Helping People Experience New Life on the South Side of Parkersburg
Located on the rolling streets on the south side of Parkersburg, West Virginia, South Parkersburg Baptist Church has been a steady presence since 1891, when it was first gathered as a community of faith. The congregation has met in several spots across the south side of town over the years and has been at its current address, 1655 Blizzard Drive, since 1979. The church's motto reads, "Helping people experience NEW LIFE through Jesus Christ," and that single sentence captures what every ministry, class, and outreach is aimed at.
The church is a member of American Baptist Churches USA and, at the state level, the West Virginia Baptist Convention. Two ordinances are practiced: believers' baptism by immersion and the Lord's Supper. South Parkersburg Baptist is a place that puts a great deal of weight on relationships, both with God and with one another. Its family-style identity, with classes named Happy Hearts, Good Samaritans, Bereans, and Faithful Followers, comes through clearly in everything it offers.
Two Sunday Morning Services, Two Styles of Worship
Sunday morning at South Parkersburg Baptist features two worship services designed to give people a choice in how they experience music and teaching.
The first service, at 9:00 am, is led by the Sanctuary Choir and follows a blended style that integrates classic hymns with some modern pieces. The 10:30 am service is led by the Praise Band and leans more contemporary. Both services include sound biblical teaching and a time for offering, which is never required but always appreciated. After worship, the congregation is invited to participate in adult classes and small groups that meet during each service hour in the adjoining facilities.
Visitors should know that attire at both services runs the full spectrum. Some folks arrive in their Sunday best, others in jeans and a t-shirt, and the leadership is quick to point out that either is welcomed. "Experiencing Jesus happens just the same," the church writes. First-time guests are met by the First Impressions Ministry, a team that includes parking lot greeters, a Guest Services Desk team, and Hosts who walk newcomers to the right place.
Children's Ministry from Nursery Through Fifth Grade
Children's Ministry is a centerpiece of the church's life, and programming is offered every Sunday morning and Wednesday evening. The team uses the Orange 252 curriculum, built around three basic truths: God Made Me, God Loves Me, and Jesus Wants to Be My Forever Friend. Age-appropriate lessons aim to build wisdom, faith, and friendship in every child.
Classes are organized by age. Nursery care is available for infants and toddlers up to age two with qualified caregivers on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings. Preschoolers ages two and three meet in the Butterflies class on Sunday mornings and join the Fireflies class on Wednesday evenings. Four- and five-year-olds in the Fireflies class begin learning the power of Jesus as their forever friend. Kindergarten through fifth grade gather together for opening worship in the main sanctuary before returning to classrooms split by grade (K/1st, 2nd/3rd, and 4th/5th). On Wednesday evenings at 6:00 pm, the elementary kids meet together again by age group.
Fifth-graders are celebrated with a graduation ceremony that introduces them to the Student Ministry. Children's Ministry classrooms are on the lower floor of the facility adjoining the sanctuary, and many families choose to enter through the back doors from the lower parking lot. Children's Pastor Janelle Skinner oversees the ministry, supported by Children's Ministry Leader Sherry Riley.
The Waypoint: Student Ministry Across the Street
Across Blizzard Drive from the lower parking lot sits a building called The Waypoint, 1705 Blizzard Drive, which serves as the home of the Student Ministry for grades six through twelve. The church uses the image of a waypoint, a marker used by travelers to find their way, to describe what the building represents for teenagers: a place of direction, safety, and growth.
The Waypoint has a cafe, a game room, "living rooms" for hanging out, and a chapel for worship. Programming follows a steady weekly rhythm. Sunday mornings at 9:00 am are reserved for discipleship lessons with breakfast served. Sunday evenings from 5:00 to 7:00 pm are the main youth group gathering, with dinner, time to hang out, worship, and teaching that aims to give students biblical, practical ways to navigate daily life. Wednesday evenings from 6:00 to 7:00 pm are "Homework and Hangout" nights, where adult leaders, many of whom are classroom teachers, help students with schoolwork. The High School small groups extend the evening from 7:00 to 8:30 pm.
Director of Student Ministries Eric Kendall describes the team's five core values: honoring God and the church with everything they do, doing anything short of sin to reach students with the Gospel, providing a welcoming and safe environment, striving for excellence, and laughing, playing, learning, and doing life together. Pastor Eric Seckman serves as Pastor of Student Ministries and oversees the team.
