Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes Invited to Preach at First Baptist Church

Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes was Invited to Preach at First Baptist Church, Guelph as They Move to Becoming an Affirming Congregation

Preaching at First Baptist Church in Guelph on March 24th was an amazing experience and a real honour for me. The congregation is going through a process of deciding to become affirming. They are a theologically diverse congregation and they are very welcoming.

They gave me 40 minutes for the sermon which was a first for me. I was able to talk about my spiritual journey and the history of the LGBT movement in Canada.

The response was overwhelming. Many families who have attended First Baptist since their youth brought LGBT young people with their same sex partners. People were so proud that their church was showing this openness by having me preach. It was great having folks from MCC Toronto show up to indicate their support for the congregation, too. More Baptist congregations are exploring becoming affirming and the leadership shown by this congregation and its Pastor, Debra Nicholson-Elwell, will encourage this trend.

Find out more about First Baptist Church of Guelph here: http://fbcg.ca/

Blessings,

Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes