First Baptist Church of Folsom sits on Broadway Street in the village of Folsom, in the western corner of St. Tammany Parish, and the church has wrapped its life around three rhythms: a Sunday in the sanctuary, a Wednesday night spread across the campus, and a steady stream of family-focused events through the year. Its mission statement - "Imitate Christ to spread the Gospel in Folsom and beyond" - sets the tone for everything that happens, and the campus itself is built for a multigenerational church, with a Family Life Center, a Sanctuary, and a separate Youth Building where every age has a place.
Sunday Mornings in Folsom
The Sunday morning schedule is built to give visitors a gentle landing. At 9:00 am, Connect Time opens the morning with donuts and coffee in the gym (the Family Life Center behind the main brick building), giving families a place to gather before classes begin. At 9:15 am, Sunday Small Groups for all ages start, running until about 10:15 am. From there, the congregation moves into the Sanctuary for worship at 10:30 am, a service that wraps up around 11:30 am. Nursery care is provided during the worship service for the youngest children, so parents can step into the service knowing their little ones are cared for.
Adults who come on Sunday can browse a list of small groups that span the stages of life. There is a College and Career class that meets during the 9:30 hour, a Foundations class for those exploring Christianity or church membership, and a long list of other Sunday School options to find a fit. Worship itself is held in the Sanctuary - the main room visitors see when they enter the brick building on Broadway.
Wednesday Nights at the Family Life Center
If Sunday morning is the front door, Wednesday night is where the church really works out. From 6:00 to about 7:15 pm, the entire campus is in motion. In the Family Life Center Gym, Kids Alive gathers children from 5 years old through 6th grade for a high-energy mix of Bible teaching and games. Across the way, in the long white Youth Building to the left of the main brick building, students in 7th through 12th grade meet for their own Bible study, fellowship, and hang-out time. Adults gather in the Sanctuary for Bible study and small groups led by Pastor Will, with men's and ladies' tracks running concurrently.
The Wednesday night Kids Alive program follows a different theme by month - recent seasons have included "Timeless: Old Testament Study on the Prophets" and "In Season: Old Testament Study on Psalms." The students' ministry typically digs into a book of the Bible together; recent studies have walked through the Book of David and the topic of angels.
Kids Alive and Children's Ministry
Children's ministry at FBC Folsom is led by Antoinette Wolfe and runs under the Kids Alive banner across the week. On Sunday mornings, kids are divided into two groups - Seedlings and Sprouts - and follow their own schedule alongside the adults: donuts and fellowship at 9:15 am, then Sunday Small Groups at 9:30 am. On Wednesday nights, Kids Alive gathers K-6th graders for a full hour of learning and fun from 6:00 to 7:15 pm, running on the same clock as the adult Bible studies so families can be on site together.
Beyond the weekly rhythm, the children's ministry fills the calendar with seasonal programming. Vacation Bible School serves Kindergarten through 5th grade, while the Vacation Bible Experience (VBX) is set aside for 6th graders - both run the first week of June from 8:30 am to noon. A free Kids Theater Camp in July gives kids in Kindergarten through 6th grade a week of rehearsals, music, dance, and a Friday night performance. Other family-friendly events through the year include a Fall Kids Event in October, a Kids Movie Night (a parents' night out with nursery care available), and a Christmas pajama party and parent's night out in December.
Student Ministry
The student ministry, anchored in the Youth Building, is built around a steady Bible-study rhythm and a heavy camp schedule. In addition to the Wednesday night gathering at 6 pm, students meet for Sunday night Bible study with dinner, study, and games, and there is an annual DNOW (Disciple Now) weekend retreat each spring - a Friday-to-Sunday retreat for 7th through 12th graders with worship, small groups, and intentional discipleship.
The student ministry also runs an annual MFUGE Youth Summer Camp, a week-long camp held at the University of Mobile in Alabama. Students raise money for the trip through events like a Spaghetti Lunch fundraiser after the Sunday morning service, a Cajun Cast-Iron Cookoff each spring, and a Youth Yard Sale in May. A Good Friday Fish Fry - held at Midway Church's location across the street from Glynn's - brings the wider community together in partnership with the youth ministry.
Ladies' Ministry and Men's Ministry
Ladies' ministry at FBC Folsom, led by Erin Guy, runs on a Tuesday-morning and Wednesday-night rhythm. A nine-week ladies' Bible study meets Tuesday mornings with childcare for children ages six weeks through four years; recent sessions have worked through the Sermon on the Mount using a video study with Jen Wilkin. A separate Wednesday night ladies' study walks through the Old Testament in a series called "The Story Unfolds."
Beyond the weekly Bible studies, ladies' events fill the year. There is a Ladies Retreat each fall at Hunt Branch Lake in Franklinton, a Ladies Christmas Fellowship with crafts and door prizes, and a Ladies Conference each January that brings in national speakers like Dianne Nix and Dr. Tiffany Smith. A free Ladies Testimony Workshop in February helps women put together their three-minute story to share with others. A Marriage Conference rounds out the late winter calendar, each year built around a different theme such as Financial Stewardship.
