Week of Prayer

June 8-14

Day of Prayer and Fasting

Wednesday, June 10

Pastor Led Prayer in Sanctuary at noon and 6 PM

Break the Fast with "Breakfast" in Fellowship Hall at 7 PM

Commitment Sunday

Sunday, June 14, 10:30 AM

At First Baptist Church, we are standing on the shoulders of those who came before us. As we look back on over 72 years of God’s faithfulness in Benbrook, we are called to faithfully steward what we have been given and prepare a home for the generations to come.

In 1954, a small group of saints gathered around a single vision: to build a faithful witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ in the city of Benbrook. That vision became First Baptist Church. Across seventy-two years, generation after generation has served the Lord in this place — worshiping together, opening the Scriptures in small groups, discipling teenagers, meeting needs in the community, and carrying the gospel to the ends of the earth.

The church we enjoy today did not appear out of nowhere. It is the fruit of the Lord’s work through ordinary people who surrendered their lives to Jesus Christ and built, brick by brick, week after week. They prized the sacred Scriptures, read them daily, and taught them to their children. They gave up vacation time to take teenagers to camp so that those students might meet Jesus. And yes, they built buildings and parking lots — a place set apart, a place where everyone in the community would know: this is where you go if you want to know more about Jesus.

That vision has now been handed to us. Our calling is not only to make disciples of this generation, but, like the saints before us, to invest in the saints who will gather for worship seventy years from now. FBCNext invites us into the story of what God has done, is doing, and will keep doing through FBC Benbrook. On the surface it may look like a facility plan. It is far more than that.

We look back with gratitude on seventy-two years of faithfulness, mindful that the sanctuary where we worship and the rooms where we learn did not fall from the sky. They were built by the sacrifice, sweat, and vision of the saints who came before us. We are the inheritors of a rich legacy — but stewardship is not only about honoring the past. It is about being faithful with the now.

The church has spoken with a clear voice: it is time to move forward with Phase 1 of FBCNext. This is not merely a construction project; it is an act of worship. We have been entrusted with real tools — a sanctuary, classrooms, gathering spaces — and good stewardship means keeping those tools sharp for the work God is doing today.

Our aim is a sanctuary that still draws the eye upward to the beauty and greatness of God: a worship space that is modern and functional, yet warm and inviting for the generations to come. And because stewardship includes how we care for one another, we want to renew our adult education and Sunday school spaces into rooms built for the way we do community today — places equipped to carry the burdens we share. We are the stewards of this moment. Let us care well for what we have been given, so that seventy-two years from now others will stand where we stand and thank God for our faithfulness.

In January 2024, our deacons asked a Long Range Planning Committee to address our facility needs. The team spent its first six months in focused prayer, seeking God’s direction before anything else.

In July 2024, the church voted to authorize the committee to lead us through a sanctuary refresh and the building of new education space.

In March 2026, the church voted to proceed with Phase 1 of FBCNext, the sanctuary remodel and relocation of the church offices.

Every step of FBCNext has been bathed in prayer — and now we invite the whole church to pray together.

Our desire is to place the tools and spaces needed for worship, study, and growth into the hands of the next generation. FBCNext is the fruit of over two years of prayerful consideration and planning.

Phase One renews the spaces we use most, so that worship and discipleship have a beautiful, functional home for years to come. In the sanctuary, that means new pews, new flooring and lighting, stage improvements, and an updated baptistry — a room that still lifts the eye toward God. We will also relocate our church offices to create a more visible, welcoming “front door” for neighbors who stop by during the week, whether they are looking for help, for prayer, or for a church home. More importantly, the relocation of the church offices clears the way for Phase 2: new educational space for adult small group Bible studies!

Frequently Asked Questions:

What will the project cost?

The projected cost for the sanctuary remodel and office relocation is $4.2 million dollars.

When will work begin?

We will break ground when half of the projected cost has been received, which we hope will be within two years.

During the Sanctuary remodel, will we be able to meet in the sanctuary for worship?

We will most likely have to move our Sunday services for several weeks during the remodel, but specific plans have not yet been made.

Looking further ahead, our long-term vision — beyond the current project — includes removing older structures to make room for expanded adult education space and a large gathering area to serve a growing church family. Phase One is the faithful first step toward that future.

Now it is our turn. We give ourselves to this work — sacrificially and joyfully, as a labor of love — so that those who come behind us will find a faithful witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ alive and well in Benbrook.

We are asking our members to Pray, Give, and Share

• Pray that God would bless this work and do far more than we could ask or imagine, and that he would show each of us how to take part.
• Give to FBCNext above and beyond your regular tithe, as the Lord leads.
• And share — tell others the good news of Jesus and invite them into the life of this church.