"OUR CHURCH HISTORY"
On April 15th, 1951, a small group of people met in the Flo School
lunchroom on the Livingston Road for the purpose of organizing a new
church. There were 20 names listed in the minutes of the
organizational meeting. At the end of the meeting, an invitation was
given and 13 people joined with their letters.
Three names were submitted and placed in a hat. The name
Community Chapel Baptist Church was submitted by Mr. D.L. Shields.
The name was accepted and so begins our church.
Rev. Odell Hall was called as the first pastor and meetings were held
in the school lunchroom until a church could be built. The parcel of
land where the church stands today was donated by Mr. and Mrs.
Frank Jewel Parris. The church later bought an additional three acres
adjoining the church property so there would be room for a cemetery.
A small cinder block auditorium and five class rooms were built
mostly by the men of the church. Trees were cut on the Cunningham
Road and sawed into lumber at Andrew Couey's saw mill. The pews
were hand built from 1 X 4's and varnished inside the auditorium as
soon as the roof was installed. The Chubb brothers from Cave Spring,
Georgia, laid the cinder blocks and two outdoor toilets were built
behind the church. No money was borrowed and everything was paid
for as it was being built. When the church was completed, it was debt
free. A fellowship hall, including two small restrooms were added,
which were also built out of cinder blocks.
A well was dug by hand on the West side of the church, but no water
was found. Later on, another well was drilled on the East side of the
church and was used until county water was installed.
Heat was provided by a commercial heater that hung from the ceiling
in the back of the auditorium. The classrooms were heated by small
radiant gas heaters and there was no air conditioning.
On January 16th, 1972, a young man from Cave Spring, Georgia,
Quinn Evans was called as pastor and ordained by the church. A
tremendous amount of growth was experienced. Many souls were
saved and membership soared. The church grew spiritually and in
number. By 1974, the church had outgrown its auditorium. A larger
auditorium and more class rooms were needed. The old fellowship hall
was converted into Sunday School rooms and a new kitchen and
fellowship hall was built adjoining the old one.
Church services were held in the new fellowship hall until the new
sanctuary was finished. By the end of the Summer in 1975, all buildings
were completed and dedicated. A loan was secured for $30,000, the
only time money was ever borrowed by the church. The note was paid
off and burned in March of 1988 while Rev. Tim Purser was pastor.
James Ward was elected pastor in March of 1977 and under his
leadership, the remainder of the buildings were bricked and a steeple
was added to the church. The ladies restroom was enlarged and some
remodeling took place in the educational building.
After Rev. Ward left, several men pastored and not much was done for
some time. Many of the older members had passed away and the
younger members either moved away or stopped attending. The church
seemed to be on the decline, until Rev. Max Tucker was called as interim
pastor in October of 1999. Under the direction of Rev. Tucker and his
wife Gaynell, the church began to grow again.
On October 8th, 2000, Rev. Tucker was called as bi-vocational
pastor, but is full-time in everyway. He is always available and more
than willing to do anything he can to meet the needs of the church. We
have experienced many accomplishments under his leadership.
The sanctuary has been repainted, new carpet installed, the pews
have been padded, classrooms remodeled, stained glass windows have
been purchased, a lighted sign has been placed in front of the church,
the church parking lot has been paved, parking stops have been
installed and the men and women's restrooms has received a new look.
Much more is in the planning stages and the Lord is blessing and
adding to the church!
People at Community Chapel Baptist Church love each other and
there is a new commitment and a new sense of pride. We want people
in the community to be a part of our church, but most of all, we want to
see people saved and lives changed!
Community Chapel Baptist Church is an old-fashioned church, very
conservative and traditional. We refuse to compromise our Biblical
beliefs or standards. Our music consists of hymns and songs of the
Christian faith. Amazing Grace is our theme song and our goal is to
minister to every member, young and old, as well as to the community.
We believe our church is a light on a hill that cannot be hid and if the
Lord does NOT return soon, we are looking forward for great things to
happen!
