First Baptist Church Weaverville sits at 63 North Main Street, in the heart of downtown Weaverville in North Carolina's Buncombe County, and has served the surrounding North Buncombe community for more than a century. From that Main Street location, alongside its historic building and a parking lot accessed from a side street, the congregation runs one of the most recognizable networks of community outreach in Western North Carolina: a weekday senior meal site, a food and supply pantry, veterans and fair ministries, a Sight and Sound accessibility campaign, and an ongoing disaster relief effort that has continued since Hurricane Helene swept through the region. At the same time, the church is rooted in a clear identity as a Baptist community shaped by personal faith, Scripture, and the conviction that the church is people, not a building.
A Century on Main Street
First Baptist Church Weaverville traces its story back more than a hundred years. Its worship bulletins, Sunday school classes, and Wednesday Bible studies still take place in and around the same downtown building that has been the congregation's home through generations of ministry in the North Buncombe area. The historic structure is described by the church itself as a testament to a long commitment to worship, fellowship, and community service, and it remains the physical center for everything from Sunday morning gatherings to weekday senior meals, choir rehearsals, ESOL classes, and an Al-Anon recovery meeting that meets on the top floor.
The church's mission is summarized by a phrase that appears throughout its materials: growing as people in faith, spirit, compassion, maturity, justice, and understanding. Members describe that growth as happening both inside the sanctuary walls and out in the surrounding town. As one section of the church's teaching puts it, worship is not limited to Sundays and Wednesdays; it happens whenever and wherever people show love to another.
Sunday Mornings: Worship, Bible Study, and a Livestream
The week at First Baptist Weaverville begins with Sunday school. Small Group Bible Study gathers at 9:45 am for children, youth, and adults in classes spread across the building. At 11:00 am the congregation moves into the sanctuary for worship, which the church describes as blended: traditional hymns sit alongside contemporary music, with a choir anthem, congregational singing, scripture readings, prayers of the people, an offertory, and a sermon rooted in biblical teaching that aims to speak to everyday life.
Sample bulletins show a consistent shape. A typical order of worship opens with gathering music (often a piano sonata by Scarlatti or a classical prelude), moves through a welcome and prelude, two or three hymns, an Old Testament reading, prayers of the people, an offertory, a doxology, a choir anthem, a New Testament reading, the sermon, a song of response, and a postlude. Sermon titles from recent months include "Loving God, Loving Our Neighbors," "Only the Lord Is Worthy of Praise," "Feeding Our Better Selves," "Unashamed Gratitude," "And Jesus Wept," "The Fragile Strength of Hope," and "God's Love Doesn't Look Like What We Want," with texts drawn from Genesis, the Psalms, the Gospels, Romans, and Ephesians.
For those who cannot be in the sanctuary, the 11:00 am service is livestreamed on the church's YouTube channel and Facebook page, with the broadcast beginning shortly before 11:00 am each Sunday and saved afterward. Weekly Bible studies and sermons are also uploaded to YouTube, with a separate playlist for sermons. Audio archives of sermons from before March 2020 are also available. Cancelled services for inclement weather are posted by 8:00 am on the local WLOS News broadcast, the church's Facebook page, and via email.
Wednesday Nights and the Choir
Wednesday evenings are a second weekly gathering point. The Midweek Gathering begins at 5:45 pm with prayer and a Bible study led by Pastor Stuart on a wide range of topics; recent series have included "Spiritual Practices: Meditation," "Spiritual Practices: Memorization," "Pilgrimage Lessons," "Loving Our Enemies," "The Prodigal Son," and "How to Love through Mental Health Crises and Suicide Prevention," often with guest speakers. At 7:00 pm the choir gathers for rehearsal, preparing the anthems that will be sung on the following Sunday. The Wednesday rhythm is shorter than Sunday but mirrors the same blend of prayer, Scripture, and music.
Beliefs: What "Baptist" Means Here
The church is self-described as a Baptist congregation, and its statement of beliefs is unusually explicit about what that label means in this place. The church teaches that the Church is not a building but a community of people in relationship with God and with one another, and that God's love for all people and all of creation has been declared through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Members believe that worship continues whenever and wherever Christians show love to another.
