140 years ago, a group of believers gathered together as an informal body called the Baptist Conference.  These men and women had a burden to formally organize a Baptist church so that together they might serve God and expand His kingdom in South Haven.  They continued to fellowship and pray together about this burden until their vision to establish a church was realized in 1870 – with 31 charter members.  Their first pastor was a physician, William Hewson.  Dr. Hewson led the church for 7 years.  They met in a building on the corners of Michigan and Indiana.

    God blessed and prospered this young fledgling congregation.  He also gave them a new vision: develop a brand new building closer to the downtown area in which they may reach the lost and build the kingdom of God.  A building committee was formed in 1887.  They sold the old church building and met  in the town’s Opera House until the new facility was complete.  The vision was ignited as the cornerstone was laid on October 2, 1888.  It was fulfilled 7 months later when the building, located on the corners of Center and Huron, was dedicated.

    100 years after our first new building, the family here at First Baptist would be looking to build another new building to meet the needs of their expanding vision.  Under the guidance of Rev. Gordon Kehrein, the need for additional space was realized and shared with the church family.   A committee was formed to look into needs and building possibilities.  They came to the conclusion that what was needed was a building that was barrier-free, that had no steps, and had room to grow and expand.  The hunt began for property and a piece of real estate became available on Blue Star Highway.  Resources were raised and the land was purchased.  However, God had other plans for His church and Blue Star Highway would not be the new location of First Baptist.  Rather, it would be located on Monroe Boulevard.  Sixteen years after the committee chose to build a new building, this visionary fellowship broke ground on October 25, 1987.  In mid-1990, First Baptist Church moved from her location on Center and Huron streets to this present site and on September 9, 1990, the building was dedicated to the Lord.

Additional office and conference space was added along with a new room in which our children would conduct worship.   Then, on January 26, 2003, our congregation voted to begin building a new 28,000 square foot addition which was designed to facilitate our growth for years to come.  On Resurrection Sunday, April 20, 2003, an official ground-breaking ceremony was conducted.  Four years later, a dedication service was conducted to give thanks for the completed facility.