I started attending First Baptist Church of Maryville, (now called First Baptist of Maryville), around August/September of 2009. It was about 5-6 months after the fatal shooting of their Pastor Fred Winters. One would think that after that kind of tragic incident, the membership of a church would decline and the number of new members would be absent. I was excited over the integrity and devotion of the church members for not only did the numbers not decline, but they increased greatly with the addition of new members, and has continued to grow ever since. That October I became one of the new members because I saw that God was present and working in this body of believers, as well as in our interim Pastor Tom Hufty (and his wife Rhonda). After FB of Maryville's search team looked high and low for a new and permanent Pastor for our church, they chose 1 out of several possibilities to come preach that Sunday so the church body could give them their thoughts and opinions. So that Sunday, they explained the steps they took, and the long hours they put into their search and then introduced the Pastor that they had chosen for us to check out. To everybody's surprise and excitement, out walked Pastor Tom Hufty! He received an over-whelming applause and a LONG standing ovation. What an intelligent, God/Jesus loving and kind hearted man, who believes in God's word 100% and loves to teach it. His family life is a testimony to how God wants us to live, trust and believe in Him alone, and that He is more than enough.
All along I had felt that he would fit what we needed for the Pastor of our church. Obviously, I wasn't the only one. Church is awesome and continues to grow. The worship team and instrumentals are unbelievably talented. There are 4 services now with one on Saturday evening for those who can't come on Sunday. The programs available are numerous, along with Safe child care, and Sunday School for the kids as well as the adults.
I love our church and everything about it! In 61/2 years I've never been confronted by anyone who wasn't kind, caring and helpful. If your shy or out going, you'll feel right at home. Come visit and see for yourself... read more