An Adult Sunday School Class for Almost Every Stage of Life
South Parkersburg Baptist takes seriously the idea that adults grow best in community. The Classes and Small Groups ministry includes more than a dozen classes and small groups, many of which have met together for a decade or more.
At 9:00 am on Sundays, the Awakenings class gathers young adults who are starting out in the workforce or in college, the Bereans class brings together people ages 40 to 70 around intense Bible study, the Harvest class welcomes all ages, and the Next Step class is specifically designed for newcomers to the church, the community, or the faith. At 10:30 am, the BYKOTA class, named for the phrase "Be Ye Kind One To Another," has been meeting for more than 32 years; the Good Samaritans class is made up mostly of retired folks who call themselves prayer warriors; Happy Hearts is a senior adult class; Koinonia (the Greek word for fellowship) is inter-generational and active in ministry support; New Beginnings does in-depth book studies lasting several months; and S.O.W.L. (Serving Others With Love) follows the pastor's weekly training guide for a deeper look at the morning's sermon.
Off-Sunday options are equally robust. Faithful Followers meets Friday evenings for share-and-prayer time plus a meal. The Thursday Morning Class, in its twentieth year, meets at 9:00 am. L.I.F.T. (Ladies In Fellowship Together) gathers women on Tuesdays at 12:30 pm. The American Baptist Women's Ministry meets the second Tuesday of each month for prayer, devotions, and fellowship, twice a year joining other ABW groups from the Parkersburg area for combined gatherings. Senior Single Sisters meets the third Friday of every month for Christian fellowship. Bible studies also include a Sunday evening small group through 1 Corinthians (5:00 to 7:00 pm in Room 231), a Wednesday evening study called Threads of Grace (6:00 to 7:00 pm in Room 230), a Thursday morning study in Ephesians (9:00 am in Room 223), and a College & Career study on Wednesday evenings (6:00 to 7:00 pm in Room 226).
Twenty-Two Ministry Teams, All Powered by Volunteers
The church operates more than twenty ministry teams, all volunteer-led, and encourages newcomers to plug in where their gifts fit. The First Impressions team handles parking, greeting, and the Guest Services Desk. The Connections Cafe team runs a cafe during both Sunday morning services. The Sanctuary Choir, with members ranging from age 10 to 90, leads worship at the 9:00 am service, while the Worship & Media Support teams partner to make every gathering a smooth, God-centered experience.
Care and compassion are central. The Congregational Care Visitation Ministry reaches out to people in hospitals and nursing homes. The Senior Connection Ministry meets the first Monday of each month to deliver a lunch, a Large Print Sunday School lesson, and a Secret Place devotional to shut-ins. Funeral Dinners Ministry serves families who have lost a loved one who was a member. The Kitchen & Hospitality Ministry prepares food for the annual Fall Festival and Thanksgiving dinners. The Library team keeps resources organized and shelves built. The Property Management Team is a group of men with various skills who maintain the church property.
Missions and outreach are woven into the rhythm of the church. The Missions Ministry plans trips, distributes scholarship funds for missionaries, and educates the congregation about global ministry. The Feed My Sheep & Salvation Army Meal Delivery ministry contributes cash, goods, and volunteers to provide food for struggling families and shut-ins, while often opening the door to other services the recipients need. The Van Drivers Ministry picks people up around South Parkersburg every Sunday morning and evening to bring them to services and classes. The Upward Basketball Ministry provides kindergartners through fifth graders a positive setting to learn the game while also promoting the discovery of Jesus through sports. The Ushering Ministry greets worshipers, aids seating, distributes and retrieves friendship registers, and collects the morning and evening offerings.
New Life Ministry: A Faith-Based Recovery Program for Women
One of the most distinctive ministries sponsored by the church is New Life Ministry, a non-profit, interdenominational, faith-based program for adult female drug addicts and victims of human trafficking. New Life Ministry was started in 2015 at the request of Parkersburg law enforcement in response to the addiction epidemic affecting the community and the state, and it became an official SPBC ministry team in November 2018. Women are referred through the Parkersburg Police Department or the Wood County Adult Probation Office and must be committed to seeking change. The ministry is led by Director of Community Ministry Amy Paff.