"Baptist," in the church's own words, has come to mean many different things over the years. First Baptist Weaverville emphasizes the historic Baptist commitments to personal choice and direct connection to God. There is no required creed or central administrative authority dictating what the church teaches. The congregation is generally united around three convictions: that Christ's life, death, and resurrection have made forgiveness and everlasting life freely available through faith; that all human beings have equal and direct access to God through Christ and can come to God as they are; and that the Christian life together is a response to God's love, lived out in love of God, love of neighbor, and love of one another as Christ has loved us.
First Baptist Church Weaverville is also connected to the wider Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. The church was awarded a grant by the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina (CBFNC) in late 2025, and CBFNC's campus ministry network is one of the partners the church works with as it engages with students at Mars Hill University and across Western North Carolina.
Children, Youth, and Family Ministry
Children and youth are central to the life of the congregation. Sunday school meets at 9:45 am with age-appropriate Bible lessons for every stage from early childhood through high school. Vacation Bible School is an annual summer program of games, crafts, music, and Bible stories, and the church also rents the North Buncombe Community Pool for a free, community-wide Last Day of School Summer Splash each spring. The playground on the church grounds is described as a continuing project, continually improved as an inviting and safe place for neighborhood children to play.
The youth ministry serves students in grades 7 through 12 and meets for Sunday Bible study at 9:45 am in what the church calls the fun room at the end of the Sunday school hallway. Teens are involved in worship leadership, including ushering, Scripture reading, and running the sound system, and they participate in seasonal game nights and movie events, mission activities, community projects, meal preparation for those in need, and Bible study discussions that apply faith to daily life. T. J. Burske serves as Youth and Activities Intern, supporting the program and coordinating with families and volunteers.
For younger children, the church hosts Royal Ambassadors (for boys) and Girls in Action (for girls), which meet weekly and teach about global missions through activities and service projects. Family events throughout the year include monthly game nights, seasonal movie nights, community pool parties, holiday celebrations, fellowship meals and potlucks, and participation in town festivals.
Community Outreach Beyond the Walls
First Baptist Weaverville is widely known in the area for the scope of its community work. The church teaches that faith without action is incomplete, and that conviction is visible in a wide portfolio of programs that touch nearly every demographic in North Buncombe County.
The Senior Adult Meal Site meets in the Fellowship Hall every weekday morning, offering activities, conversation, and a hot lunch to any senior adult in the community. Transportation can be arranged through the church office. The church also hosts free tax preparation for seniors during tax season in partnership with AARP Tax-Aide, with appointments offered on site.
The Food Pantry and Supply Closet distributes groceries, household supplies, and emergency assistance to neighbors in need, with donations accepted at any time. The Veterans Ministry cooks and serves lunch at the Veteran's Restoration Quarters in Asheville, sharing a meal and time with residents there. Each October the Mountain State Fair Ministry takes volunteers to the fairgrounds to provide food and services for fair workers and Bibles and prayer for fair-goers. The Women's Mission Group meets on the second Monday of every month at 6:00 pm to learn about missions, pray for them, and put hands and feet to that work locally and globally.
The church also hosts ESOL (English to Speakers of Other Languages) classes through the Buncombe County Literacy Council; a Saturday afternoon Scrapbooking Club that meets monthly in the Fellowship Hall; and an Al-Anon recovery and support group that meets on the top floor every Saturday at 12:00 pm. A Campus Ministry Partnership connects the church with students at Mars Hill University and with CBFNC's campus ministry work in Western North Carolina.
Disaster Relief Since Hurricane Helene
Since Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina, First Baptist Weaverville has become a regional hub for disaster response. The church's Disaster Relief effort, coordinated through Pastor Stuart and a team of volunteers, has opened the building as a staging area for clean drinking water, public Wi-Fi, hot meals served in partnership with World Central Kitchen, and airlifts of supplies to communities cut off by road damage, including an airlift that landed generators in the churchyard for delivery to Burnsville. The church has prepared care bags for people experiencing homelessness, organized Bible-study nights for assembling clean-out buckets for relief work, and stewarded donated funds for both local Weaverville residents and the wider relief effort across WNC. Disaster relief giving is accepted through the church's online giving portal and Venmo (@FBCWVL).
The Sight and Sound Campaign
In January 2026 the congregation launched the Sight and Sound Campaign: See. Hear. Belong., a $30,000-plus initiative to upgrade the church's audio, video, lighting, and streaming systems. The campaign funds enhanced audio processing for speech and music, new hearing-assist technology, a high-definition screen and improved projection, upgraded sanctuary and broadcast lighting, and stronger streaming infrastructure to eliminate buffering and dropouts. One hundred percent of contributions designated for Sight and Sound go directly to equipment, installation, and software, with any surplus reinvested in maintenance of the same systems. The goal, in the church's own words, is to ensure that every person interacting with the church, whether in the pews or online, can fully participate in worship.
