Desert Hot Springs church to celebrate 75th anniversary despite fire

First Community Baptist Church has no electricity. Its windows are boarded up, the carpet and pews have been ripped out of the sanctuary hall, and a faint scent of smoke is present throughout the building.

The Desert Hot Springs church has been in a state of disarray since an April electrical fire burned through its administrative offices. Pastor James Baylark said estimated damages are around $500,000, but he hopes the church will reopen by the end of the year.

Longstanding members have faith. And not even a fire can keep them from celebrating their beloved house of worship's 75th anniversary.

The 100-member-strong First Community Baptist Church congregation will mark the occasion on Aug. 21 with an anniversary celebration at Seventh-day Adventist Church in Desert Hot Springs.

"I'm sad we can't have our anniversary here, but even though we can't do it here, we're still able to do it," Baylark said.

Deaconess Maunaloa Hill and her husband, Deacon Jesse Hill, serve as co-chairs of the 75th anniversary event. While standing along First Street near the front of the church, Maunaloa Hill said, "This is just a building."

"Wherever we go, the Lord is with us," Maunaloa Hill said. "This is just the temple where we come together in unity, but the church is in our heart and that's a blessing. We're (standing) out in the street and we can have church right here and now if we wanted to."

The church has continued to offer Bible study and four services each week online, or for those without internet access, by phone.

Jesse Hill said there was hesitancy to continue with the anniversary celebration, but Pastor Baylark and the rest of the congregation was eager to move forward, even if it meant holding the event at another church.

"75 years means a lot," Jesse Hill said. "The church I grew up in in Alabama is 77 years old and my mother helped build a foundation for that. So this is real for me to be a part of this church now that I left Alabama many years ago. ... it's a blessing."

Gaining momentum

According to an article from Desert Sentinel, the initial church and sanctuary hall broke ground in June 1947 and took only seven weeks to build. The congregation started with 60 members, and they met in the same pumice tile building standing today.

Howard Timley of the Baptist Convention was the first guest speaker at the dedication ceremony.

In 1948, the Reverend Lloyd Gibbs arrived at First Baptist Church and made many improvements. A 1949 Desert Sentinel article described his sermons and mental slant as "far above average." He submitted guest columns and sermonettes to the publication, played in a local baseball league as a second baseman and became a popular local figure. He and his family left the church in 1951 for San Diego.

A permit for an addition, which features a cross rising through the roof and contains the current sanctuary, was submitted in 1965. The addition was designed by architect and church member Michael Morgan, who also served as vice chairman of the Desert Hot Springs city planning commission. The new sanctuary opened in 1967.

First Community Baptist Church saw many transitions in following years, but it remained a pillar of the community. Several religious singing groups and choirs from across the country have performed there, and the church has also hosted civic events, faith rallies and Martin Luther King Day celebrations.

In 2016, then Pastor Tahlib McMicheaux shouldered a giant wooden cross mounted on a set of wheels and embarked on a month-long walk to Sacramento to raise awareness and encourage state legislators to think about those who have been marginalized by society.

When Pastor Baylark and his wife Crystal arrived in 2019, the couple brought back Sunday school and Bible study to the church, acquired a bus and planned a trip with church members to volunteer in the Skid Row area of Los Angeles. The church also has a food pantry, which was open to the public twice a week before the fire.

Fulfilling its mission

First Community Baptist Church operates as a Bible-teaching institution and asks congregants to hear and carry out the words of Jesus Christ.

"It's easy to read what he tells us to do in here, but are we actually doing it so people out in the world see us living it? We can tell them what to do, but if we're not living it, we might as well sit down and close the Bible," Jesse Hill said.

Dr. Bette Stampley, a longtime member of the church, described the congregation as a "Christian family."

"We all care about each other and want to be examples," Stampley said. "If you want to feel the presence of God, come and visit. We'll show you how to do it according to the word."

Even though the congregation will not be able to celebrate its 75th anniversary in its own church, members look forward to returning later in the year. Baylark's wife, Crystal Baylock, said "The Lord spared our church" and that allows for a "new beginning."

"We have the structure of the church and an opportunity to grow the way the Lord wants us to," Crystal Baylark said.

Previous reporting from Desert Sun staff was used for this report. 

Brian Blueskye covers arts and entertainment for the Desert Sun. He can be reached at brian.blueskye@desertsun.com or on Twitter at @bblueskye.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Desert Hot Springs church to celebrate 75th anniversary despite fire