how we began
Rev. David
Garnett
Pastor Emeritus & Founder of Open Door Bible Baptist Church
.png)
The history of Open Door Bible Baptist Church begins in the 1940s with a prayer warrior and her garden.
Isabella Rose Garnett was an avid gardener. She was the only Christian in her family and she faithfully served the Lord alone. As she worked in her garden, she would earnestly and fervently pray for her children and grandchildren to also come to know Christ and to serve Him.
Fast-forward many years and you'll find her youngest grandson, David Garnett, getting saved on the side of the road in the front seat of his pickup truck. Despite facing much opposition, David Garnett went to Bible school to become a preacher and then went on to establish the Open Door Bible Baptist Church in 1986 in a small gym in Lisbon Falls.
A few short years later, the church outgrew the small gym where they first began, and Open Door Bible Baptist Church broke ground on 26 Gartley Street, in the exact spot where Isabella Garnett's garden used to be.
Pastor Garnett served as the pastor of Open Door for 36 years before retiring in May of 2022. Thousands of people have attended the worship services in the elegant auditorium of Open Door and countless souls have been pointed to Christ.
Most of the Garnett family has attended as members or are still attending as members of Open Door today. What a wonderful legacy of faith and service God has used this family to be over the years of ministry in Lisbon, Maine.
This ministry has existed since 1986 by the power of God and of prayer.
​
We thank God and give Him all the glory!