First Baptist Church Blowing Rock Guests

In Blowing Rock
It's easy! We are located on Sunset Drive. From 321, turn onto Sunset Drive. The church is located on the left within the first block. If you go and pass the Blowing Rock School, Crippens Inn and the Inn at Ragged Gardens and end up facing Main Street, you've gone too far! From Main street, you turn down Sunset and we are on the right before you come to the light on 321.

From Boone
Take 321 south towards Blowing Rock. When you pass the Blue Ridge Parkway exit you will come to three traffic lights; the first is the entrance to the Outlet Malls, the second in the entrance to Main street and you will see a “Welcome to Blowing Rock” sign, the third is Sunset drive and you will take a right. The church will be on the Left with parking in the front, before you come to the church building, or across the street from the building.

From Hickory/Lenior
Take 321 up the mountain to Blowing Rock. Once you come into Blowing Rock, stay to the right on 321, the first traffic light you come to (past the Broyhill outlet, past Outback) will be Sunset Drive. Take a left on Sunset and the church is on the left.

First Baptist Church is surrounded by easily accessible parking spaces. Entry to the Main lot can be made from Sunset Avenue before you arrive at the church proper. There is also parking available in front of the church bordering Sunset Avenue. We also having parking across the street from the church at the "Church Annex" that is marked by signs. You may also park across the street at the parking for the Antique Store and the "Famous Toastery". During inclement weather you can drop off passengers at the South entrance main doors for protected entrance. Once inside the Worship Center foyer you will find greeters waiting and our Welcome Center to assist you in finding your way around. 

Handicap Accessible Parking
There is handicap parking on our Main lot on the South entrance with easy access to the Worship Center. Our greeters have wheelchairs available to assist anyone with special needs. All you need to do is ask at the Worship Center doors for assistance. We also have Handicap parking on the North Side/fellowship Hall entrance for those needing access to Sunday School and small group classes.

When you know your children are in a loving and safe environment you can relax, allowing you to focus on worship and Bible study.

Registration
To help us insure the safety of all of the children on campus we ask that they be registered once they arrive. You can find the registration table in the main church narthex with kiosk available around the church. On your first visit, you will be asked to fill out an information sheet that allows us to better minister to your children and know such things as any allergies and the like. On subsequent visits you will only need to check in at one of the kiosk. 

Nursery
We provide a fully staffed nursery from 8:45 -12:15 every Sunday morning for infants through 4 year olds. The infant nursery is staffed by trained personal. Our Preschoolers are actively engaged in play while learning about God’s love for them during this time. The nursery is located in the center of our education wing and identified by the proper signs. Our greeters will be glad to direct you.

9:00 Small Group Classes
During the 9:00 hour all school aged children (k-5th) attend age graded Bible study classes. After checking in they will need to go to the Fellowship hall and will move to their individual classes from there. They may be picked up at the Fellowship Hall after the 9:00 worship service. e Worship Center with one of our leaders.

10:30 Worship Services
We believe in integrating our children into our normal worship so those attending the 10:30 worship service will need to be checked in before the service and then can  join us in the worship center for the first part of the service. They are encouraged to join in the worship. During the break before the message, the children are dismissed to go to the fellowship Hall and their continued worship. There they will have a Bible study, participate in crafts and other activities and have their own worship time. If you feel more comfortable with your children sitting with you during this time, that is great and they can join the rest of the children before the message when they are dismissed to the fellowship Hall. Children can be picked up in the Fellowship Hall at the end of the worship service. 

Webster defines “worship” as:

Wor•ship 1. reverence or devotion for a deity; religious homage or veneration 2. extreme devotion or intense love or admiration of any kind.

Intense love and admiration! Extreme devotion! That’s how we describe worship at First Baptist Church of Blowing Rock. We believe that worship is not something we do once a week but rather it is an outflow of our daily lives; it is who we are. On Sunday’s we gather together as the body of Christ to express that outflow together. We gather each week to worship God as a family and to express to Him our love, our thanks, and our devotion. Whether you are seeking something new, searching for some answers or just looking for a place to join together for worship we would love for you be our guest as we worship the Lord together!

Starting on May 5th 2024 we are adding an additional worship service to our Sunday morning schedule. Due to our continued growth, we believe this will allow more people to attend and participate in the service.

We will have two identical services in style and substance at 9:00 and 10:30. Out goal in worship is to give honor and praise to God by create a worshipful environment for all. We would rather our worship be defined by Spirit and Truth instead of any labels that many would put on styles and taste. We feel it is unique and varies from week to week including modern worship songs, hymns, testimonies, videos and a relevant message from God's word from our Pastor.

Online Worship
Our 10:30 worship service is available live online from this website and also on our Youtube and Facebook pages. Just go to either of those sights and search for "First Baptist Blowing Rock" and you will see our most recent service. If you click "like" or "follow" on these pages, they will remind you when out services are live. After the live service ends, you can view the entire service on either of those sites later and at your convenience. 

Podcast
You can listen to the sermon portion of our services on the churches Podcast page - linked on this website or free through Apple Music, iTunes or Spotify. Just search "First Baptist Blowing Rock" on those sites to find the podcast page. There are over 500 previous messages available on our podcast page. 

Sound Enhancement Devices
Assisted Listening Devices are available during the 10:00 Worship Service. For assistance, please visit either the sound booth at the back of the worship center or see one of our greeters.

Sermon CD's
CD's of the Pastor's sermons are available the Monday after the worship service in the church office. You can sign up for a CD or a sermon series on the forms in the main office or by email request at office@firstbaptistblowingrock.com. 

