Good News Newsletter
Vol. 47 No.5
May 20, 2026
Good News
Newsletter
Rev. Dr. Karen E. Johnson
Interim Pastor
Weekly Service Live
Streamed from our
website:
www.fbcmiddletown.org
and from our Facebook
page and YouTube
Channel
Sunday School
9:15 AM
Sunday Morning
Worship 10:30 am
Wednesday Bible Study
at 2 pm
Office Hours
M-Th
9 am to 2 pm
First Baptist Church
4500 Riverview Avenue
Middletown, OH 45042 513-423-5721
www.fbcmiddletown.org
The Friendship Circle invited me to give the program at their most recent
meeting. What a fun and energetic group! It was a pleasure to be among them
and to share some reflections from 30 years ago (when I was the Youth
Director at FBC and in seminary) and now.
Remember when we had big dinners in the narthex, and also used the lower
level for more seating? Now we have our beautiful celebration center and can
all be together. And how we once shared Sunday School space with the Day
Care? And now we have enough rooms, with a few to spare. Our dress used to
be more formal, and today we are comfortable in all types of attire.
That’s just a few examples of then and now. And new things have happened
too, in the last 30 years. We have a wonderful canopy and window at the front
entrance. Valet parking and a greeter inside the door are great things. At least
8 different groups that are not part of FBC make use of our building, increasing
our reach into the community. Folks come to the church to exercise on the
walking track every day, and what a blessing it is to have people feeling
comfortable enough to come to church as they increase their physical health.
Our size may seem smaller than it was at one time, but recent statistics show
the national average Sunday attendance for a church is 70 people. And so far in
2026, our average is 68. So, we are not alone in the number of worshippers
coming to church, in fact we are doing well. The stats also show that people
feel their congregations are growing stronger, and volunteer numbers and
hours are approaching those before Covid.
Just with these observations (and I’m sure you can add to the list), there is
reason to rejoice over how First Baptist has changed over the years. While
there are always improvements that can be made, we are doing wonderfully.
It’s a good thing to realize this and thank God for the guidance and foresight
that we have been given. In this interim season, between permanent pastors,
it is good to reflect for a moment where we were, are, and may be in the
future, all with God’s help.
Blessings,
Pastor Karen Johnson, Interim Pastor
An American Baptist Congregation Welcoming All Who Want to Serve and Worship
Please keep Jeaninne Taylor in prayer,
she has been dealing with some health
issues.
Jackson Redding has been deployed to
the Middle East. Please keep him and
others in that area in prayer.
“A Christmas Carol” in December at St. Paul’s.
Rehearsals would start at the end of September – day
and time to be announced – but probably a Sunday
afternoon. I am wondering if anyone would be interested
in putting this play on. I have the script and have directed
this going back to 2002 – when I put this on at a local
high school and since then at various churches I pastored
at – most recently in 2018. We need at least twenty-one
for the cast.
If you are interested, any age, please let me know and we
will have an initial meeting for this sometime in July to
give out parts. PLEASE LET ME KNOW HOW MANY ARE
INTERESTED AND WHAT WOULD BE THE BEST TIME TO
GATHER EVERYONE TOGETHER FOR ASSIGNING PARTS.
I really think this could become something we could do
on an annual basis – using different plays and such.
Shalom,
Rev. Rich Luh
937-993-5464
revluh@hotmail.com
St. Paul’s Church
June 2 Beth Daly
June 2 Dan Shoemaker
June 6 Bob Basil
June 7 Debbie Worbis
June 8 Mike Taylor
June 9 Tim Cox
June 11 Nancy Parker
June 13 Kay Fugate
June 14 Kelsie Cox
June 15 Jeannine Taylor
June 17 Richard Adkins
June 19 Leah Hogg
June 23 Garry Jenia
June 24 Suzanne DeCam
Chuck & Jeanette Montgomery
June 6 – 62 Years
Kenton Pate & Peggy Braitsch
June 9 – 9 Years
Mike & Leanne Taylor
June 13 – 45 Years
Mark & Kathy Dunaway
June 16 – 25 Years
Matt & Alaina Shoemaker
June 19 – 16 Years
Roger & Rosy Burchett
June 21 – 33 Years
Michel & Suzanne DeCamp
June 21 – 40 Years
Roy & Jane Cook
June 30 – 53 Years
Follow Us!
