"Celebrating Celery and Diversity" - Joint Worship with FBC Chapel Hill!

University Baptist Church is blessed to have a "sister church" relationship with First Baptist Church, a traditionally African-American congregation in Chapel Hill.

FBC was born out of UBC in the wake of the Civil War.

Years ago, however, Rev. Dr. J.R. Manley, pastor of FBC, and Rev. Dr. Mitchell Simpson, pastor of UBC, discerned that the two churches needed to foster a deeper connection with one another. "Too many weeds have grown up between our congregations," Manley said, and the tradition those pastors began of tending to the garden of faith shared by FBC and UBC continues today.

Every Spring, FBC hosts UBC for a dinner in their Fellowship Hall, and afterward, UBC leads a service of worship; in the Fall, the churches switch roles.

This message was preached during the Spring 2024 gathering by UBC's current pastor, Rev. Dr. Paul Burgess, who is introduced in the recording by FBC's current pastor, Rev. Dr. Rodney Coleman.

The text for the message is 1 Corinthians 12:12-26.