Highland church celebrates 70 years in community

First Baptist Church of Highland recently celebrated a milestone 70 years of ministry, providing church members a time to reflect on the congregation’s resilience and mission.

Beginning with 34 members in 1949, First Baptist Church initially met in rented space in the Kuhnen-Siegrist building at the corner of Broadway and Laurel in Highland. That building was destroyed by fire in 1953 — the same year the congregation built their own church in the 1300 block of Poplar Street. A fire in 1997 destroyed that church building, prompting the church to build again, this time at its present location (2709 Poplar St.).

“I’ve never seen such a resilient congregation,” said Rev. Rob Kirbach, the church’s pastor. “Their decision to rebuild after the 1997 fire was quick and unanimous. These people are not prone to bend under adversity. Their dedication is inspiring.”

Similarly inspiring is the church’s legacy of helping war refugees immigrate to the United States. In 1959 the church sponsored the Driesner Family from war-torn Germany, helping the large family find housing and employment in Highland. This resettlement ministry was repeated in 1964 with the Lawrenz Family, also from Germany, and again in 1977 with the Myint Family from Myanmar (Burma).

“This congregation was established with a passion for international ministries,” said Kirbach. “70 years later, we’re still looking for ways to extend hospitality and compassion to our global community.”

The congregation currently sponsors Global Servants (missionaries) in Thailand, Laos, Haiti, and Hungary. Earlier this year 10 members of the church went to eastern Hungary to teach English language workshops in several schools there.

As to the future of the church, “I’m excited to see what God has in store for us. But one thing won’t change; We’ll continue our focus on serving others as best we can. That’s our mission,” Kirbach noted.