Men's ministry also meets on Wednesday nights, often working through a book of the Bible together - recent studies have included a walk through Nehemiah under the title "Faith and Courage." Beyond Bible study, men gather monthly for a Saturday men's breakfast, and there is an annual Men's BBQ Muster each May that doubles as a vision-casting event for the year's ministry. The men also hold Church Work Days after breakfast to maintain the campus, and they partner in the Fall Food Roundup drive for the Louisiana Children's Baptist Children's Home.
College and Career and Adult Discipleship
Young adults at FBC Folsom have their own community through the College and Career ministry. The group includes college students, recent graduates, and young professionals - a mix of singles and young married couples - who meet during the Sunday School hour at 9:30 in a classroom. Zach Mendheim leads the class and serves as a connection point for events and gatherings.
Adults looking to go deeper have multiple options. The Foundations class is a four-week course during the Sunday School hour for anyone curious about Christianity or about becoming a member of First Baptist Church of Folsom. The church also hosts a chapter of Marked Men for Christ, a nationwide ministry focused on men's discipleship. For women, an in-home Bible study meets on Monday nights in one of the church members' homes.
Beliefs and Identity
The doctrinal foundation of First Baptist Church of Folsom is rooted in a Baptist understanding of Scripture. The church holds that the Old and New Testaments are one hundred percent trustworthy and true, and looks to The Baptist Faith & Message - the confession of faith maintained by the Southern Baptist Convention - as a summary of the core truths it teaches. The mission statement, "Imitate Christ to spread the Gospel in Folsom and beyond," comes from Philippians 2 and Matthew 28 and gives shape to everything from Sunday preaching to Wednesday night programming.
A vision - "A diverse multitude of peoples worshiping Jesus" from Revelation 7 - sets the long view. The church describes its life through six core values: Worship (valuing God above all else), Evangelism (proclaiming the Gospel), Missions (making disciples worldwide), Discipleship (teaching and learning obedience to Christ), Prayer (worshipfully communing with God), and Fellowship (sharing all things in common according to the Gospel).
The Campus
The church campus is laid out for multi-generational ministry. The Sanctuary, the main room visitors enter through the brick building on Broadway, is the home of Sunday worship and Wednesday night adult Bible study. Behind it sits the Family Life Center - a gym that hosts Connect Time donuts and coffee on Sundays, Kids Alive on Wednesdays, the Spaghetti Lunch fundraiser, blood drives, and a host of other church meals and events. To the left of the main brick building is a long white Youth Building dedicated to student ministry, with its own space for hang-out, study, and small groups. The whole layout lets families park once and move easily between worship, Bible study, and their children's programs.
Outreach and Community Life
Service to the wider community runs through the year. The biggest annual push is the Fall Food Roundup, held in August and September, when the church collects non-perishable food, toiletries, cleaning supplies, and monetary gifts for the Louisiana Children's Baptist Children's Home. A Blood Drive each February brings the Family Life Center into partnership with The Blood Center, with free t-shirts for donors.
The Cajun Cast-Iron Cookoff in April brings teams of two together to compete for bragging rights and raise money for the youth ministry's summer camp. Good Friday brings the church out to Midway Church's location for a community-wide Fish Fry. A Ladies Retreat each year takes women to Hunt Branch Lake in Franklinton for two days of rest and study, and a Marriage Conference each February centers couples in shared learning and conversation.
The Ministry Team
The pastoral staff is led by Will Robbins, who has served as Lead Pastor of FBC Folsom for at least a decade. Will and his wife Rachel are honored each summer in a Ten Year Celebration with lunch following the morning service. The wider ministry team includes Shannon O'Bryant (Ministry Assistant), Stuart Varnado (Worship Leader), Antoinette Wolfe (Kids' Ministry Leader), and Erin Guy (Ladies' Ministry Leader). Zach Mendheim leads the College and Career Sunday School class.
The Lead Pastor can be reached at pastor@fbcfolsom.com, and the office line (985-796-9295) rings into the Ministry Assistant, with separate inboxes for kids, ladies, and music ministry. The office is open Monday and Thursday mornings from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm.
Visiting First Baptist Church of Folsom
Visitors are welcome at every level of the church's life. The Sunday morning schedule starts with donuts and coffee at 9:00 am in the Family Life Center Gym, where someone can help direct a first-time guest to a Small Group class that fits. Worship begins at 10:30 am in the Sanctuary. On Wednesdays, the gym and youth building fill with activity from 6:00 pm; kids are checked in at the Family Life Center, students head to the Youth Building, and adults gather in the Sanctuary for Bible study.
The dress code is "come as you are" - some dress up, some stay casual, and all are welcome. Nursery is provided on Sunday mornings during worship and on Wednesday nights during adult Bible study. The church is located at 13320 Broadway Street in Folsom, with a mailing address of PO Box 106, Folsom, LA 70437. Sermons are posted through a Vimeo archive, and giving is available online. The church's heart, however, is gathered, not digital - families around tables in the Family Life Center, students in the white youth building down the hill, and a sanctuary full of people learning together to imitate Christ in Folsom and beyond.