Two Sundays, Two Services on Lamar Alexander Parkway
First Baptist Church of Maryville sits at 202 West Lamar Alexander Parkway, a stone's throw from downtown Maryville in Blount County. The congregation traces its roots to 1871, and the church has been shaped by a steady growth that has produced two distinct Sunday services, an in-house nursery school, and a Family Life Center that opens its doors to the wider community.
The church keeps a simple statement as its compass: At our Core: Together in Christ, we love God and others. Every ministry, from the Sunday choir loft to the Friday community kitchen, is built around that two-part call.
Tapestry in the Sanctuary, Refuge in the Family Life Center
On Sunday mornings, Bible studies for all ages meet at 9:15 am, and two worship services run side by side at 10:30 am. They share a name root and a town but are designed for different tastes.
Tapestry fills the Sanctuary each Sunday with choir, organ, piano, and orchestra. Mark Hussung serves as the Tapestry Worship Pastor, and the church describes the service as a "more modern classic blended worship expression." Familiar hymns and newer songs sit next to one another, carried by a full instrumental ensemble. The service is livestreamed on Vimeo.
Refuge meets across the building in the Family Life Center, led by a worship band under Refuge Worship Leader Hannah Strong. Songs tend to come from radio and other contemporary worship venues, and the invitation is plain: "come as you are to experience the gospel of Jesus Christ." Refuge also streams live on Vimeo. On fifth Sundays, both services combine for a single 10:30 am gathering in the Sanctuary.
Guests who want to participate behind the scenes can audition for the worship team through a simple online form.
Wednesday Nights Around the Table
Wednesday is the church's midweek anchor. The day begins at noon with an Hour of Prayer, when the Sanctuary is open from 12:00 to 1:00 pm for anyone who wants a quiet hour with God.
From 7:30 to 8:30 am, a small group of men gather for the Men's Book Club, reading titles like Wendell Berry's Jayber Crow together.
At 5:30 pm, the smell of a home-cooked dinner fills the Family Life Center gym. Meals run until about 6:15 pm, with adults paying $6, kids ages 4 to 11 paying $4, and children 3 and under eating free. RSVPs can be made online, by calling the church office, or by slipping a paper card into the offering plate.
After dinner, the building splits up:
- Kids Park gathers children from 6:00 to 7:30 pm.
- Middle and high schoolers head to the Youth Room for Collision Worship from 6:00 to 7:30 pm.
- At 6:30 pm, the Choir rehearses in the Choir Room.
- Adults can join The Jesus Creed study in FL 207-209, the Women's Bad Theology study in FL 206, or the Mom's Group in the Gathering Place.
The Friday Table: A Free Weekly Meal
Every Friday from 5:00 to 6:00 pm, The Friday Table serves a free hot meal to anyone in the neighborhood who walks through the door. The ministry is run by church members and community volunteers together, and the calendar shows week after week of consistent service. During the annual Kids Consignment Sale, the meal moves outside to the parking lot or into the Fellowship Hall depending on the weather.
The Friday Table is one of the church's clearest expressions of the conviction that the gospel is lived out around a table as much as from a pulpit.
Kids First, Collision, and CYA
The children's ministry, called Kids First, serves babies through fifth grade every Sunday. Families enter through the Family Entrance, where volunteers walk first-time guests through a check-in process, note any allergies, and pair each child with a parent through a matching-code sticker system. The recommended family take-home resources include the Big Picture Storybook Bible and the Jesus Storybook Bible.
Nick Poole serves as the Kids and Families Pastor.
Middle and high school students belong to Collision. Sundays at 9:00 am bring a Bible study in the Youth Room, and Wednesdays at 6:00 pm bring Collision Worship in the same space. Gary Stinnett, the Associate and Student Pastor, has spent more than two decades investing in youth ministry at the church.
The College and Young Adults ministry, known as CYA, focuses on three habits: being self-feeding (reading and studying the Bible on their own), being church-engaged (serving in the body of Christ), and advancing into adulthood spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and relationally.
First Baptist Nursery School, Since the 1950s
Long before the Family Life Center was built, the church was already caring for the children of working Maryville families. First Baptist Nursery School started in the 1950s with a single weekday, adding days and hours over the decades as community needs grew. Sixty-plus years later, the school now teaches children about cultures, languages, arts, crafts, and mathematics within a Christian environment. Director Stephanie Wert oversees a staff that is CPR and first-aid certified and receives a minimum of 12 hours of early childhood training each year; the director receives at least 24 hours.
