Pastor Ron Ostten started First Bible Baptist Church almost fiftyy years ago here in the Saint John area in September of 1971, meeting in a local Orangemen’s Hall.  Pastor Ostten began by preaching the clear gospel message directly from the source of absolute truth – God’s Holy Word.  Families, business people and individuals were indiscriminately presented with the reality of God’s great love for mankind in spite of our sinful condition.

Along with God’s diagnosis of our condition, the people of this area were given God’s prescription, the cure for our sinful nature. “But God commendeth his love toward  us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom. 5:8) 

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Pastor Ostten urged all, regardless of religious persuasion, without respect to education, wealth, influence or physical strength, to seek God’s way to refuge and peace.  (Jesus said)“I am the way, the truth and the life, no man cometh unto the Father but by me.”  (John 14:6)

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After establishing a solid foundation, Pastor Ostten handed the reins of First Bible Baptist Church to Rev. Ralph Seely  in 1976. Dr. Ostten later pastored Bethel Bible Baptist Church in Westlake, La., and is founder and President of Temple Baptist University there. Presently, he and his wife are traveling in an evangelism and missions ministry and plan to spend several months of the year in the Maritimes, helping local churches evangelize and train workers.  His five children have continued the “legacy of God’s love” in their family life and ministry. Two of their sons are pastors, one is a youth and music associate pastor, the youngest daughter  is a pastor’s wife and the oldest daughter is ”Home in Heaven.”

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Pastor Seely, a native New Brunswicker, faithfully labored close to fifty years to bring the same gospel message to the Maritimes. Nearly twenty-five of those years were spent at First Bible Baptist Church, endeavoring to “declare unto you all the counsel of God.”(Acts 20:27)God’s message to us in the King James Bible was not changed or weakened by one word, and Pastor Seely did not allow disinterest, disappointments or discouragement to alter the course that God set before Him. Because of his Saviour’s grace and faithfulness, he was able to claimII Tim. 4:7  “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith...”  when God chose to take this faithful man to his Eternal Home in 1999.  Was God’s faithfulness to First Bible Baptist Church at all diminished by this sad,  yet victorious event? Not in the least!   “For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:    But…..

THE WORD OF THE LORD ENDURETH FOREVER.  And this is the word which by the Gospel is preached unto you..” (I Peter 1:24,25) 

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The same gospel message continues to be proclaimed today at First Bible Baptist Church, under the leadership of Pastor Robert Conrad, one of Mr. Seely’s sons-in-law.  Incidentally, all five Seely children have married, established solid and stable Christian homes,  and with their children and grandchildren continue his legacy of faithfulness… as pastors,  pastor’s wives, musicians, Bible College staff,  missionaries and faithful church members.

Over the years the ministries of First Bible Baptist Church have not only been preaching ministries but we have taught and trained many pastors, missionaries, evangelists and other Christian workers that have gone out from here and founded and helped many other ministries for the Lord Jesus Christ.