Our History

Garage Meeting Place

In April 2001, a group of folks of like-mind and doctrine sought to establish a church where they could serve the Lord and fulfill the commission of Romans 10 and II Corinthians 5:17-20, to preach the Gospel and reconcile the lost to Christ. We first met in the garage of one of the members and chartered the Philadelphia Baptist Church by May 2001; but we needed a building in which to meet. After much prayer, a small church building was rented and we met there for a couple of months.

When the building was sold and no longer available to us, we again sought the Lord for a facility where we could meet and do the work of the ministry. We rented the band room of the Christian school at Legacy Center, and met there for several months. But during this time we prayed for the Lord to provide a more permanent place where the work could grow and would not be hindered by a schedule of shared use with the school. After many months a building was located in north Xenia, and we prayed and sought the Lord’s will. This building had previously been a Baptist church, but had closed several years earlier when the Pastor went home to be with the Lord. So this vacant building was in need of a congregation, but the deed to the property was in dispute and lawyers were not sure how to clear the title. An agreement was made with the disputing parties, and the property and building were deeded to our assembly.

Band Room Church

A loan was secured and we were able to do major repairs to the building and the lot to make it fit for use.

On August 4, 2003, we held our first service in that new building the Lord gave us.

First Service in New Building

In January 2005, the pastor resigned and the church began praying about who should take his place. In May of 2005, the church voted unanimously for Pastor Michael Thomas to lead the congregation, having served the Lord in this congregation as an elder in the church from the beginning. During our time in Xenia our church endeavoured to reach every home with the gospel, and canvassed the town three times in the 12 years with Pastor Thomas leading us. We also began ministering to the elderly in the Pristine Senior Living Facility, where we have seen over a dozen souls receive Jesus Christ as Saviour.

In 2017, we experienced a great growth spurt and realized we were suffering because our building was small and didn’t have the facilities we needed to support the growth of our families and ministries. We began to pray for an opportunity, and in July of 2017, we found a church building for sale in Sugarcreek Township. This building was twice the size of our building in Xenia, so we made arrangements to rent the building with the option to buy once our old building sold. Things moved quickly and we held our first full service on August 27, 2017 in the new building. We settled right in and closed on the sale of our old building October 10, 2017. On December 15, 2017 we finalized the paperwork and the new building was ours. We’ve already added to our membership and have seen several visitors, and are excited to begin ministering the Word of God in the Sugarcreek Township and the surrounding area.

Philadelphia Baptist Church is an old-fashioned church, holding to simple ways of worship and service to the Lord. We offer a place for the sincere Believer to come apart from the world and be refreshed and renewed by the Word of God, prayer, and fellowship with other Believers. We offer Christians the opportunity to worship God, to learn the doctrines of the Book, and to reach others with God’s message of repentance and faith. If you are looking for a church where you can use your skills and talents to glorify God, we have a work for you. If you are looking for a church where you can study the Word of God and develop a stronger relationship with the Lord, we are reserving a seat for you. And if you aren’t sure about the future or where you will spend eternity after you pass from this life, we have an invitation for you. Come visit us. We are looking forward to meeting you.