
The
Lord has given us a very rich heritage,
filled with many trials and blessings.
We would love to share with you the story
of how we came to be. Below is the
story of Grace Baptist Church.
The
Yankee Road Years
| The
Wilbraham Road Years
| The
Union Road Years
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In January of 1945, a small group of
Christians contacted Brother Audley
Turner, then pastor of the Westside
Baptist Church in Dayton, Ohio expressing
their desire for starting a church. They desired a church that would believe
in teaching and preaching the
old-fashioned Gospel of salvation by grace
through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The
Mission was started in a leased store
building on Yankee Road. The Mission
was under the direction of Brother Audley
Turner and E. Fred Jones. The first
service was held on February 3, 1945.
A
revival meeting was held in June. At
the close of the meeting, on June 9, 1945,
the Mission was organized into Grace
Baptist Church with 23 Charter Members.
On April 29, 1947, Howard Sears accepted
the call to pastor the church.
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In
July of 1948, the Wilbraham and Wilmore lots
were purchased. Construction of the first
building began on July 27, 1948. The
first building was dedicated on April of
1949. By this date, the Sunday School
attendance had reached 260.
In
1950, the Sunday School addition was added
to the south side of the auditorium.
By 1952, the Sunday School addition, with a
full basement and the first Pastor's study,
was complete.
On
Sunday morning, December 7, 1953, the
mortgage on all the property was burned.
Soon, plans were made for a large
auditorium. The construction began for
this auditorium on April 19, 1954. The
church was growing, new families were being
reached, and many were finding Christ as
Savior. Only God knew the future of
His church and what He would bless Grace
with next.
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After many years on Wilbraham Road, the
church decided to step out by faith and
build again. Once again the
congregation, under the direction of the
pastor and the leadership of the Holy
Spirit, stepped out by faith and purchased
property located at Interstate 75 and State
Route 122 on Union Road. A large red
brick building began to emerge on this
barren piece of land. Its glistening
white steeple would stand as a symbol of
worship and adoration to the Lord Jesus
Christ. The manicured grounds,
the free flowing brook, spacious wooded
picnic areas and Grace Memorial Gardens
would add to the enchantment and splendor of
our present facilities.
In
July 8, 1973, the church moved from
Wilbraham Road to our present facility.
After
much prayer and consideration, Middletown
Christian School was founded as a
ministry of Grace Baptist Church. Our
Gymnasium, the Howard Sears Fieldhouse, was
used for the first time during the 1979
school year. The dedication service
was held on Sunday, November 18, 1979.
In
1981, Dr. Howard Sears, who had pastored the
Grace Baptist Church for nearly 35 years,
resigned as Pastor. In November, 1981,
the church called Dr. Ronald L. Schaffer as
Pastor. Dr. Schaffer served as Pastor
for nearly eight years. He resigned in
October of 1989 and entered the work of
evangelism. For the next five months,
Dr. Howard Sears served as our interim
pastor. He then returned to his
evangelism work based out of Grace.
Dr. Sears is Pastor Emeritus of Grace and is
currently teaching the Grace Bible Class.
In
March of 1990, Dr. Roger D. Green was
overwhelmingly called as pastor of Grace.
Believing it to be the will of God, he
accepted. Pastor Green moved
here from Sandusky, Ohio where he pastored
the Sandusky Baptist Temple for ten years. He has been our pastor ever since.
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