A word from our Senior Pastor
Rev. Dr. Kregg Burris
Thank you for checking out my page! Let me tell you a little about our church. Our congregation has deep roots in the city of Cleveland as one of it’s first churches founded in 1833. Our current building is actually the fourth location which was built in 1928 as Shaker Heights was being developed as an early suburb of Cleveland. Our building was designed by the famous architects, Walker and Weeks with stone sculptures by famed artist Henry Hering and Walter Sinz. The six-acre campus is built in a Neo-gothic design featuring stained glass windows by some of the most talented artist of the period from Boston and New York. The interior design combines elements of Art Deco using religious themes and the earth tones of Arts and Crafts moment to reflect both an old and new world sense of the time of its construction. The windows each tell a biblical story after the Gothic French tradition.
The building was expanded in 1957 to include an education wing which is now the home of the Children’s Center, a five-star child daycare, and preschool which has been serving the community for over 40 years through the week Monday through Friday. We have been the home/host to a dozen community organizations including The Boy Scouts, Alcoholics Anonymous, Urban Ballroom dancing, the Girl Scouts, Apollo’s Fire Classical Baroque International group, the Cleveland Chamber Choir, and the Cleveland Height’s Orchestra to mention a few.
Our Identity is that of a Scripturally inspired and led congregation that is accepting, multi-cultural, inclusive and creative community of faith. During the summer we unite in a unified worship service at 10 am with our discipleship hour at 9 am. After Labor Day we revert back to two worship services- a contemporary worship and a traditional worship format. We are a Scriptural based congregation who desires to bring people to Jesus Christ and to bring believers together into the unity of the body of Christ. Jesus Christ is the basis of our faith, the Word of God our authority and the leadership of the Holy Spirit our guide to serve, live and love.
We are a serving and mission-minded congregation supporting over a dozen different local and international ministries including AMOS health services in Nicaragua, Calvary Food Outreach, Men’s Shelter, Kairos Prison Ministry, Habitat for Humanity, Heads-Up Basketball, Hunger Project, the Hunger Gardens, and the Bethel Food Pantry- again to name a few.
Our church is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA and part of the Cleveland Baptist Churches, the Greater Cleveland Congregations and regularly participates with the Pastor’s United in Missions. As a Baptist church, we are under our local congregational rule covered by a council overseen by the Moderator of the church with spiritual guidance from the Senior Pastor and ministerial staff.
We have an active children’s and youth program under the direction of Ship Collins, and Children’s Director Carly Marino. There are a number of Bible studies that meet throughout the week and we are a strong praying church with a group of dedicated prayer warriors who meet each Sunday before the service and mid-week on Thursday evenings for prayer. Our church supports Stephen Ministry, the Cleveland Life Institute (an adult education program training individuals to be Social Entrepreneurs), and we have an active group of servant leaders within the church known as our Deacons (men and women).
Our church also has a long history of arts and drama which we’ve incorporated into our church in many of our worship experiences such as our live Christmas Nativity on Christmas Eve, Lessons and Carols Cambridge Christmas program, and our theater group, the Happy Ending Lyric players who put on a yearly production of Broadway quality presentations.
I’ve served here at FBCGC only since October 2015 after ten years of ministry in Indiana and for a total of 30 years in full-time pastoral leadership positions in Chicago, Ohio, West Virginia, and Indiana. My strong pastoral background has been utilized in church restoration ministries- taking existing churches and restoring them into healthy congregations. I have a Master of Divinity and Master of Theology from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School of Deerfield, IL and a Doctor of Ministry from Gordon Conwell of S. Hamilton, MA (Boston area).
Rev. Dr. Sandra Alexander-Haynes, head of our Christian Education has been serving youth, preaching, teaching and speaking for many years. Rev. Jeff Gordon is a native of California and has served here for over ten years.
There are many opportunities to connect, get involved and even take leadership roles in congregational life. I would love to talk to you more about our congregation and to answer any questions you might have.
Sincerely,
Rev. Dr. Kregg Burris
Senior Pastor
First Baptist Church of Greater Cleveland
3630 Fairmount Blvd.
Shaker Heights, OH 44118
If you need help or would like to meet with me please let me know the best way to contact you through the form below.
