About Our Church
We are just a group of believers who are trying to follow Jesus, learn His Word, and live it out. We all come from different backgrounds, places, and cultures, but our belief in Jesus Christ unites us. We are proud to call each other the family of God, and we would love to have you become part of the family.
If you need a church home, are looking for a place to use your gifts, or want to know more about following Jesus, come to one our services or give the pastor a call. Our services are very informal, yet very meaningful. We want you to come as you are and leave changed.
Join Our Church
We would love to have you as a part of our church, but we are more concerned about whether or not you are a member of God's family. If you aren't, then confess your sins, believe that Jesus died and rose again, and give your life to him. The Bible says, "Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved," and that includes you! God wants you to have a relationship with him and experience new life in Christ. If you are already born again and are looking to make Main Street Baptist Mission your church home, let the pastor and church know during Sunday's invitation time. Here are the 3 ways you can join:
Believer's Baptism
Statement of Faith
Move Letter
Our Beliefs
To put it simply, we believe in Jesus. We believe that Jesus is God, that He is the Messiah. We believe that Jesus "put on flesh and dwelt among us." We believe that He "died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day." We believe that Jesus is still alive, and that God is still working. We believe that "if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has gone; the new has come." Because of our belief in Jesus, we ask our members to do the following:
1. Follow Jesus
Jesus said, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me." We ask our church members to have a real, vibrant relationship with Jesus Christ so they can follow wherever he may lead.
2. Learn His Word
"The Word of God is living and active." We believe the Bible is the Word of God, and we think that Christians should know what it says. We study the Word each week in worship, Sunday School, and Devotions. We also ask our members to be active in studying and learning God's Word for themselves.
3. Live It Out
James writes, "Faith without works is dead." Simply knowing God's Word is not enough. We must do what it says. We must live it out. We ask each member of our church to be a living testimony of what God is doing in their lives.
History
Main Street Baptist Mission was born out of a vision that some members of FBC Pineville had in the early 1980’s. In the preceding years, downtown Pineville had begun to change racially and economically. Many Vietnamese, Cambodian, and African American families began to move into the area. FBC Pineville started the Mission as a church plant to reach these groups (from the very beginning, Main Street was a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural church). In the summer of 1987, the missions committee from FBC Pineville, met with the representatives of the Church Extension Department of the Louisiana Baptist Convention, the North Rapides Association Mission Office, and Dr. Leon Hyatt (interim pastor of FBC Pineville). The group agreed to begin work toward the establishment of a mission church in the area.
In June 1988, the Missions Committee, with the support of FBC’s new pastor, Dr. Larry Baker, presented a recommendation to purchase the old Rex Market building located at 312 Main Street. Through the help of LBC grants and two sponsoring churches (Olivet Baptist in Sulphur and Rocky Springs Baptist in Lisbon), the purchase was made possible. Dr. Leon Hyatt, Jr. led an old fashioned tent revival and the ministry of the mission had begun. Following the revival, summer missionaries worked in the area doing backyard Bible studies to gain community interest and support. In September, the negotiations on the building were completed and Guy Pujol was called as the first pastor.
During the 1990’s and 2000’s, the ministry of Main Street Baptist Mission continued to meet the needs of its community – both spiritually and physically. During those years, many programs such as a food pantry, a clothes closet, and tutoring programs were established. Most importantly, the church continued to meet – creating a place where many of the unchurched could feel welcome and hear the gospel.
As the Mission continued to grow and reach its community, God laid it on the heart of several women from area churches to begin to minister to the growing homeless population in Central Louisiana. As it turned out the Mission was the perfect location to reach this population. So in the summer of 2007, women from Kingsville Baptist, FBC Pineville, and Philadelphia Baptist began opening the Mission on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings. Soon, the ministry and the number of volunteers began to grow. By 2011, the mission was open for a meal, a clothes closet, a food pantry, and many other services. As these ministries began to grow, so did the ministry of the church. Many of the families and individuals being reached through our daily “Mercy Ministries” began to filter into our church. Many came to make decisions for Christ and many began to call Main Street Baptist Mission their church home.
Since then, the ministry of Main Street Baptist Mission has continued to adapt and grow to meet the needs of its community. The church has continued to expand, and the Mercy Ministry has continued to reach the community. We are excited about what God is doing right here in CENLA, and we are ready to join Him wherever He leads us next