reputation of being one of the best in the city. A new and popular innovation at the church was the effort to keep the congregation together socially for a few minutes after Sunday services. In the summer it was called ”Lemonade on the Lawn", and in cooler weather it was "Coffee and Conversation” in the main foyer. There was always lots of room on the lawn, but the foyer, which housed most of the events, was too small and crowded to provide the sociability that was intended. It became obvious that folks wanted to get outside rather than socialize in cramped conditions.

In October, the Handbell Choir disbanded due to a lack of ringers, prompting one church humorist to note that he couldn’t understand it, because the congregation was full of ding-a-lings! The bells, when played, were a beautiful part of the service, but it would be a year or two before interest in playing them would regenerate. While the bells were struggling for existence, Camp Seggie was having its best year ever. There were now full-time camp directors hired, and the various weekly camps were changed from grade levels to age levels, attracting annual registrations from every Atlantic province, Quebec and Ontario. In the early fall, it was announced that the ’Building for Tomorrow" financial campaign at First Baptist had raised over $40,000, which meant that $20,000 was sent to both the Acadia Divinity College in Wolfville and the Atlantic Baptist College in Moncton.

The Student Interim Program was initiated at First Baptist to hire divinity students. They assisted in summer ministries sponsored by the church. In 1996, Dennis Arsenault from the Acadia Divinity College was the designate. Sunday at Victoria Park was one of the best Sunday evening church programs in the city and had been ongoing for a number of years, at the provincial government parking lot. The wagon/stage used for four years was gone, and now the service was presented from the natural stage created by the elevated walkway beside the building. The project had been successful through the years with the leadership of the Deacon’s Board. Each week they had organized the moving of equipment and provided after-service lemonade, and the number of vehicles attending more than justified the effort. The electronic sound that enhanced every service was provided by members, led by Bob Rhead.

First Baptist sought to strengthen its administrative laws and updated its constitution in 1997. The church determined to look for more member input and at the request of Pastor Coffin, the Board of Worship gave a questionnaire to every member of the congregation. Opinions were sought relative to Sunday worship services, and what might be done to make them better. There were a variety of opinions expressed and the most common was to have better planning for services, keeping them within the hour, and less music so the pastor would have more time to speak. The results also suggested that worship teams were a welcome addition, and there was even a suggestion that the choir should smile more! Pastor Coffin responded to that by saying, ”They will smile more at you if you smile at them.”

With the introduction of Sunday worship teams, the music ministry gradually changed and the traditional singing of hymns partially gave way to guitars, harmonicas, trumpets and drums. It would be really interesting to know what the pastors of a century ago might have thought of . , . their Baptist church purchasing a drum set? Youth groups Dr. MargaretMunro

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