As he cooks up a mess of catfish for an evening meeting, the Rev. Thom Smith takes delight in how a church visitor's eyes light up after being given a sample.

"I can out-cook any pastor around,'' Rev. Smith joked.

More than fish has been cooking at the 120-year-old church.

Like the town that surrounds it, First Baptist Church of Hagerstown has undergone its times of trouble with a rebirth of growth.