Children of any religion, race, or ability are welcome. Families can join a waitlist through the church.
The Family Life Center, Open to Everyone
The Family Life Center (FLC) is the most visible bridge between the church and Maryville at large. Drew Goins serves as FLC Director as well as Senior Adult Pastor.
The facility offers a gym with basketball, volleyball, and pickleball, a walking track (17 laps to a mile), weight machines, cardio equipment, free weights, two racquetball courts, a 40-by-40 studio for group fitness, and a list of rotating classes that includes Zumba, SAIL, and dance. No membership is required.
FLC hours:
- Monday, Tuesday, Thursday: 9:00 am - 9:00 pm
- Wednesday, Friday: 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
- Saturday, Sunday: Closed
Meeting rooms of various sizes are available by reservation (contact Dawn Herring), and the FLC also hosts the church office's community-resources programming.
Joy Club, FB Ladies, and FB Men
Adults find their way into community through several long-standing groups:
- Joy Club is the senior adult ministry. Members gather monthly and take regular trips together.
- FB Ladies meets every Tuesday morning at 9:00 am for Bible study, prayer, and friendship.
- FB Men focuses on building friendships that help men grow as leaders at home, at church, at work, and in their recreation.
Connect Groups are also available across the area throughout the week, with new groups forming for Bible study, marriage, and shared interests. The Caregiver Cafe' meets on the second and fourth Thursdays from 9:00 to 11:00 am in the Snack Room of the FLC, offering support to anyone caring for family members or friends with chronic or terminal illnesses. Participants are welcome to come and go as their schedules allow.
Missions and Loving the Neighborhood
The missions page opens with 1 Corinthians 16:14: "Let all that you do be done in love." Two streams of service carry that verse into action.
The Hearts and Hands Ministry keeps a registry of church members who are willing to share their skills and time when a need arises.
The ACTION Project (Achieving Christ's Teaching In Our Neighborhoods) organizes hands-on service opportunities throughout the year. On "Loving Rightly" Sundays, the congregation stays after church to share pizza and then heads out into the community: filling disaster-relief buckets for families hit by tornadoes, hurricanes, or floods; cleaning the streets near the church; assembling welcome packets for children entering foster care through the Isaiah 117 House; and building a blessing box stocked with shelf-stable food and hygiene items for anyone who needs them.
Core Values and Beliefs
The church's stated mission is short enough to memorize: Together in Christ, we love God and others. Members are encouraged to grow in four areas of historic Baptist freedom - Bible freedom, soul freedom, church freedom, and religious freedom - as they follow Christ.
The teaching calendar rotates through series like How to Live Well (choosing decisively, acting justly, suffering steadfastly, living moderately, believing soundly, hoping resolutely, and loving rightly), Names of God, Family Tree of Faith, Adventures in Prayer, and seasonal Advent and Lent series. Services are archived online for anyone who wants to revisit a message.
The Pastoral Team
- Bill Booth - Senior Pastor. A native of Northern Kentucky, Bill holds degrees from Carson-Newman University, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Baptist Theological Seminary in Richmond. He has spent most of his ministry in Appalachian churches in Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee.
- Gary Stinnett - Associate and Student Pastor. Gary has been on staff since 2004 and is well known to multiple generations of Maryville youth.
- Drew Goins - FLC Director and Senior Adult Pastor. Originally from Nashville, Drew directs the Family Life Center and oversees the Joy Club senior ministry.
- Mark Hussung - Tapestry Worship Pastor. Mark also leads the new "God's Children Sing" Musikgarten class for toddlers and preschoolers.
- Nick Poole - Kids and Families Pastor.
- Hannah Strong - Refuge Worship Leader.
Theresa Carnathan serves as organist and Steve Radford as pianist. The administrative team includes Ministry Assistants Kelly Ferguson and Dawn Herring, Financial Ministry Assistant Amy Hatcher, and Facilities Manager Sam Wright.
Visiting First Baptist Maryville
The church office is open Monday through Thursday from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm and on Fridays from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm. Visitors planning to come on a Wednesday evening can RSVP for dinner by phone (865-982-5531) or email (hello@fbcmaryville.org). Giving is available online through the church's giving platform, and both Sunday services stream live on Vimeo. The church shares regular updates on Facebook, Instagram, Vimeo, and YouTube.
From a 9:15 am Sunday Bible study to a 5:00 pm Friday community meal, First Baptist Maryville keeps a steady weekly rhythm that has been part of Blount County life since 1871.