 AM so everyone can be upstairs for the service.
The worship service begins at 11:00 AM with prayer and praise music led by Elyssa Falls and the music ministry. Senior Pastor Corbin Hyman, who surrendered his life to God in his early twenties and went on to study at the Center for Urban Theological Studies and a Leadership and Mentoring Program, is currently working through the life of Jesus. Children in kindergarten through second grade are dismissed partway through the service for their own Children's Church upstairs, with a lesson, songs, and fellowship. A nursery is available for babies through age four.
For those who cannot attend in person, the 11:00 AM service is livestreamed on the church's Facebook page.
Wednesday Nights Around the Church
Wednesday evenings at First Baptist are designed for the whole family. At 6:00 PM, a light dinner is served and families gather before splitting off into age-appropriate programs. GPKids, for children ages four through sixth grade, begins its program at 6:30 PM with songs, a Bible lesson that tracks through the Gospel Project curriculum, games, and crafts, and runs until 8:00 PM. The program is on summer break and resumes each September.
Teens in grades seven through twelve meet for youth group at 6:30 PM, led by co-directors Elizabeth and Christopher Wiegand. The youth group holds monthly activities both inside and outside the church and continues meeting through the summer. Adults gather at 7:00 PM for a Bible study led by elder Jess Dykes in the side classroom off the main auditorium. The group works through the Bible chronologically, beginning with Genesis, and meets year round.
Children, Teens, and the Generations in Between
Children's ministry at First Baptist wraps around both the Sunday and Wednesday schedules. Mashon Hyman directs Children's Church, Pat Burns leads GPKids and outreach, and Ann Golla oversees the nursery. Sunday morning classes go from babies through twelfth grade. Tom Wiegand serves as Sunday School Director.
The Students Ministry, led by Elizabeth and Christopher Wiegand, meets for Sunday School at 9:45 AM and youth group on Wednesdays at 6:30 PM. Both grew up in and around the church, and Christopher also serves as an elder. Elizabeth has a heart for teenagers and a vision to see them reach their full potential; Christopher brings the gift of asking questions that get teens thinking through their faith.
In the Vine Ministry serves young adults between the ages of 25 and 45, meeting every other Friday at 6:30 PM. During the winter months the group gathers in the brick building at 814 Andrews Avenue, and in the spring it moves outdoors to the backyard of the church staff houses. Snacks and fellowship lead into discussion of practical Christian living, and young children are welcome to come along.
The Golden Years Ministry serves senior adults age 50 and above and meets quarterly, while smaller gatherings and fellowship opportunities fill out the rest of the calendar for that age group.
Men, Women, and GriefShare
The Men's Ministry hosts a breakfast and Bible study every second Saturday at 9:00 AM in the brick Education Building. The men are currently working through the book of Acts together.
The Women's Ministry gathers on the third Tuesday of each month at 9:30 AM for breakfast at the Folcroft Diner and offers Ladies' Bible studies and small groups during the week.
GriefShare runs a thirteen-week support semester on Sunday evenings from 7:00 to 8:30 PM in the stone sanctuary. The program uses video seminars with leading grief recovery experts, small group discussion, and a workbook with journaling exercises. Facilitators Bill Rickards and Jennifer Basford have each experienced loss personally and have years of experience leading groups together. Registration is handled through the GriefShare network.
Small Groups, Visitation, and Prayer
Home Groups meet in church members' homes for about an hour and a half. The Dykes/Price/Reese Small Group meets on the first and third Mondays at 6:30 PM. Other groups meet at various times during the week. A team of members also conducts visitation to shut-ins, those in the hospital, and others unable to make it to church, and the church holds monthly prayer meetings to keep the congregation and community lifted up.
Missions and Outreach
First Baptist currently supports thirteen missionaries around the world through organizations including:
- World Venture
- Ethnos360
- Word of Life
- CrossWorld
- Missions Door
- World Ministries
- Christian Life Crusade
- WEC International
- DiscipleMakers
- Koinonia House
The church also runs year-round outreach efforts into Collingdale itself, with opportunities to serve through teaching, nursery work, discipleship, and a cleaning ministry that keeps the buildings in shape.
Getting Connected: Next Steps, Baptism, and Membership
Visitors can fill out a Guest Card, and a Connect Card is available for those wanting to reach out for prayer, pastoral care, or information about a ministry. A downloadable Next Steps PDF walks newcomers through what to expect.
Baptism classes meet three or four times before a believer is baptized. The church practices baptism by immersion as a symbol of identification with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection, and baptizes only those who have personally placed their faith in Jesus. Membership classes run four weeks in a row for those who have already been baptized and are looking for a new church home.
Getting to First Baptist
The church sits at 814 Andrews Avenue in Collingdale, Pennsylvania, about twenty minutes from the Blue Route (Route 476), ten minutes from I-95, and roughly thirty minutes over the bridge from New Jersey. Parking is available in the lot next to 822 Andrews Avenue, the Ollis Brothers facility on the corner of Clifton and Andrews, and along the street. A ramp leads into the main auditorium and the Sunday School building, and greeters at the doors are ready to help anyone who needs assistance.
Giving can be done in person through the offering plates, by mail to 814 Andrews Avenue, or online through Venmo at @FBC-Collingdale.