Our Young Adult Fall Kick-Off is Sunday, September 20 at 6:30 pm. We'll spend time together in fellowship, catch up from the summer, and look ahead to the year to come. Whether you've been part of the group for a while or are looking for a place to connect, you're warmly invited. Come join us as we start the season together!

On Sunday, September 20 at 2:30 pm, we will gather on Zoom for a congregational business meeting. Our Ministry Leadership Team and Ministry Action Teams will present the financials for 2025–2026, and walk us through proposed changes to our Constitution and Bylaws.

This meeting is a chance to hear where we have been, to understand what is being proposed, and to bring your questions. These are the ordinary, faithful acts of stewardship that shape our common life, and we look forward to accomplishing this work together. For a copy of the proposed Constitution and Bylaws, email office@firstbaptistdc.org.

Our Sunday morning greeters are often the first face and the first welcome anyone encounters at FBC, and we want to say thank you. The Newcomer Engagement Team invites all who serve as greeters to a lunch on Sunday, September 20, immediately following worship. It will be a time to enjoy a meal together, celebrate the ministry of welcome you offer week after week, and share in some training that will help us extend hospitality even more warmly to those who come through our doors. For questions, reach out to Edwin Vela at edwin.austin.vela@gmail.com. We hope you’ll join us!

Our Compassion and Justice Team invites you to make plans now for Rise Against Hunger. This beloved FBC event will take place on Sunday, September 13, following worship in Fellowship Hall. Sign up here.

The Chancel Choir will begin their 2026-2027 season with a retreat at FBC. We will start with food and fellowship in the Welcome Center and move to the Sanctuary for rehearsal beginning at 9:30am. This is a wonderful opportunity to sing some of the music we will be offering during the program year and give the Chancel Choir a try. Whether you have been singing your whole life or are brand new to choral music, all are welcome. Registration for new members is optional but encouraged. We hope to see you there!

Join Pastor Julie and Lilia Abron for an evening screening of the Emmy-nominated PBS documentary The Girl in the Yellow Scarf.

In 1968, Carol Jenkins — a 21-year-old Black woman — was stabbed to death on the main street of Martinsville, Indiana while selling encyclopedias. The case went unsolved for more than three decades, until an investigative reporter's persistence prompted a stunning break. The documentary follows that journey from murder to reckoning, and asks what it looks like for a community to face its racist past and begin to heal.

Young Adults will gather for a World Cup watch party on the National Mall! We'll meet at 4:30 PM near 7th Street & Madison Drive NW for a picnic — bring a blanket, grab something from the food trucks, and we'll settle in together before heading over. At 5:00 PM we'll walk to the FIFA Fan Zone, aiming to be inside by 5:15 to find a good spot before the crowds arrive.

Our First Sunday Potluck and Annual Congregational Meeting are this Sunday, June 7, immediately following worship.

First Baptist will host the second annual book fair for the DC Baptist Convention from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 2, in the community space at the O Street entrance. More than a dozen authors participated in the first book fair in September 2025. The fair is free for authors and attendees. For more information, contact Christi Harlan at charlan757@gmail.com.

Sunday, April 26

After Worship

If you have been finding your way to First Baptist in recent weeks or over the past few months, we'd love to have you stay a little longer — starting with lunch. Join us on Sunday, April 26, immediately following worship, for a Newcomer's Lunch where you can connect with other new faces, hear about First Baptist's history and mission, and explore the many ways to get involved in the life of our congregation. Lunch is provided, and all are welcome — whether you've been here a few weeks or this is your very first Sunday. RSVP to Pastor Eric at eric@firstbaptistdc.org.

Young Adult Sunday Night Fellowship

This Sunday, April 19

6:30 pm

If you're in your 20s or 30s and looking for a community to explore faith, ask hard questions, and do life alongside others, our young adult community might be just what you're looking for. We gather for worship, fellowship, and formation throughout the year — and we'd love for you to find a home here. A great first step is our Sunday Night Fellowship on April 19 — a relaxed, informal gathering to meet the community and see what this community is all about. Sign up and see more details using the blue button below.

With joy and gratitude, Jesse Seales and Clayton Carmon invite the entire FBCDC congregation to celebrate their marriage this Saturday, April 18, at 6:45 pm in the FBC sanctuary.

This January 1 marked Pastor Julie's 10th anniversary as Senior Pastor of First Baptist – making her our longest-tenured Senior Pastor in almost 35 years. This April, she will also celebrate her 40th anniversary of ordained ministry.

Join us on Sunday, February 1 at our monthly potluck as we celebrate these remarkable milestones and give thanks for Pastor Julie's transformative ministry among us.

You can read the full article celebrating Pastor Julie's decade of leadership at FBCDC. More details about the February 1 celebration will be shared soon!

The Season of Lent always begins with Ash Wednesday. On Wednesday, February 18, we will host an Ash Wednesday service at 6:30 pm in the Sanctuary. All are invited to this simple, 30-minute service as we enter the season of Lent together.

Iona Pilgrimage with Pastor Julie May 19-27, 2026

Join Pastor Julie on pilgrimage to the Isle of Iona, Scotland, May 19-27, 2026, through the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation.

Office Closed for MLK Holiday

The church office will be closed Monday, January 19, in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and will reopen on Tuesday, January 20.

Join Area Churches with Cuban-American Theologian and Author Kat Armas

Saturday, January 17
4:00 - 6:00 pm

Join Pastor Eric and friends from area DC churches on Saturday, January 17, from 4:00 - 6:00 pm, to hear Cuban-American theologian, author, and speaker Kat Armas to discuss her newest book, Liturgies for Resisting Empire: Seeking Community, Belonging, and Peace in a Dehumanizing World. Kat provides practical spiritual disciplines, community-building strategies, and theological frameworks that empower readers to resist empire's dehumanizing effects while cultivating spaces of authentic belonging and liberation.

There will be time to hear from the author, as well as question-and-response time. A book signing will be included in the planned programming, and books will be available for purchase, while supplies last. The event will be held at Washington Community Fellowship (907 Maryland Ave NE), and is co-hosted by Christ City Church, Washington Community Fellowship, and the Table Church.

The event is FREE but RSVPs are requested. Please use the blue button below if you plan to attend.

After weeks of waiting and wondering, the light breaks through. Not in the places power expected. Not with the fanfare empire demands. But in a stable, among shepherds, wrapped in vulnerability itself.

Join us for this sacred celebration of Christmas Eve as we gather around the manger and remember: the light that came into the world that night still rises. In every generation. In every dark season. In us.

The service includes Christmas carols, music from choir, organ, and brass, holy communion, and a Christmas Eve meditation from Pastor Julie. We conclude with the lighting of congregational candles.

The holidays are marked by celebrations, yet they are often stressful or sad for those experiencing grief of any kind, especially the death of loved ones in the last year. Join us for Blue Christmas: A Service of Consolation. Let the music of the Chancel Choir, the comforting words of Scripture and poetry, and words of hope from Pastor Julie bring peace to your tired soul. The service concludes with the lighting of candles in memory of people who have died, and/or in acknowledgment of other kinds of grief we carry. Please consider inviting and accompanying someone you know who needs some comfort and hope this year.

Young adults, mark your calendars! Join us for Friendsmas following Candlelight Carols on Sunday, December 14 at 6:30 pm. Come celebrate the season with food, fellowship, and festive cheer. More details coming soon!

Capture the joy of the season with this beloved First Baptist tradition featuring organ, brass, and the First Baptist Church Chancel Choir. We will collect a love offering to benefit DC Central Kitchen, and will welcome Mike Curtin, CEO of DC Central Kitchen, as our honored guest. DC Central Kitchen uses food as a tool to strengthen bodies, empower minds, and build communities, training unemployed adults for culinary careers while providing healthy meals to those in need. After the service, enjoy hot beverages and cookies as we celebrate together. Invite your family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors to this special service of music and light.

Children in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade will begin in all-church worship and then leave with Mr. Bailey during the Passing of the Peace for age-appropriate activities and faith formation designed just for them. This special time will help our younger members engage with worship in meaningful, joyful ways that speak to where they are in their faith journey. Parents can pick up their children in Children's Room #1 after worship concludes. Mark your calendars—the next children's worship gathering is Sunday, December 14. We can't wait to see your children there!

This Sunday, December 7, all are invited to gather after worship in Fellowship Hall for our monthly potluck lunch. This month’s lunch will be hosted by our Compassion and Justice Team. Bring a dish or two for others to enjoy, and plan to join together for this beloved time of food and fellowship. We will also celebrate December birthdays!