First Baptist Church Selma is offering the Queen City a way to give back to the community while also taking home inspiration for some tasty treats.

With the 175th anniversary of the church coming up, the church put together a member cookbook to celebrate while also raising money for local missions.

“All the money for that is going towards some mission projects here at the church. We’re just trying to be more focused on Selma,” said pastor Dr. Jerry Light. “We do missions internationally and nationally, but we’re trying to get a focus on local missions.”

The cookbook, “Recipes from the Heart,” features 521 recipes from current, past and deceased members of the church.

From appetizers and beverages to southern style cooking, the cookbook is sure to have something that everyone can enjoy.

Doris Duckett, a committee member, said putting the book together not only gave her great ideas for meals, it also allowed her the opportunity to get to know some church members that she may not have otherwise been able to.

“I got to know some of the different church members by working with them,” Duckett said. “I think we made closer relationships with the people we worked with within the church that maybe would not have come in contact with that closely.”

Duckett has two recipes in the book herself, chicken and dumplings and sweet and sour sauce, but she has also found someone else’s that she really enjoys.

“I made the pimento cheese recipe that was put in there by Eloise Anderson and I had never attempted that before,” Duckett said. “It’s a wonderful recipe and I will continue to make it.”

To make the book a little more unique, the committee decided to add in information about the church’s history, including a write up by Light and page dividers that feature the stained glass windows that are in the main sanctuary.

“The good thing about the book is it gives a little history about First Baptist Church,” Duckett said. “First Baptist is very unusual for a Baptist church, so the history kind of pulls it together and gives you an idea of the origination of the church.”

The book can be found at the church’s main office and places around the community like drug stores, the gift shop at Vaughan Regional Medical Center and other local shops. The cookbook is $22.95, and all proceeds will go towards the church’s mission’s fund. For more information, call the church at 877-4400.