History
Mr. Wm. H. Spurgeon purchased seventy-six acres of land from the Yorba heirs in 1869 and laid out what was to
become the city of Santa Ana. With only six or eight homes in the place and about one hundred fifty souls, thirteen
people organized First Baptist Church of Santa Ana on a Saturday in March of 1871.
This took place in the local school house.
Services were held in the school house until the first church was built in 1876. The cost was $4000 and it was
located on four lots donated by Mr. Spurgeon at the corner of Main & Church Streets. The interior was unfinished for
a number of years and financial problems were so severe during the first 10 -12 years, that the property was sold
for taxes several times. At one point, members mortgaged their homes to pay off the church obligations and one
member lost his home because of this. And Santa Ana developed, so did the church. As many members were from
surrounding area, certain groups took their letters and established in neighboring cities.
With the coming of the railroad to Santa Ana, the city started to grow and the church membership grew with it
requiring additions to be made to the building from time to time. In 1912, it was apparent that a new church building
was needed. A new church, at the same location, was built in 1913-1914 at a cost of $ 49,244. It was dedicated free
of debt.
We're located at 1010 West 17th St., Santa Ana CA. 92706

What Do We Believe
God: All powerful, all loving, omnipotent Creator; God is the First Person of the Trinity and is Supreme over all.
Jesus Christ: Jesus Christ, God incarnate; the Second Person of the Trinity, was born of a virgin, lived as a man, died
for man's sins, arose from the grave, ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He is our personal Savior and the absolute guideline for a Christian life.
Holy Spirit: The Third person in the Trinity, an indwelling presence that inspires, teaches, comforts protects
and empowers every believer.
Holy Bible and Its Use: The inspired, infallible Word of God, given to believers, which reveals God's love and His plan
for their lives. It teaches, rebukes, corrects, inspires and guides every believer.
Baptism: An act of obedience, required by God, symbolizing the burial of our sinful life and our resurrection to a new
life in Jesus Christ. To Baptists, it is by immersion.
Lord's Supper: Following Jesus' request for remembrance, the Lord's Supper symbolizes Christ's broken body, shed
blood and His death on the cross for our sins.
In our church, Communion/Lord's Supper is observed on the first Sunday of each month.
The Human Condition: Man, who is sinful in nature, cannot save himself no matter what he does.
He can only be saved by grace through Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

What we believe can be summed up in three verses found in the third chapter of the Gospel of John, John 3:3, John
3:16 and John 3:30.  These three verses answer the questions: “What do I need for eternal life?”  
John 3:3, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”  
The next question would be, “How do I get born again?”  
John 3:16, “For God so lived the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not
perish but have everlasting life.”  
The last question would be, “Okay then what?” John 3:30, “He must increase, but I must decrease”.  
These three questions and their answers contain the essence of the gospel and the Christian life.  
They tell us that anyone who desires to enter into heaven must accept Jesus Christ as their Savior.  
That is called being born again and it is the only requirement for entrance into heaven.  
Next it is absolutely logical to ask how that can happen.  
The answer is what separates Christianity from all the religions of the world.  
That answer is that God Himself has provided the way, Jesus Christ has paid the entire price for our salvation and
we need only to accept the free gift of salvation that He offers.
All religions base heaven on our own efforts, all of which fall woefully short of being enough.  
Lastly, the question of “Then what” comes.  
It is natural to ask this question because, as a baby’s life isn’t over at birth, but just beginning, the same is true
about the Christian life.  We all need to know what is going to be expected of us after the initial encounter with God.
First Baptist Church                                 1010 West 17th St., Santa Ana, CA 92706                             714.547.2557
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