Attending church and teaching Sunday school helped Jimmy Carter through some of the most challenging moments of his presidency, author Christi Harlan said. While in the White House, Carter and his family were members and frequent attenders of The First…
FBC Washington elects pastor
By Bob Allen Members of the First Baptist Church in Washington, D.C., voted Dec. 6 to call Julie Pennington-Russell as senior pastor. Pennington-Russell, long active in the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, is the 19th senior pastor in the church’s 213-year history and the…
D.C. church postponing vote on gay marriage
By Bob Allen With the anticipated ending of a search for a new pastor, First Baptist Church in Washington, D.C., has postponed a vote scheduled in February about whether to change the congregation’s wedding policy to permit same-sex marriage. An…
Ms. Pennington-Russell goes to Washington
Editor’s note: This story was updated Dec. 3 based on new information. It also corrects errors about the distance from the White House and clarifies that Harry Truman attended the church but was not a member. Baptist News Global regrets…
Historic church and black pastor part ways
By Bob Allen Jeffrey Haggray resigned April 8 as pastor of the 210-year-old First Baptist Church in Washington, D.C., three years after his election as the congregation’s first African-American pastor was hailed as a meaningful step toward racial reconciliation. The…