Florenceville Baptist Church
167 Burnham Road, Florenceville, NB, E7L 1Z1           (506) 392-8367
"Together we purpose to  combine authority and freedom and to practice a living, creative ministry"

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Α          About Us          Ω

(See Our History below.)

As Florenceville Baptist Church, we are a family-based group of imperfect people. Our aim is for all to begin a relationship with God through His son, Jesus Christ, and then continually grow in that relationship in an intentional and relevant way. We want to be a fellowship where people can make connections with others that will encourage them to seek the Lord in all aspects of their lives, regardless of age or circumstances. As part of our spiritual journeys, we experience times of celebration, frustration, discouragement, victory, questioning, assurance . . . God wants to help us through all the circumstances life brings our way.

Are you struggling with family relationships, financial pressures, situations you don't understand or hoped you wouldn't have to deal with? Then you'll fit right in at Florenceville Baptist. We believe that through God's Holy Bible as revealed through His Holy Spirit, He wants to teach us how to live -- including the struggles that come with our normal lives -- in a joyful, forgiven, relationship of peace with Him.

Sanctuary - We are pleased to have a worship area that is sacred, yet warm and functional. It has a seating capacity of over 200 in pews, plus a large platform area and open baptistery. Nearly 300 can be accommodated with additional chairs.

Entryway (foyer) - While it may seem strange to include an entryway as part of listed facilities, our large, main entry area is where much of our informal fellowship occurs.

Easy Access - Carport, level entrances, elevator.

Washrooms - 3 separate washroom areas -- one by entry to sanctuary, one by entry to office and library, and main double-washrooms downstairs.

Nurseries - Infant nursery with access from main entry, one-way glass to sanctuary, sink and large counter, play area. Toddler nursery downstairs with washroom, large play area, and table/learning area.

Classrooms - 10 classrooms (8 downstairs and 2 upstairs)

Library - Large area with stacks of traditional and contemporary print materials for all ages (all computer-catalogued), videos, music; open area furnished with conference table, and chairs for several areas for reading, meeting, etc.

Kitchen & Open Areas - Full kitchen facilities with 2 double sinks, 2 electric ranges, 2 refrigerators and full cupboard/counter space. 30' x 50' fellowship hall, plus 30' x 50' activity/play area. Also, a small kitchenette on the main floor by the library and meeting rooms.

Offices - Main office, plus 2 pastors' offices.

The first Baptist church in Florenceville was built no later than the 1820s, on the east side of the river in what was then known as Upper Peel. (This northern section of the parish of Peel was also known as Cornsilk Flat or Buckwheat Flat, and was later named East Florenceville). This East Florenceville Baptist Church was on a small section of property that was immediately north of what is still the Lower East Cemetery of the Florenceville Baptist Church (it currently has a house on it).

In 1832, some Baptists did not agree with some of the strong Calvinist doctrines, and the Free Christian Baptist denomination was formed in New Brunswick. The mainline churches (Baptist Convention of the Maritime Provinces) became known as Regular Baptists, and in Carleton County as Calvinist Baptists. In 1838, the local F.C.B.s built the East Florenceville Free Christian Baptist Church, on the site where the downtown church building and cemetery currently exist (the building is now owned by McCain Foods Ltd.; the cemetery is known as the Upper East Florenceville Baptist Cemetery).

On the west side, land was purchased in 1863 and the Florenceville Baptist Church was organized in 1866 as a member of the Regular Baptist denomination. This building still stands today, but has not been used since the 1970s.

By the 1870s, the F.C.B.s were using the Methodist church (built in 1869) to hold their services (their own building must have either burned or become unusable). [This Methodist church still stands today in the main part of the village of Florenceville, just south of the Bank of Nova Scotia. Over the years, it has had several renovations and additions, and now it no longer serves as a church. Note: The Methodist, Congregational, and Presbyterian denominations merged in 1925 to form the United Church of Canada.] 

The Regular and Free Christian Baptists joined in 1905-06 to form the United Baptist Convention. (Click here for more detail.) The old (regular) Baptist church on the lower east side was getting run down, and in 1912 on the original F.C.B. property, the United Baptists commenced building a new church, with the dedication service for the East Florenceville United Baptist Church held in April 1913. It was a four-church field, with Connell, Florenceville (west), East Florenceville, and Bristol. This building burned February 10, 1938 and a new building was complete by November 1939 – this is the downtown building now owned by McCain Foods Ltd. The expansion on the north side was added in the late 1950s, and the entry and basement renovations were added in 1968.

Services in the Connell church were discontinued in the 1940s, and in the west-side church in the 1970s, although the church continued to exist on paper with its own members. East Florenceville and Bristol became independent works in the late 1970s. In 1988, the west and east churches were officially amalgamated (at that time, there were 5 living members on the roll of the (west) Florenceville United Baptist Church), and our new building on the Burnham road was dedicated March 1989 as the Florenceville United Baptist Church (our current location). The expansion on the north end was dedicated May 12, 2002. (Note: When our Baptist Convention removed the word "United" from its name in 2001, we followed a similar procedure and officially changed our name to Florenceville Baptist Church.)

The next major development came with the amalgamation of the ministries of Bristol and Florenceville Baptist Churches in 2006. Our two communities of Florenceville and Bristol have traditionally been very close in many ways -- shared stores, businesses, middle and high schools, etc. The congregation of the Bristol United Baptist Church was faced with many limitations with their small, older building. After nearly a year of careful planning and prayerful consideration as to how we should best serve our collective community, both churches voted in September 2006 to proceed as a single, expanded congregation and ministry.  God blessed the expanded ministry of Florenceville Baptist Church as a congregation made up of, and ministering to, the Florenceville-Bristol community.