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our history
As God blessed and the numbers grew, it became evident that the young church needed a larger, permanent place to meet. In July 1950 they moved into a small frame building at 6511 Etzel Avenue. Much labor went into remodeling the facilities to meet their needs. God continued to bless and the congregation increased still more.
With 200 now attending, the modest building was overflowing. Prayer began for God to open the way for a larger building. Brother Roam and two other ministers stood on an adjoining 60 by 140-foot lot and prayed if God’s will that they could purchase the ground. God answered this prayer. By faith, with only $4000 in the treasury, the congregation began to build. In 1954, two years after the property purchase, the building was complete enough to move services into the basement. Reverend Harry Branding dedicated the finished building on November 11, 1955, just seven short years after the humble beginning in the Roam home. In early 1960 a church member had a dream of a huge building filled with people. In the dream he saw Brother Roam in a gray suit walking down the right aisle, shaking hands with people, with a big smile on his face. This dream was long before the congregation realized they would again need larger facilities. The year 1962 saw the birth of a daughter work in St. Charles under the leadership of Reverend Lester D. Gwaltney. Even with 40-50 people leaving to form the new congregation, attendance rose to a record-breaking 503, making it necessary to have split Sunday school sessions. Growth continued and the church moved forward. A four-acre tract of land on Natural Bridge Road was purchased in 1964.
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