The History of FBC

The First Baptist Church of Fountain City was formally organized on May 31, 1908, but the beginnings of the church actually started on February 11, 1908 when the first meeting of Baptists in this area was called. This meeting was held in the home of Mr. T.F. Kirkpatrick for the purpose of deciding if a Sunday School should be undertaken and if a church should be organized. A second meeting was held on April 23, 1908 at which time it was decided that plans should proceed for organizing a church and Sunday School and the date selected for that purpose was May31, 1908 and an invitation was extended to Rev. J.A. Davis of Erwin, TN to preach at both services. A presbytery of churches came for the afternoon service, which was held in the auditorium of the old Central High School. Those churches included First Baptist of Knoxville, Smithwood Baptist, and Broadway Baptist. Following the evening service, three new members were added to the church roll, bringing the total enrollment that day to 69. By the end of the 1920s, the membership of the church reached 183 with an active Sunday School enrollment of 245.

The church became involved in the 1920s with active mission support, realizing the importance of not only meeting a commitment to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ within the local community, but global as well. Support for various mission programs highlighted the tenure of the church under the pastorate of Rev. Neal Acuff, and this activity would certainly be continued during the decade of the 1930s when the Great Depression hit the United States.

The period of the 1950s found FBC facing new challenges of a new decade. It would represent a time of growth and expansion in our church both physically and spiritually. A building program which begun in January, 1942 (only to be interrupted by World War II) to build an educational facility would be realized this year. This facility was dedicated on September 17, 1950.

A massive building program was begun in October, 1960, a reflection of the growth in church membership and Sunday School attendance which had been accomplished during the 1950s. By the end of 1959, church membership reached 1,153; Sunday School membership had reached 981, and Training Union enrollment had reached 370. In order to meet the growing demands of this increase, a new building program was initiated in 1960, which would have a two-fold emphasis: Preaching of the Word and Teaching of the Word. The symbol of Preaching of the Word would be accomplished through the sky lighted dome, serving as a constant reminder to all that we do serve a God of Light – that through faith and trust in Him we can know His Truth and be liberated from the bondage of sin.

Today, the aim of FBC is to preach and proclaim the message of Jesus Christ to all people, and as our logo indicates, we are the friendly church in the heart of Fountain City, reaching out in love to a lost community.