Nature Church, the Hike Group, and the Big Questions
Beyond its regular Sunday and Wednesday programming, the church runs a handful of distinctive gatherings that reflect its broader curiosity about faith and the world. Nature Church is a nondenominational outdoor worship service held on the second Sunday of each month at 8:30 am in the Main Street Nature Park in Weaverville. It features uplifting music, community connection, centering prayer, and tranquil inspiration, and attendees are invited to bring folding chairs, blankets, or towels and, weather permitting, an umbrella. The service is described as a faithful group of neighbors gathering rain or shine in the sanctuary God has made.
The Hike Group meets on the last Sunday of each month at 1:30 pm in the church's parking lot, weather permitting, and carpoolers head out to established trails. Recent hikes have taken the group to Hickory Fork Falls, John Rock, Big Laurel, Bent Creek, the Lookout Trail at Montreat, Mill Ridge near Hot Springs, Baily Mountain, Sam's Gap, Rocky Fork, and Pump Gap. All experience levels are welcome, and the group recommends sturdy shoes, water, a walking stick, and sunscreen.
The Big Questions Group is a discussion community that meets on the second and fourth Sundays of each month from 6:00 to 7:30 pm at Eluvium in downtown Weaverville. Members tackle questions like "What is worthy of my finite existence?" "How do we arrange our lives together?" "If God is good, why do bad things happen?" and "Why is injustice so pervasive?" The group is open to everyone, not only church members, and most participants buy a coffee, tea, beer, or even dinner during the conversation. The goal, in the group's words, is honesty, respect, and challenge, because only together can people examine their lives and the claims they make.
Visiting First Baptist Weaverville
Visitors are warmly welcomed. Sunday worship begins at 11:00 am, and Small Group Bible Study gathers at 9:45 am. First-time guests are encouraged to dress casually, arrive ten to fifteen minutes early, and enter through the main doors on Main Street, where greeters will help them find the sanctuary. Bibles are available for those who want to follow along, and nursery care and children's programs are available during the service.
Parking is available on Main Street and in the church parking lot behind the building, which is accessed from a side street. The entrance and restrooms are wheelchair accessible, and an elevator serves all floors. The church office is open weekdays from 10:00 am to 3:30 pm, and staff can be reached at (828) 645-6720 or info@fbcwvl.org. Anyone interested in joining the church is invited to speak with Pastor Stuart after any worship service or to call the office to schedule a conversation. Guest Info, prayer request, and e-news sign-up forms are available, and a weekly newsletter is sent on Friday afternoons.
Leadership
The congregation is served by Rev. Dr. Stuart Lamkin as pastor. Stuart grew up in Louisiana and Nashville, studied history and religion at Rhodes College in Memphis, earned a Master of Divinity at the Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond, and completed a doctorate at Campbell University Divinity School. He has served in youth ministry, Baptist archives, and editing Bible study curriculum, and pastored a church outside Raleigh before coming to Weaverville. His ministry interests include social justice, engaging with the Bible, environmental awareness, and the intersection of faith and culture.
Chuck Taft serves as Minister of Music. A graduate of North Buncombe High School, Mars Hill University, and Western Carolina University, he holds a Master of Music from Lee University and has worked as a conductor and music director for theaters, orchestras, churches, and choirs across Western North Carolina. In addition to his work at First Baptist, he directs the Givens Estates Choir, teaches applied voice and directs the University Chorale and Reuter Center Singers at UNC Asheville, and serves as musical theatre adjunct instructor at Mars Hill University.
The pastoral and program staff is rounded out by T. J. Burske, Youth and Activities Intern, who supports the youth ministry and a wide range of church events. Sandra Buckner serves as custodian and assists with the senior meal site, and Mark Collins serves as operations manager.
First Baptist Church Weaverville's gifts and tithes, given online, in the offering plate, or by mail, support the General Fund, missions, youth ministry, building and maintenance, the benevolence fund, and special projects. The church is supported by ongoing disaster relief giving and a generous community of donors and volunteers, and it remains rooted in its historic downtown location at 63 North Main Street, where the building has stood for more than a century as a place of worship, learning, and service to its neighbors.