Arbor Baptist Church is a historic church with a unique beginning. Its roots can be traced back to 1885 when Fitzgerald was still known as a shack town. A group of interested men and women began meeting as a Bible study group in one of these shacks. Within two years time, the group had outgrown the size of the small shack and decided to move to a nearby brush arbor which was currently in use as a weekday shelter for sawmill workers.

This newly organized church was known as “Arbor Place Baptist Church.” The owner of the sawmill, A. J. Swords, organized Arbor’s first Sunday School Program and provided the brush arbor meeting place. Services were held at the brush arbor for about two years. The group eventually dropped the “Place” from its name and became known as it is today – Arbor Baptist Church.

Arbor’s first building was constructed around 1900 on land given by A. J. Swords. The site of the first building is where the Arbor Cemetery is now located.

Arbor Baptist Church is a community of believers seeking God’s direction in reaching people for Jesus Christ. For over 100 years, Arbor has sought to reach people and make an impact in their lives. Arbor has also been known as a mission-minded church seeking to reach people all over the world.

The Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Philippi, “Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead.” Our prayer is that we build on our past, remember our past, celebrate our past, but also look forward with great anticipation to the future. We believe our greatest days of ministry are just around the corner.