our history...

Maranatha Baptist Church was founded as an independent Baptist church in February 1964 by pastor John Dallalio who was sent out by Westside Baptist Church in Natchez, MS.

Its first meeting place was in the home of A.W. Leggett, on what is now called Burg Jones Lane. Nine members made up the original membership. The church moved to a home on Standifer Street in south Monroe in 1966. A building was built on that property and the home was used as a pastorium and for Sunday school space. In December 1973, the church purchased property at 1605 Oaklawn Drive in Monroe, where God blessed and the church grew.
In February 1996, the land was sold and the present location was obtained from the Garrett Road Baptist Church. Reaching souls for Christ has been the primary goal since the church was founded. In 1971, a bus ministry was started that brought many hundreds of children and adults to church, many of whom received Christ as Saviour. There have been as many as four bus routes through the years. Shortly after beginning the bus ministry, a Sunday morning junior church ministry was begun. In October 2006, the Reformers Unanimous addictions and discipleship ministry was started that meets every Friday night. There are two ministries to prisons: Swanson’s Juvenile Detention Center and the Richland Parish Detention Center.

The church has been obedient to go out in a soul winning and visitation ministry since it’s founding and many souls have been brought to Christ as a result. Every summer there have been youth camp ministries for youth and Vacation Bible Schools for children. Yearly there have been revival meetings and/or mission conferences with some of America’s greatest preachers filling the pulpit. Maranatha uses Faith Promise missions and has supported missionaries since its inception. At present, the church supports more than twenty-five different gospel ministries through its missions program and has touched the lives of several hundred families. In November 2008 by God’s leading, Bro. John Dallalio became pastor emeritus and the church called Bro. Daniel Goodman as pastor.

Maranatha Baptist Church is, and by the will of God and His Grace always will be, an Old Paths Baptist Church. We use only the King James Bible and recognize it only as THE WORD OF GOD for English speaking people. Pastor Daniel Goodman shares the same VISION and desire as Pastor Emeritus John Dallalio - to see souls reached with the gospel in a daily soul winning effort. We unashamedly PREACH that Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven. We believe that the Bible teaches one drop of the precious blood of Jesus, that was the ransom paid for every man’s sin, is enough to save every sinner who will come in repentance by faith to Jesus Christ for Salvation! This Church Preaches Hell Hot, Heaven Sweet and Sure, and Jesus SAVES to the uttermost, whosoever will come unto Him!!! This Church Preaches that Jesus is COMING SOON, and you need to be ready! This Church teaches that every born again Christian is to Love God supremely with all their heart, soul and mind; and hate sin exceedingly. It is the duty of every christian to read The Word of God, pray and daily proclaim the gospel to reach to lost.

our purpose...


Matthew 28:19-20 “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

Our Purpose and Mission is to fulfill the GREAT COMMISSION as a Local New Testament independent Baptist Church.
 
We will seek to do this by:

  1. EVANGELIZATION … ( Reaching all with the Gospel. )
  2. EDIFICATION … ( Building people up in the knowledge of Jesus Christ and His Holy Word, for Christian growth. )  
  3. EXHORTATION … ( Encouraging each believer by helping them learn to apply God’s Word, and to get them involved in Christian service. )
The Purpose and Mission of Maranatha Baptist Church can be summed up in five words --- INSPIRE, INCLUDE, INSTRUCT, INVOLVE, AND IMPACT.

The Purpose and Mission of Maranatha Baptist Church is to INSPIRE people to develop a heart for God (beginning with salvation and then continuing through obedience to His word), to INCLUDE them into a loving church family (involving baptism, church membership, fellowship, and every other effort to assimilate new Christians into our family), to INSTRUCT people from the Word of God, the AV King James Bible, (involving preaching, teaching and discipleship through many different settings for all ages), to INVOLVE them in ministry (enlisting, training, and empowering our church family to serve the Lord more effectively), and to IMPACT the Monroe/West Monroe area and regions beyond with the Gospel of Christ (including every soul-winning and outreach opportunity, as well as missions efforts).