Community and Biblical Depth

When Morgan and Phillip Lay moved to Dallas from a small town in Arkansas, they knew they wanted to be part of a church built on the Bible. They first attended First Baptist Dallas in 2022. Morgan said, “We looked at each other on our third visit and knew this was home.”

Morgan and Phillip soon became parents, which brought unexpected and new challenges. Struggling with anxiety and panic attacks, the Lay family knew they needed more than just Sunday mornings. They needed to get more involved in the life of the church.

A personal invitation to Women’s Bible Study from a Sunday School classmate made all the difference. “Knowing someone made me feel more comfortable, and from there, it took off,” says Morgan. That one invitation opened the door to deeper involvement, first with Women’s Bible Study and later co-directing a VBS class, building a network of friendships in the process.

The connections formed at WBS became an essential part of Morgan’s life. “We have a text message thread and send in prayer requests. We connect and have a deep catch-up every Tuesday.” These relationships became a source of strength, comfort, and accountability. 

It wasn’t just the community that made an impact on Morgan—it was the way the Women’s Ministry led her to grow spiritually through studying the Bible. “The women’s ministry is good about teaching not just the Word but studying the Word deeply.” She was excited to begin developing tools for deeper Bible study, like understanding Hebrew words and connecting themes across Scripture. This mid-week study of Scripture, paired with Dr. Jeffress’s expositional preaching, has led to a growing understanding of God’s truth.

The combination of community and biblical depth at First Dallas brought a new perspective to Morgan’s life as a young mom. “Through my anxiety and panic attacks, I was focused on myself and what I could do better. I found that when I got more involved in church, other things started to fall into place,” she says. “One of the things that drew me closer to Him was Women’s Bible Study. I try to spend time with God each morning, and that’s how I start my day. Even though I am a mom, He is first. It’s rewarding because when I go to Women’s Bible Study, it’s relaxing, and I am able to focus on God during that time.”

Our desire as a church is to connect believers together in community around a shared pursuit of knowing God’s Word and living in light of it. We seek to foster relationships and biblical formation that happens every day of the week. Our Women’s Bible Study and their new podcast, “Beauty in the Word,” encourage this. So does our current churchwide spiritual disciplines emphasis, Spring Training: Abide. We believe the Holy Spirit works through God’s Word to transform families like Morgan and Phillip Lay.