All the doors of
opportunity for this new area church closed and it appeared the
church would not have a place to start. However, God had a
different plan.
The church
began in April 1973 located at 115
Lincoln street in Bunker Hill, Indiana. It was a home owned
by J.T. and Gladys Stargel. The Reverend Jimmy Martin originally
of Alabama held services in the house converted to a church
facility until it was time to move to a permanent location.
The church had a
rough beginning with a paper trail of over eighteen months.
After the many hurdles the building began. Again, adversity
played its role when the partially built structure was destroyed
by a powerful storm. The paper trail began again due the the
extent of the damage.
Successfully built
in 1975 and open for services the church has continued to
minister to the community and missions all over the world. The
extended outreach was made possible by our Lord Jesus Christ and
through the Home Missions
Department and the Free Will Baptists Foreign Missions
Department, which was reorganized as the International
Missions Department in 2004.
The property was
originally purchased from J.T. and Gladys Stargel for one dollar
in 1974. In 1994 Gladys sold the remaining portion of the church
property for one
dollar.
The church, rooted
and grounded on the Gospel of Jesus Christ, is here simply
because there are still lost souls seeking fulfillment. True
fulfillment comes only from knowing Jesus Christ as your Lord
and Savior.
Americas Free Will
Baptists were organized from the English Baptists who came to
America in the late 1600s. Known as Free Will Baptists in 1727,
and continuing into tomorrow, the Gospel message of Jesus stays
the same.