Our Story

On October 9, 1943, a small group of 13 dedicated believers came together to organize a church in Tulare, CA. The original "meeting place" was in the American Legion Hut located on North K Street. This church was known as Tulare First Southern Baptist Church. In the early forties, the Southern Baptist work in California was very new. The first Southern Baptist church in  California was planted in 1940.

In the late 40's and early 50's a new church building was built at the corner of Blackstone and Kern (current picture to the right). By the 1970's we were outgrowing this location and by 1977 money was being raised to purchase land and build at the corner of Prosperity Avenue and Lincoln Street.  Ground breaking was in June of 1988 and the first services at the renamed Prosperity Avenue Baptist Church were held in July of 1989.

In October of 2022 we welcomed Primera Iglesia Bautista, a Spanish language church, into our church family. Our two church families are working together to reach all of Tulare with the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Both churches have worship services at the same time every Sunday and work together to teach our children. Despite being separate churches, we are growing together as a single family. 

God is doing amazing things. We have been steadily growing in both the English and Spanish services. God continues to give vision for a truly multi-cultural church where worship happens in English and Spanish throughout the week. We would love for you to join us and see what part God has for you in the story of our church family. See you soon!