No matter what your personal style, you’ll be comfortable at First Baptist Church of Blowing Rock. If you prefer dressy, business, or casual attire, chances are there will be others dressed much like you no matter when you visit. Whatever your style, you’ll be right at home with us. We want you to be comfortable with the attire you choose to worship in. Whether you like to dress up or dress down on Sunday mornings, you will fit in here!

Naturally, Wednesday evenings and our weekly small group times are much more casual than Sunday mornings, but feel free to dress as you prefer.

Preschoolers and children learn while they play. We encourage hands on play so that children are learning through all their senses. Painting and other “messy” activities are also encouraged, so use your own judgment about how dressed up your child is while at church.

Our Middle and High School students usually dress casually on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings.

We do not have a formal Sunday night worship service but rather encourage our members to spend time on Sunday afternoon and evenings with their families. We may occasionally offer a 6 to 10 week small group Bible study on Sunday evenings but they are seasonal. Some of those offered in the past have included; Experiencing God, Dave Ramsey, and Beth Moore studies for women. You can check on our homepage to see if any studies are offered this semester.

Many of our small groups and Sunday School classes use Sunday nights as a time of fellowship and ministry for their groups.

At the close of both worship services our Pastor will be at the back of the worship center to meet and visit with all those in attendance. Most Sunday’s you can also find him greeting guest before both of our worship services in the foyer or in the worship center. He would love to meet you.

Due to the restrictive time on Sunday’s if you would like to have a more comprehensive visit with Pastor Rusty or any of our other staff, please call the church office and schedule an appointment (828) 295-7715. We would love to meet with you personally to answer any questions you might have about our church and its ministries, or just to visit and get acquainted. You can also contact any staff member by email and you will receive a prompt response.

Webster defines “worship” as:

Wor•ship 1. reverence or devotion for a deity; religious homage or veneration 2. extreme devotion or intense love or admiration of any kind.

Intense love and admiration! Extreme devotion! That’s how we describe worship at First Baptist Church of Blowing Rock. We believe that worship is not something we do once a week but rather it is an outflow of our daily lives; it is who we are. On Sunday’s we gather together as the body of Christ to express that outflow together. We gather each week to worship God as a family and to express to Him our love, our thanks, and our devotion. Whether you are seeking something new, searching for some answers or just looking for a place to join together for worship we would love for you be our guest as we worship the Lord together!

Sound Enhancement Devices
Assisted Listening Devices are available during the 10:00 Worship Service. For assistance, please visit either the sound booth at the back of the worship center or see one of our greeters.

Sermon CD's
CD's of the Pastor's sermons are available the Monday after the worship service in the church office. You can sign up for a CD or a sermon series on the forms in the main office or by email request at office@firstbaptistblowingrock.com

We believe that church membership is very important for every Christian. It ties us into the local Body of Christ for fellowship, ministry and service. A believer cannot properly function and fulfill their purpose in Christ if they are not a part of the body.

We have two form of membership here at First Baptist;

1. Full membership
2. Associate Membership
• For those college students that live here during the school year but would like to keep their full church membership at their home church.
• For those part time residents that live in Blowing Rock seasonally and would like to keep their full time membership at their home church where they reside the rest of the year.
• This is basically an opportunity to give, minister and serve here in Blowing Rock while they are in residence.

You can join the church by three ways;

1. Baptism
   Upon professing your faith in Jesus Christ, you can join our church by following His example in believer’s baptism. A candidate for baptism must meet with a staff member before scheduling baptism. You will become a full member upon completing baptism.

   Those who have made a prior profession of faith in Jesus Christ but have not been scripturally baptized by immersion can meet with a staff member and become a candidate for baptism and full membership after they have been baptized.

2. Transferring Your Membership
   A person transferring from another Baptist church may be received by letter from that church and shall become a member of our church.
3. By Statement
   Anyone who has once been a member of a Baptist church, or of a church whose doctrine and form of baptism are like our own, and have been baptized by immersion, may be received into our fellowship upon a statement of their faith.

What about my children?
When a child is ready to make a commitment to Christ they may come forward during the invitation. Our Pastors will deal sensitively with the child. Information about the child’s next step will be shared with the parents. Upon completion of a meeting with one of our Pastoral staff and following in believer’s baptism, the child will become a member of the church.

So How do I do this?
At the conclusion of both worship services we will have a time of invitation. During this time you may come to the front and visit with the Pastor about your intentions. He will pray with you and direct you towards the next step for membership. You may also indicate on one of our visitor cards or prayer sheets you intentions and drop it in the offering plate during the service or hand it to one of our ushers or the Pastor at the end of the service. You will be contacted that week to set up a meeting time to answer any questions you might have and follow up on your decisions.

I still have questions…..

God loves you and we really care about you and we would love to share with you more about following Christ or becoming a member of First Baptist Church. Please give us a call at 828-295-7715 and ask to speak to one of the Pastors or email us at fbcbr@bellsouth.net.

FBC is a growing community and we are excited that you are considering visiting with us in person. We would like to personally greet you and help you and your family find your way on your first visit. In the Worship Center entrance you will find a Welcome Center and Greeters with marked nametags to assist newcomers as they seek to find a Small group that fits your unique needs or inform you about our Sunday morning schedule for youth and children.

We also have our church monthly newsletters and weekly bulletins that outline all of the available activities and their locations. You can also check out our Sunday schedule here on our website to better determine the best time for you to visit with us.