On December 10, 1873, a Council of Baptist Churches approved plans to form our church.  First Baptist Church and Society of Streator was formally organized by 14 members on March 20, 1874.

At first, the congregation met in homes.  On September 12, 1876, they dedicated the first place of worship on our present site.  The cornerstone of that building was kept as part of our present sanctuary.  The first pastor was Rev. J.H. Head.

Times were hard.  Streator was a mining community of 4,000.  A wall street panic ruined many business owners.  A fire wiped out all but one building on the South side of Main Street between Park and Bloomington.  Labor strikes were frequent, sometimes with riots, bloodshed and hunger.  Epidemics of small pox, diphtheria, scarlet fever, typhoid and other diseases were common.  In spite if all this, the little congregation pressed on.

In the early 1880s, church records show that “people hungry for the word of God walked miles to the church on bitterly cold nights to listen attentively to a sermon of 70 minutes duration!”

That level of determination is a hallmark of our church.  Throughout our history, First Baptist Church has strongly proclaimed the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the City of Streator. 

We have had 35 pastors.  The current pastor is Rev. John Schmidtke who assumed pastoral leadership on Labor Day, 2009.  He and his wife Diane live in the church parsonage directly south of our building.

Property was purchased at our present location (Bridge and Monroe Streets) in 1876 where our first building was erected.  In 1956, that building was torn down and a new worship area was constructed on the north side of the present building.  In 1981, additional property was purchased on the corner of Bridge and Park Streets.  That structure is now our Fellowship Hall and is also used for Christian Education.

We are absolutely determined to lift the banner of Jesus Christ throughout this entire City.  First Baptist Church is affiliated with the Conservative Baptist Association of America. We are excited about our history of sharing the Gospel for over 136 years and hope you will join us for at least several decades! 

First Baptist Church – “Where Friends Become Family.”