Who We Are at First Baptist Church of Oak Park
First Baptist Church of Oak Park is situated in Suburban Chicago, just outside the city’s western border. We are known as a friendly, diverse congregation and our diversity brings an enhancement to our church life and fellowship as we all share a strong commitment to Christ, our church, and to each other. We value our strong tradition of generosity and compassion not only to our members, but in our regular Mission and other support, to local and international endeavors. We are strongly committed to the American Baptist Churches (ABC) USA and adhere to our Baptist beliefs and practices. As we look to the future, we believe that there are exciting possibilities to deepen our relationship to God and to strengthen our commitment to each other, our community and the world at large.
The foundation of First Baptist Church of Oak Park was, is and always will be the Word of God and so we will conduct ourselves, to the best of our ability and with the help of God, as true disciples. Specifically, we seek the following:
To provide worship services that inspire and encourage us through Biblical and practical preaching, prayer, and a diverse music experience from a mixture of classical, contemporary, traditional and Black Gospel hymns and selections, utilizing a variety of musical accompaniments.
To develop ministries that address the needs of young families with children, youth, young adults and professionals, middle age individuals, and seniors, to make our message more attractive and relevant to their differing life stages.
To grow spiritually through a greater understanding of our faith by integrating it daily into our work and relationships, and faithfulness in prayer, Bible study, regular church attendance and small group fellowship.
To build on our caring outreaches to our congregation, the diverse community of Oak Park, Chicago and the world, by being more intentional, compassionate and understanding so that through us, God’s love comes to life in times of need.
To be faithful in carrying out the responsibilities of lay leadership, working hand in hand with our Pastoral leadership, to increase efficiency in operations, improve communication, and be better stewards of resources that God has blessed us, including our building, activities, programs and gifts for our congregation and others.
To continue our strong financial support of our church’s ministries, operations, and Missions.
To emphasize our relationship with ABC/USA and its affiliates, and pursue opportunities to unite with other churches and agencies within and outside our community for fellowship and service.
What We Believe
We affirm the authority of the Holy Scriptures in our lives and in our worship.
We celebrate our Baptist heritage and are proud partners of American Baptist Churches USA.
We believe all people are created in the glorious image of God. As disciples of Jesus Christ, we accept the call to love one another as Christ loves us.
We believe in loving and serving God by loving and serving others. We work alongside various missions partners to make a difference in our community.
We believe faith is a journey and seek to be continually formed together by the Holy Spirit.
We value ecumenical relationships with other denominations and churches in our area.
Meet Our Staff
Dr. David John Hailey
Senior Pastor • djhailey@fbcoakpark.org
Monroe Saffold
Associate Pastor • monroesaffold@comcast.net
Mithun Roy
Assistant Pastor • mroy@fbcop.org
Eric Hogan
Building Manager • fbcop820@gmail.com
Barbara Branch
Director of School • fbc820@yahoo.com
Our Affiliations
The First Baptist Church of Oak Park formally begun with a service in the home of its members on April 25, 1873. Rapid growth during the early years led to a move to a rental hall until the congregation occupied its first church building in 1883. The present church was dedicated on April 22, 1923, with the addition of the education and community building later in the decade. Our First Baptist Church membership reached its peak of up to 1400 members immediately following World War II.
The 1960’s and 1970’s brought about changing demographics among urban communities, resulting in a changing religious population in Oak Park. On January 1, 1972, a merger between First Baptist Church of Oak Park and Austin Second Baptist Church of Chicago became a reality, following a long and careful study and planning by both churches. Austin Second Baptist Church was itself a merged congregation formed in 1960 from the First Baptist Church of Austin, established in 1871, and the Second Baptist Church, founded in 1864. Strong legacies of faith, from three congregations serving separate areas of Chicago coming together, strengthened their witness in the new environment.
The heritage we value is exemplified by the parenting of several other churches; the many men and women nurtured, trained and some ordained into Christian ministry in our First Baptist church who had or are still serving Christ’s church in this country and abroad; our Preschool & Kindergarten, founded in 1929 at First Baptist; Northern Baptist Theological Seminary, established in 1913 in the Second Baptist Church; the former Baptist Retirement Home in Maywood, IL with its first building memorializing Aunt Lizzie Aiken, the city missionary of Second Baptist Church; and the continuing use of the former home of Austin, by the Original Providence Baptist Church, a sister church of the Chicago Baptist Association.
The faithful service by many, whose names and contributions are not mentioned, continue the tradition of bearing witness to the Gospel throughout the years–amidst challenges, changes and opportunities.
Our History
Our Building
First Baptist Church of Oak Park’s present facility was built in 1921 with the Community Center and Preschool added in 1927. It was designed by E. E. Roberts, a contemporary of Frank Lloyd Wright’s.
Our church building is notable for its size, beauty and functionality. It has 110 rooms, including a large and beautiful Sanctuary, Fellowship Hall (equipped as gymnasium and containing a full stage), a chapel, a dining room, large kitchen, office suite, a Parlor, educational rooms and offices for the Preschool & Kindergarten, Sunday School rooms, Nursery, Youth room, Stephen Ministry room, Cloister Room and Narthex, used for gatherings and as hospitality areas, and other rooms and offices.
Throughout the building one will notice the use of Christian symbols in glass, carved wood and molded plaster.
Our First Baptist Church sanctuary has four magnificent stained-glass windows. Its two unique window complexes to the east and west celebrate the ministry of the laity and the ministry of the clergy.
Major repairs and renovations have been accomplished throughout the years, including the establishment of an elevator serving three floors; tuck pointing of the exterior; major repairs to the roof; handicapped accessibility; air conditioning of the offices, Preschool & Kindergarten, Dining Room and the Fellowship Hall; and the introduction of a state of the art organ.
The congregation has consistently understood its stewardship of the building. Building fund campaigns to support major repair needs have been accomplished to ensure that the building supports the needs of the congregation and can extend its hospitality to the other groups that use it, from the community and beyond.
