Centennial celebration, part two, of Central Baptist Church will take place on Saturday, April 30th

Last year, as a member of a committee at Central Baptist Church to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the church, we started meeting early in the year and set the date for the celebration in October.

Don Estep is publisher of the News Journal.

Covid was a problem then but the vaccines were out and we thought by October we would be free of masks and we could have the celebration. However, at the first of August the Delta variant started and the pandemic was worse than ever. So we had to scale down our plans.

We were going to have a full weekend of activities but because of the pandemic our plans changed to only having a Sunday service with two of our former pastors speaking. 

As it turned out that service was outstanding but it left us wanting to have a program which pastors that had served formerly at Central and who were in their own pulpit on Sundays could attend the celebration.

So the 100th anniversary celebration of the church, part two, will take place with a Homecoming on Saturday, April 30th, beginning at 2:00 p.m., weather permitting, on the parking lot next to the church. In case of rain the program will be moved inside the church.

In addition to special singing by the Fair Haven Quartet and food, there will be entertainment for the children and a great time for fellowship. 

It is always a good to see and greet former members of the church that you haven’t seen for a long time. By scheduling this on a Saturday there will be more time for this kind of activity.

Because the October service was so good, both Dr. Darren Gaddis and Dr. Don Mathis will again be the featured speakers on the Sunday morning service. I know from that experience those two talented preachers left the audience wanting more.

I guess my qualification for being a member of the Centennial Committee was that I am old. Counting the years that my parents took me to church when I was a small child, I have been attending Central Baptist Church for over 80 years.

I have fond memories of many who have passed on. To assist in bringing back those memories the church published a 16 page magazine that was handed out to all those who attended the October service. Several copies remain and for those who did not receive one, copies will be available at the Homecoming. 

In addition to many pictures, the magazine contains the history of the church. Its first pastor was E.H Blakeman who served from 1921 to 1924.

The first gathered assembly of the church was at the schoolhouse. In 1922 the congregation constructed a permanent church building at the corner of Fourth and Kentucky Streets. But before that building was constructed they met in a wooden building during warm weather and had to move to the school building when it turned cold.

The first service in the current auditorium was held on Easter Sunday, April 9, 1992. The total seating capacity of the auditorium is 1,200.

Here we are, only about four weeks until the Homecoming celebration and the pandemic situation looks as if we are in the clear for meeting and greeting each other.

We hope for good weather. But regardless we will have a good time and all members and formers members and friends are invited to attend.