The Campus of Bell Shoals Baptist Church
On January 19, 1961, 17 men met at the home of Claybourn Wilder to discuss the establishment of a church. The congregation of Bell Shoals held its first meeting on February 12, 1961, at Stowers Funeral Home Chapel in Brandon with 80 persons in attendance. Sunday School was held the following Sunday, February 19, 1961, with 57 people present.
On February 27, 1961, members purchased two acres and a small house from Mr. and Mrs. H.L. Burden. The corner of Bell Shoals Road and Overhill Drive provided room for future expansion to the south and west, easy access, and was evenly located between the other four Baptist churches in the area.
Member broke ground for the sanctuary on March 11, 1961, and a tent was rented and erected on the property. Construction continued on the sanctuary, but services were held in the tent beginning on March 16th and continuing through May 10th. The floor was sawdust and the seats were orange crates.
Finally, on May 14, 1961, Mother's Day, members met for the first service in the new auditorium. There were neither windows nor doors and only sheeting for a roof, but it was cooler and cleaner than the tent.
The following year, on October 7, 1962, formal dedication services were held in the new church auditorium. Ribbon-cutting ceremonies at the door were performed by Mrs. Frances Monoghan, the first lady convert at Bell Shoals.
In June of 1963, expansion of facilities began with plans being presented for an educational building at a cost of $33,609. Work started and the first classes were held in the structure on April 5, 1964.
The church opened a kindergarten in August of 1965, with 37 children enrolled. Today, the Bell Shoals Baptist Academy provides education for preschool through eighth grade.
Church growth demanded that in addition to the usual 11:00 a.m. worship service, the church add an 8:30 a.m. service, which began in November of that year.
On May 22, 1966, ground was broken for a new $75,000 educational building; it was the third building in five years and was located on the west side of the auditorium.
Six years later came another ground breaking, with completion on February 17, 1974, the 13th anniversary of the church. The new facility included an office suite, an adult assembly - choir room, and a department room for three-year-olds.
In 1980, the church approved a 1.3 million dollar building program, which was financed by Partners in Progress. The congregation accepted the challenge of Christian stewardship and sacrificial giving. It was a time of fasting, praying and trusting God to provide the money to construct the buildings debt-free.
Ground breaking for phase one, a $240,000 building, was held on January 18, 1981. The two-story structure had a nursery and children's department on the first floor and an adult department on the second floor. It adjoined the last building on the east side and connected to the south end of the first educational building. Phase two was the worship center with an estimated cost of $900,000. It would consist of a 1,250 seat, fan-shaped sanctuary, with a balcony and 100-seat choir loft. Ground breaking was held on April 24, 1983. God really blessed and on November 18, 1984, the first service was held in the new worship center. This time the floors were concrete, not sawdust, and seats were metal, not orange crates. It was just as exciting as the Mother's Day of 1961.
On February 16, 1985, the new worship center, with roof, doors, windows, pews, and carpet was dedicated.
In 1991, Bell Shoals once again broke ground on a $1,350,000 new expansion of 46,000 + square feet, and the members of Bell Shoals sacrificially tithed towards a vision to make room for everyone who wanted to worship here. Because of God's faithfulness, the new structure opened on September 13, 1992. Space was provided for education and fellowship as well as classrooms for the Bell Shoals Baptist Academy. The structure included the Special Events Center, concourse, and preschool departments on the first floor. The choir suite and children classrooms filled the space on the second floor.
December 8, 1996, was another memorable day in the life of Bell Shoals when ground was broken for another educational building. This wing provided space for preschoolers on the first floor. A singles suite and classrooms for children were located on the second floor. The wing extended west from the previous building on the west side of the sanctuary. On December 15, 1996, the church celebrated a ground breaking for the student ministries building, "The Point". "The Point" is situated on Overhill Drive. Dedication and Ribbon Cutting ceremonies were held on January 18, 1998, for the educational building and on June 14, 1998 for "The Point". These two building were constructed for a cost of $4.5 million. As wonderful people continue to come to Bell Shoals Baptist Church, our goal is to continue to make room for them and to love and care for them.
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