The Church Downtown

After deliberate and prayerful consideration, First Baptist Church of Silver Spring, Eglise Baptiste de la Foi,, Iglesia Bautista Emanuel and  Hope of Glory Believers Ethiopian Church jointly decided to resume in-person worship, Sunday School, and other activities at our church building in downtown Silver Spring.  Eglise Baptiste de la Foi, First Baptist Church and Iglesia Bautista Emanuel are now holding in-person worship services and Bible Study for all three congregations Sundays at 11:00 am  All three churches will continue to stream their worship services online for those who are unable or elect not to attend in-person services.

• Masks will be required for all attendees (including pastors and choir), regardless of vaccination status.
• Both the congregation and the choir will keep their masks on when singing hymns.
• The pastors and the choir may remove masks when they are presenting, but will put them back on when they finish.

• The church building is now open to all congregations.  The church office is operating with normal business hours.
• Child care will resume, with masks required for workers and children over two.
• Vaccinations will be encouraged, but proof of vaccination will not be required.
• All members and visitors will be asked to follow risk protective measures in common areas of the building (halls, bathrooms, stairways), regardless of their vaccination status.  This includes face masks, social distancing (as much as possible), use of hand sanitizer stations, and frequent hand washing.
• Children will not be allowed to roam free in the building during worship.
• Trustees will provide enhanced cleaning of the entire facility on Mondays and Fridays.
• Applicable CDC and Montgomery County guidelines will be followed. [There are no capacity limits or other restrictions in effect.  Masks for unvaccinated individuals are currently recommended, including children two years and older.]

In 1924 Silver Spring was a tiny little village made up mostly of apple orchards and dirt paths.  It was in this setting that 14 people met on October 22, 1924 to establish the Silver Spring Baptist Church.  Since that time the First Baptist Church of Silver Spring has had a presence in downtown helping people in the community to make their lives better through ministry and fellowship.  Our commitment to be a shining presence in today's urban environment is stronger than ever with a brand new building in that same location - the heart of Silver Spring. 

You can still join us every Sunday at 11am for the weekly Sunday Service right here on our homepage - streaming even though we aren't meeting live at the church during the COVID-19 crisis.  We will be back in the Church building for in-person service on July 11th!  That will include Adult Bible Study and Bible Study for children.  Until then we will continue to hold hold both Adult Bible Study and Bible Study for children through High School every Sunday at 10 am online.  Online service and Bible Study will continue after in-person church resumes.  

We are also affiliated with three other churches who offer Sunday Service at our downtown Silver Spring facility in French/Haitian Creole and Spanish.  For information on the French/Haitian Creole Church please visit:  https://eglisebaptistedelafoi.org and for Spanish language service visit Iglesia Baptista Immanuel at https://www.facebook.com/ibessmd828 or call them at (301) 879-5155.  You can also attend service by Hope of Glory Believers Ethiopian Church.  You can get more information at https://hopeofglorymd.org/about-us/

On March 31, 2019, Reverend Gil Gulick took the congregation out of the worship service and to the lobby of our Wayne Avenue entrance.  From here you can look out the glass exterior walls and see the downtown Silver Spring skyline.  With this view Reverend Gulick articulated "The Church Downtown" vision.  See his comments in the video below:

First Baptist Church of Silver Spring, The Church Downtown, has been able to keep our Food Closet open even during the COVID-19 crisis.

If you need help making ends meet the Food Closet is open every Saturday from 10am to 12n.  You can access the Food Closet from the Wayne Street entrance.

For more information please call us at 301-754-1100 or email us at info@thechurchdowntown.com