A brief
history of Sidney Baptist Church.
The "roots" or first congregational members started meeting in the
home of Enoch and Laura Jones
at 204
Highland Ave. Sidney, Ohio in 1952. The families would join together on
Sunday afternoons; have scripture reading, singing and prayer
service.
This group of families and friends joined together to purchase property,
construction materials, then together, built a small church building
at Pasco,
Ohio. This church was called the Southern Missionary Baptist
Church. The building still stands today, located on the left side of St.
Rt. 29
as you
enter Pasco from the West. This building served the membership for
several years. Members of the church left to form a mission of the
New
Carlisle Baptist Church on September 15, 1957. They called Rev. Steve G.
York as their first pastor.
On June 21, 1959
Sidney Baptist Church was organized as a church. Minutes of the
organizational meeting indicated 21 members. Three of that
number requested
membership at the evening service. The church was organized
at 3:00 P.M. that Sunday afternoon. They called the Rev.
Jacob "Jake" H. Hatfield as their first
pastor. The church building was located on Main Ave.(present location of
Cromes funeral home parking lot).
Pastor Hatfield served the church until his death March 19, 1961, while preaching from the pulpit of Sidney Baptist Church.
The church
has been served by the following pastors, Rev. J.H. Hatfield, Rev. Steve G.
York, Rev. Frank J. Rains, Rev. Elmer Russell,
Rev. Ora
Jones, Rev. Douglas Jones, Rev. F.L. Ashe, Rev. James Roberts, Rev. Randy
Kerns, Rev. Ralph Hoyt Davis and our current pastor
Rev. Dave
Moran.
In 1962
Sidney Baptist Church purchased a church building from Trinity Church of the
Brethren, located at 320 Grove St., Sidney, Ohio. When
that
building was paid in full, in 1973, the church
had a special mortgage burning
ceremony, with the presiding pastor, Rev. F.L. Ashe.
God
blessed the church to outgrow the location at 320 Grove St., through the
blessings of our Lord, the leadership of our church and the
faithfulness
of the membership, the church was greatly
blessed with the purchase of the property and the
construction of our present building at
1322 East Court St. The construction
of the church building occurred during 1998-1999. The first worship
service and dedication, of our present
building,
was on June 13, 1999. On Sunday, September 11, 2005, the church
celebrates the mortgage burning of our present location, with our
pastor,
Rev. Dave Moran, presiding.
We invite
you to share our Mission: Matthew 28: 19-20. "Go ye therefore
and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of
the Son
and of the Holy Ghost." "Teaching them to observe all things
whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you alway, even unto
the end of
the world." Amen.
We invite you
to join us in prayer; as we, with great anticipation and excitement, endeavor
to follow the head of our church, the Lord Jesus Christ,
as he
leads us ever forward.
May God Bless You!