How it all started...
Buck Grove Baptist Church was organized on September 4, 1857 with eight members, four men and their wives. Not one of the charter members of Buck Grove Church owned land as they were all renters in the area. The first place of worship was a small building on the south side of Buck Grove Hill which served until 1871 when the present location was selected and a building erected at a cost of $1,272.47. During the next 85 years that building was added to and modernized: memorial windows, alcove, new pews and in 1939 it was wired for electricity.
Buck Grove became a fulltime church in 1952 and in 1955 a six room parsonage was built facing the church.
Early on a chilly Sunday morning, December 2, 1956, the church caught fire and burned so quickly that nothing was saved. The parsonage basement was equipped and used to hold all services until a new building could be built.
Nine months later on Sunday, September 1, 1957, the one-hundredth anniversary of the church, a new brick structure was formally dedicated. The seating capacity of the sanctuary including the balcony, was about 350 people. The new edifice was completed and furnished at an approximate cost of $47,000.
In May 1966, the church council felt that "there is a great need for educational space, and this is the proper time to construct such facilities." The educational building was formally dedicated on July 14, 1968, completing the third building project in fifteen years.
In 1986 the congregation began a phenomenal project of building and remodeling. The first unit was a fellowship/recreation hall, which was used for worship services during renovation and expansion of the sanctuary. The final phase included adding two levels of classrooms and office space, a carport entrance, and pavement of the parking lot. On May 7, 1989, Buck Grove Baptist Church celebrated the culmination of a three and one half year building campaign. It was noted that they congregation pitched in an literally built the buildings and renovated the sanctuary with their own hands, completing the $350,000 project at one-third of what it would have cost. The miracle was that when the last nail was driven and he last splash of paint applied the church owed nothing, nor had it neglected its commitments to missions and evangelism.
The most recent facility to be built on Buck Grove's campus is the Christian Life Center. Gifted and creative builders and businessmen of the congregation donated their time and resources; dedicated members have contributed faithfully toward the expense of building. Dedication Sunday was May 4, 2014. The building was paid in full by 2017 at a cost of just over one million dollars.
Buck Grove Baptist Church story is not simply 'brick and mortar.' Her history is rich in ministry, witness, fellowship, and support. It is important to remember that she is not a building at a location, but a people who have covenanted together to live out the gospel and share it with our world. As Jesus gave the church her mandate to make disciples, Buck Grove's ongoing mission is "Glorifying God by Changing Lives for Christ."
Buck Grove became a fulltime church in 1952 and in 1955 a six room parsonage was built facing the church.
Early on a chilly Sunday morning, December 2, 1956, the church caught fire and burned so quickly that nothing was saved. The parsonage basement was equipped and used to hold all services until a new building could be built.
Nine months later on Sunday, September 1, 1957, the one-hundredth anniversary of the church, a new brick structure was formally dedicated. The seating capacity of the sanctuary including the balcony, was about 350 people. The new edifice was completed and furnished at an approximate cost of $47,000.
In May 1966, the church council felt that "there is a great need for educational space, and this is the proper time to construct such facilities." The educational building was formally dedicated on July 14, 1968, completing the third building project in fifteen years.
In 1986 the congregation began a phenomenal project of building and remodeling. The first unit was a fellowship/recreation hall, which was used for worship services during renovation and expansion of the sanctuary. The final phase included adding two levels of classrooms and office space, a carport entrance, and pavement of the parking lot. On May 7, 1989, Buck Grove Baptist Church celebrated the culmination of a three and one half year building campaign. It was noted that they congregation pitched in an literally built the buildings and renovated the sanctuary with their own hands, completing the $350,000 project at one-third of what it would have cost. The miracle was that when the last nail was driven and he last splash of paint applied the church owed nothing, nor had it neglected its commitments to missions and evangelism.
The most recent facility to be built on Buck Grove's campus is the Christian Life Center. Gifted and creative builders and businessmen of the congregation donated their time and resources; dedicated members have contributed faithfully toward the expense of building. Dedication Sunday was May 4, 2014. The building was paid in full by 2017 at a cost of just over one million dollars.
Buck Grove Baptist Church story is not simply 'brick and mortar.' Her history is rich in ministry, witness, fellowship, and support. It is important to remember that she is not a building at a location, but a people who have covenanted together to live out the gospel and share it with our world. As Jesus gave the church her mandate to make disciples, Buck Grove's ongoing mission is "Glorifying God by Changing Lives for Christ."
Expanding the vision...
By gathering each week for fellowship and teaching we look to equip ourselves to go out and make disciples. We look forward to this next year, where as a church we will strive to intentionally pour into one another to build each other up.
Titus 2:1-8 Whose your Timothy?
Titus 2:1-8 Whose your Timothy?
Where we are headed...
Buck Grove realizes that our children and youth are our future. We continue to invest in our programs and activities to help raise up young disciples.
