First Chinese Baptist Church of San Francisco


	Vision and Mission


		The First Chinese Baptist Church, San Francisco is a multigenerational bilingual bicultural church. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we are called to be a people so transformed by God’s gracious love in Jesus Christ that we joyfully commit ourselves in worship, witness, discipleship, and ministry. Click here for Chinese

	FCBC is American Baptist


	Our church is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches, USA and the San Francisco Chinese Christian Union. We support the work of the National Council of Churches of Christ, the National Conference of Chinese Churches (CONFAB), and the ABC Asian Caucus.

	Outreach to Newcomers


	From the time the church was organized in 1880 to the present, community outreach to immigrants and newcomers has been an essential part of its ministry. When Chinese students were not allowed to attend the City’s public schools, it was the church that provided them with a day school and a Chinese language school staffed by missionary teachers. Night school for adults learning English has been always a part of the church’s community outreach ministry. Today, the church offers English language instruction and citizenship classes in partnership with the City College of San Francisco, Monday through Thursday mornings and evenings and Friday mornings. On Friday evenings, the church offers English conversation groups, citizenship classes, dinner, and a Christian fellowship time afterwards. During the summer months, the church has a six-week Summer Day Camp program for 100 Chinatown community children that includes Bible study and outdoor education activities.

	History and Witness


	This church was organized in 1880 by Dr. Jesse B. Hartwell, meeting in a store front on Washington Street across from Portsmouth Square. The congregation moved to the present location on Waverly Place in 1888. The first church building was destroyed by a fire after the 1906 earthquake. With the help of American Baptists across the country, a new building was erected in 1908, with the ground floor housing a sanctuary and a reading room, and the second floor classrooms. The third floor, added in 1930, included a fellowship hall and offices for the pastors of the church. The present sanctuary, designed in the “round” is the result of extensive renovations connected with the Centennial celebrations of the church in 1980. In 1998 the church sent forth thirty-five members to plant a sister church in the southwestern corner of the city, Sunset Ministry. The new church reaches out to predominately English-speaking Asian American families. In 2000, the church underwent a major seismic retrofit and renovation project with the total redesigning of the vestibule, the second, third and fourth floors. The project included the addition of an elevator and modular classrooms on the third and fourth floors. The church currently has a membership of about 500, and carries out an extensive and comprehensive program for both Chinese speaking and English speaking persons. We invite you and your family to join in our program, and participate in the life and mission of Christ’s church.

	Discipleship


	Opportunities for Christian service and spiritual development are plentiful at FCBC! Volunteers are needed in newcomers outreach on Friday nights. On Sundays, you may share gifts to teach children or to lead youth. Teacher training is available. During recent summers, mission teams have been commissioned to Hong Kong, China, Macao, and Mexico. At Day Camp, youth serve as counselors where they practice their faith and learn leadership skills. The Annual Summer Church Retreat deepens spiritual life, makes the Bible come alive, and fosters Christian fellowship. For a week in August, young people attend Youth Camp, an annual tradition going back for 30 years. Over the Labor Day weekend, young families and friends attend Family Camp. College and young adults attend their annual retreat for fellowship and renewal. Supporting missions happens through pledging to the church’s annual budget, receiving of special offerings, and giving specific designations. Disciples at FCBC are privileged to serve the Lord!

	10 Facts About American Baptists


	American Baptists believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior, and that the Bible is the divinely inspired word of God that serves as the final written authority for living out the Christian faith. For American Baptists the local church is the fundamental unit of mission in denominational life. American Baptists partake of two ordinances: believer’s Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. American Baptists believe that the committed individual Christian can and should approach God directly, and that individual gifts of ministry should be shared. American Baptists take seriously the call to evangelism and missionary work. American Baptists support religious freedom and respect the expressions of faith of others. American Baptists acknowledge that God’s family extends beyond our local churches, and that God calls us to cooperative ministries. American Baptists have been called to be Christ’s witnesses for justice and wholeness within a broken society. American Baptist Churches USA celebrates the racial, cultural and theological diversity witnessed within its membership. American Baptists heed the biblical call to renewal and the need for a vital witness in a new millennium.
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