Through a vision of faith...
The Faith Baptist Church of Corona was started through the ministry of Douglas Lowery in 1975. After graduating from Bob Jones University in Greenville, SC, the Lord burdened Brother Lowery with the great needs of inner-city New York. By faith Doug Lowery and his family came up to Corona, NY and began spreading the Gospel and discipling new converts. At that time the new church was meeting in the Lowery's home basement in Corona. On September 14th, 1975 the Church was Chartered and on February 3, 1976 the Church was incorporated by the State of N.Y.
After much prayer and searching, the Lord led Pastor Lowery and the members of FBC to purchase a Knights of Columbus Building. This building--which had a bowling alley in the basement, a lounge and bar on the main floor, and a dance hall on the second floor--was to be sanctified and set apart for the work of Jesus Christ.
In the summer of 1984, Vincent Sawyer and his wife Terri came to NY to assist Pastor Lowery. It was a blessed summer which was used by God to burden the Sawyers for inner-city ministry. In 1986, Pastor Doug Lowery resigned as pastor of FBC and the Church remained without a pastor for two years.
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Upon graduation from the Calvary Baptist Theological Seminary in Lansdale, PA the Faith Baptist Church asked Vincent Sawyer if he would consider becoming the pastor of FBC. Vincent Sawyer became the Pastor in June of 1988. Faith Baptist Church is a multi-ethnic ministry with about 40 different countries represented.
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In September of 1988 FBC began a Bible Institute for the theological and practical training of laymen, future pastors and full-time workers. The Church since it's inception has had a ministry to the Hispanic community and now has a full time church planting pastor to the Spanish, Humbero Martinez. Iglesia Bautista De La Fe is now an autonomous church and is growing steadily.
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God has blessed our Church with the people who love the Lord and each other. The multi-ethnic mix of people is really a testimony of the unity that the Holy Spirit produces. This Church truly lives up to its slogan: "The Church with a Heart in the Heart of Queens."
