As a Christian church, we exist to honour God by helping local people worship God, grow spiritually, serve others, and reach their communities and the world with the message and love of Jesus Christ.
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The first Mission Circle at First Baptist dates back 1879. Over the years many, many women have participated in the various Mission Circles, supporting the mission and outreach work of the church, both locally and abroad. The Muriel Harrington Mission Circle was the last of these, continuing operation until approximately 2015. In the past, there have also been the Mildred Smith Mission Circle, the Dr. Sarah Cook Mission Circle, the Young Women's Mission Circle, the Senior Mission Circle, and one simply known as the Women's Mission Circle. No matter what you call the group, or whose work they are supporting, these women have been meeting regularly in support of many worthy projects. At times, up to three of the Mission Circles were active simultaneously.
In the past, the Mission Circles have also supported the Mission Band — a group for children who wished to support overseas mission work through fundraising and collecting donated goods. Mission Band was in existence from 1892 until some time in the 1960s. From then until the mid-1980s, Mission Band was held once a month in conjunction with the Junior Church program for children during the Sunday morning worship services.
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