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Our Philosophy
"Above all else, we will create a space that is edifying and glorifying to God."

Summer 2002 Report
The summer of 2001 was devoted to work on the the inside of our building and the renovation of the sanctuary.  The summer of 2002 has been dedicated to the outside of our building and the campus. A twenty year spruce up is occurring, including:

• Sprinkler system for the entire parameter of the church.
• Drainage for the back part of the grounds, eliminating the spring flooding of the grounds.
• Well dug to provide water for the parameter of sprinkler system.
• Removal of twenty year old shrubs and planting of new ones later in the season.
• Preparation for new flower beds.
• Restoration of sign letters along brick wall, revealing solid brass.
• Design for completion of fountain at the front of the church.

Although everything at the moment seems rather torn up the outcome is going to be a beautifully landscaped campus.

We feel tremendously privileged to be able to enhance the beauty of our campus in these ways, especially as we prepare to celebrate the 150th anniversary of our church next year.

We also want to thank our outside volunteers who have had to work around many obstacles this summer. Caring for the lawn have been Wally Lynn, Rick Bayer and Fondee Chambers. Caring for island flower beds in the parking lot has been Joyce Norman. Joyce has also donated and planted the flower pots at the main and side entrances.

THE NEW SANCTUARY
Reopening: Sunday, September 9, 2001
Dedication: Sunday, October 14, 2001

The change is dramatic! The following is a list of some of what has been included in the renovation of our sanctuary and awaits you:

1. Expansion of the sanctuary, revealing circular stained glass window that has been concealed for twenty years.
2. New ceiling ring, making three, the symbol of the Trinity.
3. New wall covering throughout.
4. New carpet throughout.
5. New sound and lighting system.
6. New vents throughout.
7. New baptistery mechanism.
8. New upholstery of seats in choir loft.
9. 90 new chairs.
10. All sanctuary chairs cleaned and polished.
11. All exterior wood, including pulpit and lectern, cleaned and polished.
12. Pipe organ completely disassembled, cleaned and tuned.

And Beyond The Sanctuary
Renovation Has Also Included

1. New carpet, wall treatment and ceiling of hallway leading to sanctuary from Bennett room.
2. Remodeling of baptismal changing rooms.
3. New carpet in Bennett room and repair of sofa.
4. Cleaning, restoration and hanging of four paintings held in storage for twenty years.
5. Re-framing and hanging of pastor's photographs.
6. Replacement of cracked window in main entry.
7. Fencing of electrical areas in attic.
8. Replacement of necessary timer boxes.

Some changes may not be as visible as others but taken together a worship space has been created that is ready to serve this new century. We look forward to having you be part of it and making it a living space where people can meet and praise the Lord.

The History

June 3, 2001 was our last Sunday in the sanctuary. June 4, 2001 the remodeling began. Ceilings came down, new carpet was laid, a brand new sound system was installed, video capabilities were added and on the Holland/Perrysburg side of the building the congregation can now see the stained glass window pictured below that has been hidden for twenty years:

The First Baptist Church of Greater Toledo voted on March 4, 2001 to begin the process of remodeling our Sanctuary.  This will included the following elements:

• Basic Construction
• Ceiling reconfiguration to include a third cloud
• New lighting in the ceiling of the overflow area
• New wall coverings in overflow area
• New carpeting
• Elimination of Overflow Kitchen

The estimated timeline for completion of the remodeling was:

Here is an artist's rendering of how the sanctuary now looks upon completion:

Our Expanded Building
Many, many other changes have occurred in our building over the last five years.  Some changes are small and others are very, very dramatic.

New faucets and fans have been added to the restrooms off the narthex. . . coat racks have been hung in both the new and old building. . .the new lighting in the narthex has been put in restates. . .new name plates have been added to all doors. . . the outside wall to the main entrance has been power washed. . . curtains have been hung in Rev. Hendrix's office.

More dramatic have been the changes in the narthex and church offices. In the narthex the marble walls have been installed and in the offices new carpet has been laid.

Caulking has been done along the windows in the fellowship hall and overflow area, thus, hopefully, eliminating the leaks. The lock on the front fire exit door in the sanctuary has been fixed. Other interior doors have been refinished. The rest of the sliding door separating the overflow from the main sanctuary has been removed.

The most impressive work, however, is in the narthex. It is brighter and bigger! All new lighting has been installed. 

Also, check out our page concerning the restoration work now finished on the stained glass windows (CLICK HERE). The pictures were taken at the studio of the artist doing the restoration work.

Finally, when you are at the church ask to see the new painting in Dr. Andersen’s office. It is in a gilded frame and dates from the end of the 19^th century. It previously hung in the old church on Collingwood Blvd. It is by the artist Carlton T. Chapman.

More Changes

One of the recent, most dramatic changes has been the opening of the new board room. This room encompasses one and a half of our previous children's rooms and is located directly behind the present narthex. It will also serve as an adult classroom.

The overflow area of the sanctuary which use to serve as two adult classrooms has now been converted into a temporary chapel area. This area was the home for our early summer worship service.

The music library has been moved from the attic to the choir room. The Alive In Christ Sunday School class has taken up residence in their newly renovated classroom.

We express our gratitude to Tim Chambers and Fondee Chambers for designing and building the vale shelving in the new Christian Education storage room. We also want to thank Mark Smith and Ralph Pearsall who are doing the refinishing on these shelves.

The slate floors in the fellowship hall corridor have been stripped and sealed to match the slate in the new addition.

Outside, all exterior brick on the old building has been cleaned, tack pointed where necessary, and the cross beams in the crown and the outside cross have been painted.

The next time you attend or visit the First Baptist facilities take a few minutes to walk around and see all these changes for yourself.