About Us
Our Vision
When we plan a program or worship service, we want to make sure we're always following God's lead.
With this in mind, we hold to this statement as our vision:
Coming together in joyful worship, we're here...
To share the reality of God's love,
To connect our lifestyles to Christian truth,
And to put our faith into action through responding to needs in our community, nation, and world.
What We Believe
We look to the Bible to direct our teaching and our actions.
We have adopted the following Faith Covenant as a summary of our beliefs:
We acknowledge the existence and loving presence of God in our lives.
We affirm Jesus Christ as the Son of God, Savior, the center of what we think, feel and do.
We believe that this fellowship lives to show God's love and concern for the world and to advance His kingdom by seeking our own salvation and the salvation of others.
We recognize the need for acceptance of each other, even though we may hold different beliefs and feelings about how God's love is made real.
We promise our support and love to each other in fellowship as we grow in the grace and knowledge of our savior.
We further recognize the need and responsibility of all individuals to develop their own Christian faith.
We pledge to continue to grow in faith by taking part in Christian Education, Bible Study, prayer and meditation, worship with the fellowship, service in our community and world, joyful and sacrificial giving of our time and monies and relationships with other Christian organizations.
We believe that we have been led by the Holy Spirit, and we covenant, as individuals as a Church, to initiate and support community, national and worldwide efforts to nurture love and to establish justice and human dignity for all.
Ordinances we celebrate: Believer's Baptisms through immersion and the Lord's Supper
About Our Sanctuary
The First Baptist Church of Westfield is Christ-centered, and this commitment is reflected in the design of the Sanctuary.
The Sanctuary emphasizes the priesthood of believers and the importance of all members in the work of the Church. The minister is on the same level as the congregation, like a shepherd among the flock. The organist and choir sit as part of the congregation, as music is an integral part of the worship experience.
The “Church in the Round” style encourages active participation in the service, creates an awareness of others in this Christian Community, and binds us together as caring people. 4 large screens make it easy and fun to follow along during worship.
The Baptistry is prominently located in the Sanctuary so the entire congregation can witness the profession of faith as people are baptized by immersion.
Symbols occur in the church as reminders of important concepts and events. Through the symbol, a belief, or even a person can be recalled in a deeper way than by words. The cross is the central symbol of the Christian faith. Gazing on the cross, and contemplating its place in history, as well as its deep interpretation of the victory of God, is inspiring. It is interesting that our ancestors chose to place a cross at the center of each of the sanctuary windows. Wherever people sit, they see the light of the world through it.
There are 10 windows in the sanctuary, each containing a separate symbol of the Christian faith. Four represent people, the Gospel writers, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The others represent the Christian experience: Hope, The Word, Apostles, Martyrdom, The Holy Ghost, Christianity. Each symbol is accompanied by a verse of scripture.
These symbols were chosen and placed in the church windows and were dedicated as part of the ceremonies for the new church in May, 1922. When the sanctuary was remodeled in 1970, these windows were retained.
The gold cross mounted on the organ screen in 1998 draws one’s eyes upward. It is superimposed on a circle, symbol of eternity, with the windows in mind.
