Look who/what is turning 50 this month…First Baptist Church of Cherokee Village! The church was established as an independent Southern Baptist Church on October 21, 1973 with $41,000.00 bond indebtedness. The church had its beginning May 1968 on its current site as a Mission of Park Hill Baptist Church of North Little Rock. Whether bearing fact or legend, a handwritten note by Paul King, member of the Cherokee Baptist Mission Committee, states “The church started in the mind of Virgie King, and JB Dailey’s Mother, Mary Dailey. It was supposed to be located near the Methodist Church; but Mrs. Virgie King insisted to Mr. Cooper that it be located on its present site.”The John A. Cooper Company did donate 2.8 acres for the church at its present site. A history timeline recorded in the CV Baptist Mission bulletin March 23, 1969 reveals a meeting was held on March 15, 1968 at the Sitting Bull Restaurant for persons interested in establishing a Baptist Mission in this area. The Mission would be underwritten by the Arkansas Baptist State Convention and the sponsoring church, Park Hill Baptist of North Little Rock. Great community interest was shown at that initial meeting with approximately 75 citizens attending from CV and the surrounding area: The Mission was chartered; a portable, mobile building arrived on site May 10, 1968. The building preparations such as ground work, foundation & cleaning were completed. The John A. Cooper Company also donated a permanent sanitation system which was hooked up to the mobile building.
A few short weeks after that initial meeting, the missionheld its first church service on May 26, 1968 in the mobilebuilding with 48 charter members present, lead by Rocky Bayou and Big Creek Associational Missionary Brother Hugh Cooper of Melbourne. After steady growth, to 195 members, the mission was constituted into the nowindependent church, FBCCV, October 21, 1973 with R B King as Pastor. The new church was affiliated with Big Creek & Rocky Bayou Associations, Arkansas Baptist Convention, and the Southern Baptist Convention. The groundbreaking ceremony for the first units of the current building was held March 23, 1969. The design for the structure was such that the church building would be constructed in three stages with various additional units as the congregation grew. The church building was completed in 1990 with expansion of the sanctuary as the local membership grew to more than 400. The Family Life Center was built in 2005 and the church has had all debts paid in full since 2008. The church orchestrated/developed a state approved group home school setting in 2016, named CCA (Creator’s Christian Ambassadors), which hosted their first twelveth grade graduation in 2022. The future security of the church is potentiated by the strong children and youth programs which continue to grow tremendously through the Sunday morning small groups & children’s church, summer church camp and KPX programs, and Wednesday AWANA program and Youth fun gatherings while growing in Jesus for their life. Future plans include expansion of the current worship sanctuary and construction of a dedicated building for Youth services and activities.
Cherokee Village Baptist Church Plans 50th Anniversary Celebration
Members of First Baptist Church Cherokee Village (FBCCV) are excited about plans to celebrate their 50 year anniversary as an independent church serving our community and the surrounding area. The celebration will be held October 21-22 at the church. Theme for the celebration is ‘Celebrating our Past, Present, & Future: Faithful Unto the Harvest.’
All current and past members of the church are invited to attend the kickoff celebration family dinner and program on the 21st at 6:00 in the FLC with doors opening at 5:30pm. There will be great food, fellowship, sharing from past members, time capsule filling, and an opportunity for personal photographs if desired. Please call the church office, 870-257-3112, if you are a past member who wishes to attend the dinner. The dinner is free but a head count is needed for adequate food preparation.
Sunday morning, the 22nd, the celebration continues with an extended service from 9;30-12:00 with music & worship, past & present Pastors, history through the years slide show, and speakers regarding portions of our church life & ministries. Various aspects of church history will be on display with documents & facts poster boards and photo albums. Church will conclude with the burying of the time capsule. An old fashioned sack lunch will be provided by the church and yard games on the grounds will immediately follow. Everyone is encouraged to bring a lawn chair.
The celebration will conclude with the current youth and children leading our evening time together which will start at 5:30pm. We encourage everyone in the area to come hear and see the awesome program the young people will present.
Submitted
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