Principles guide church's 50-year experience

After 50 years in the community, First Baptist Church of Lockport is still sharing the gospel, the main reason why Bill and Sue Schulze of Lockport joined the church soon after it was chartered and never left.

"They worshipped the way we like to worship and we teach right from the Bible," Sue said. "We've seen a lot of people come and go; we have members that now live in Florida, Arkansas, Arizona, Alabama and even Hawaii, but the message never changes."

Pastor Gil Palmer said the church operates on only two principles: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy strength and with all thy mind, and love thy neighbor as thyself."

"That really simplifies life," Palmer said. "My heart and emphasis is on fulfilling those two commands, so strengthening relationships is a key heartbeat for me."

He offers counseling -- including marriage counseling -- and, from time to time, topical classes to fulfill particular needs. In January, Palmer will host a free finance class at the church, which will be open to the public. The only fee charged is for the accompanying workbooks.

"My vision is to reach out to the community," Palmer said. "Ultimately, we want to be a lighthouse, to give hope to people who are wondering what life is all about. The Bible is an ancient book, but it is the word of God and we stand by it. It is very real and practical. It doesn't sugarcoat anything."

Schulze appreciates the many advantages of belonging to this particular independent Baptist church: no church policies or hierarchies, no fundraisers and no dissension among members.

Bills are always paid because people gladly tithe. When the church remodeled, people pitched in without grumbling; no one groused about changing the carpet's color from blue to red tweed.

"Our groups realize they are working for God," Sue said. "We always want to please him and keep everything above board. We have wonderful people who work together and want to help each other. There has never been any backbiting."

The weekly Sunday evening service is now only once a month due to members' work schedules and declining attendance, but Sunday school, Bible studies and small groups are still going strong.

Palmer prefers the New King James translation of the Bible, but no mandate exists on which translation members must use. Sue has several; her favorite is New American Standard.

Members at First Baptist put the emphasis on where to look for answers to those middle-of-the-night questionings and moral dilemmas. And they teach those principles to their children, too. When confronted with a problem, the stock answer is, "Let's see what the Bible has to say about it."

"We believe the Bible has a solution for everything and our lives are so much better if we follow the teachings," Sue said. "You'd be surprised how many churches don't do this anymore. It's so sad."

While no one at First Baptist Church wants to pull individuals from their churches, Sue said the community has an open invitation to come in and see for themselves.

She bemoans today's hectic schedule that does not allow people the time or opportunity to worship God on Sundays.

"People are just too busy," she said. "There are basketball games, little league and even school activities on Sundays, and it's just harder to get people. But we would love to share our time of worship with them."