West Springs Baptist Church History

 

On April 19, 1885, a group of men and women met in the old Anderson School for the purpose of organizing a Baptist Church. Twenty-one people presented themselves for membership in this body and they were duly constituted as a church. They adopted a Church Covenant and elected officers, the first Deacons being: Mr. A. West and Mr. F.M. Roundtree. Mr. F.C. West was elected clerk. The next order of business was to take an offering for missions, laying the groundwork for the mission-mindedness that continues today. Rev. W. L. Brown was called as the first Pastor and he served the church for one year.

Plans to construct a church building began in 1896. Though delayed due to opposition, construction was begun in 1898. The building was constructed from timber donated by members on land received from Larkin Lancaster. The building was dedicated in September 1899.  Rev. J. L. Vass preached the sermon and chose as his text 1 Timothy 3:15. His topic was "How to Behave Thyself in the House of God." This first building was located on the site of the church's present cemetery facing now what is Buffalo-West Springs Highway. Sometime between 1939 and 1942, during the first pastorate of Rev. Cullen Crook, the building was turned to face what is today the Hotel Road. Six Sunday School classrooms and a basement were added.

In June 1949 the church voted to begin having full-time services and called Rev. Alvin Wall as Pastor. During the first fifteen months of Rev. Wall's pastorate, sixty-one new members were added. In 1952 a new parsonage was built in order to allow Rev. Wall to live in the community. Mr. Oscar West oversaw the construction. Under his able leadership, two acres of land were purchased and the parsonage built for only eleven thousand dollars. This note was paid off three years later in 1955.

In 1966 a Building Committee was elected to present plans for a new church building. The committee was chaired by Joe Wilson Hyatt and included Oscar West, B.H. Hawkins, Willie Hayes, and William West. Land was secured from Landy West and on February 6, 1967, the church voted to build on the present site. Rev. Henry Jones was the Pastor. Construction of the 7,500 square foot building costs $100,000.

In 1976 a new parsonage was constructed and remains useful today. Rev. Henry Johnson was the first Pastor to occupy the house.

During 1987 and 1988 the two newest wings were added to the church facility. These additions were paid for in 1999. Rev. Gordon Thornton was Pastor at the time of these additions. In 2006, the church added the Christian Fellowship Center (CFC), which has proven to be an asset to the church's overall ministry and mission.

We are currently blessed to have Greg Black as our Pastor. He and his wife, Suzanne, have been such a blessing to our church since their coming in January of 2014. We believe God has given us a vision for the future, and the faith to see that West Springs' best days are ahead, as God keeps writing the story of His people.