Beliefs and the Vision to Pursue, Proclaim, and Participate
South Parkersburg Baptist holds to a classical Trinitarian belief: God the Father is a relational God who exists in three persons and created humanity for relationship; Jesus the Son is the incarnate God who lived to glorify the Father, was crucified as the ultimate sacrifice for sin, and rose again to bring new life; and the Holy Spirit is the helper and advocate sent by Jesus, residing within believers and equipping them for love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, and self-control. The church also teaches Koinonia, the Greek term for fellowship, and the New Life that comes through union with Christ, which frees believers from slavery to sin and empowers sacrificial living for others.
The vision of the church is built around three verbs. Pursue: seeking first the kingdom of God through a holistic approach to discipleship that focuses on Biblical Engagement, Mentoring, and Contextual Application. Proclaim: sharing the good news of the kingdom through Kingdom-Centered Worship, acting as intercessors for the poor and vulnerable, and sharing the message of new life in Christ. Participate: serving God and others through fellowship and missional living, partnering with others in mission and ministry.
Lead Pastor Rich Blain summarizes the mission this way: "Our mission is to help people discover and experience new life in Jesus Christ, and to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ." Adam Paff, Pastor of Discipleship and Congregational Care, oversees much of this work.
American Baptist Identity and the Practice of Two Ordinances
South Parkersburg Baptist is an American Baptist church and a member of American Baptist Churches USA. Within West Virginia, the church is part of the West Virginia Baptist Convention. As an American Baptist congregation, it practices two ordinances: believers' baptism by immersion and the Lord's Supper, observed as a remembrance of the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Communion is open to any Christ follower who has received God's gift of salvation through Jesus, whether or not they are a member of SPBC or of any Baptist denomination.
Baptism is treated as an important milestone, and the church invites anyone interested to contact a pastor to share what God has done and to schedule a time to celebrate with the congregation.
Giving, Outreach, and Staying Connected
Beyond the regular ministries, the church runs several special giving channels. The Benevolence Fund meets specific needs in the community that come through the church offices, from paying a bill to providing clothing to arranging a ride to a job interview. The American Baptist Women's Ministry runs an annual Blanket Ministry. Gifts can be placed in offering boxes at the church, mailed with the weekly tithe with a note in the memo line, or given through PayPal.
People who want to keep up between Sundays can join the church's email family or text SPBC to 304-337-5599 to receive SMS updates and shareables. The church livestreams its 10:30 am service on its Facebook page and Vimeo, with announcements starting at 10:15 am, and archives every message on Vimeo. For those wanting to go deeper, the church provides free access to RightNow Media, a digital library of more than 20,000 discipleship videos accessible through phones, tablets, computers, Chromecast, Roku, Apple TV, and Fire TV. A "Who Are We?" class is offered for those wanting to learn more about what it means to belong to South Parkersburg Baptist.
What a First Visit Looks Like
First-time visitors are greeted in the parking lot, escorted into the building, and directed to the right service, class, or children's room. Nursery through fifth grade is available during both Sunday morning services and on Wednesday evenings at 6:00 pm. Students in grades six through twelve are invited to Sunday morning discipleship at The Waypoint at 9:00 am, the main youth group at 5:00 pm, and Wednesday Homework and Hangout at 6:00 pm. The Connections Cafe serves both morning services in the main building. Dress ranges from casual to Sunday best. Communion is open to any believer. Baptism is by immersion and can be scheduled by contacting a pastor. The church is wheelchair accessible, with multiple parking areas and entry points, including the back doors off the lower parking lot for families with children.
A Family Rooted in Service
South Parkersburg Baptist defines family as "a group of people who genuinely love, trust, care about, and look out for each other." That definition runs through everything the church does, from the long-running Bereans class and the Sanctuary Choir to the women of New Life Ministry finding freedom from addiction, the van drivers picking up neighbors each Sunday morning, and the Upward Basketball Ministry introducing kindergartners to the game and to Jesus. Across more than 135 years of ministry on the south side of Parkersburg, the church has continued to put relationships at the center, inviting anyone who walks through the doors to discover what new life in him can look like.