|
A Brief History of Second Baptist Church
Arkadelphia, Arkansas
Second Baptist Church began on January 25, 1905, as
Sweet Hill Mission, a ministry of Arkadelphia's First Baptist Church. At its
conception an average of forty persons attended Sunday School. By August, seven
months after its establishment as a mission, Sweet Hill asked to break its ties
with First Baptist and begin its own work. The now Sweet Hill Baptist Church
consisted of twenty-three members.
H. H. Thomas, a Ouachita College ministerial student,
came as part-time pastor when the church organized. Under his leadership,
Sweet Hill Baptist conducted a November revival resulting in fifty-five
conversions and forty additions to the church. By March, 1906, the church had
about 100 members, four deacons, and six Sunday School teachers, a marked
increase in size within less than half a year of its organization.
In 1905 and 1906 Sweet Hill became involved in
associational and state convention work beginning an unbroken association.
Between 1907 and 1911 four different part‑time
pastors served the church. In 1912 Dr. Noble Townsend, a local physician and
ordained minister, became the first full‑time pastor of the church.
Sweet Hill had several different pastors in the
ensuing years; some were ministerial students from Ouachita College. In 1922
and 1923 the church added Sunday School rooms to the auditorium and built the
first parsonage.
When the Southern Baptist Convention began promoting
the Cooperative Program in 1925, Sweet Hill Baptist Church was one of only 150
Arkansas Baptist State Convention churches adopting the program. In the same
year, under the leadership of Pastor Taylor Stanfill, the church completely
remodeled the auditorium and re-roofed the church building, making it
"one of the nicest sanctuaries in Arkadelphia." (Arkansas Baptist, August 20, 1925)
On September 19, 1928, Sweet Hill voted to change
its name to Second Baptist Church. For its first twenty-three years Sweet
Hill Baptist had considered itself a community church, but now the church was
expanding its ministry to include the entire city of Arkadelphia.
Second Baptist launched a building program in 1938
to erect an educational building and to update and enlarge the auditorium
during the pastorate of Sidney Wiles. From 1937-1941 Second experienced
considerable growth. Church membership increased 35 percent. Sunday School
enrollment and average attendance had increased more than fifty percent. Four
Vacation Bible Schools had been held with an average enrollment of 140. Gifts
to church causes had greatly increased and the pastor's salary had increased
forty percent. A church library ministry began in 1940. A church bus ministry
began in 1941 and continued until 1956.
Under the leadership of Stanley Cooper, the church
expanded twice, in 1949 with another annex added on to the auditorium to
provide more Sunday School space and in 1935 with a new educational building.
In 1952 Second restarted a mission, originally begun
in 1915, in the northwestern part of town, named Park Hill Mission. It is now
Park Hill Baptist Church.
Carl Kluck came as pastor of Second Baptist in
February, 1960, and continued until December, 1990, when he retired. Brother
Kluck led the church in three large building expansions. The first, completed
in late 1960, provided a new nursery and educational space for three
Sunday School departments. By March, 1968, a new auditorium that would seat
375, provide a choir room, church offices and pastor's study was completed. The
final expansion, the C. W. Kluck Educational
Building, a 10,000 square foot
addition which provides nursery, preschool, children, college, and library
space was dedicated in March, 1988. The church raised $250,000 of the $385,000
required to finish the building.
Dr. Shelby Cowling began his pastorate here at
Second Baptist in 1991. He served from June, 1991 until February, 1998. During
that time, Second expanded its facilities, properties, and ministries. A March,
1997 tornado did extensive damage to the church buildings and surrounding
community; much of the area is still in a rebuilding and recovery phase. Major
repair and renovation was done to the sanctuary, fellowship hall and youth
rooms, and two houses provided for staff adjacent to the church. Second was
able to acquire several lots which are projected to meet future needs of
providing adequate parking and new facilities. At the time of the storm, Second
had been in a building and fund-raising program for the construction of a
new fellowship center.
In
1998 Second was debt free financially. The
youth and college ministries were thriving numerically and spiritually. Brother
Jerre Hassell just finished serving as interim pastor starting in June of 1998
to April of 2000. The church called John Blase from Stephens, Arkansas to be
the new pastor. His first day in the pulpit was April 16, 2000. Under Bro. John,
the church started a building project of a new
sanctuary costing 2.4 million dollars. Home Sunday School groups for the
Adult 6 age (young married and single career) began on Sunday evenings. F.W.
Friends for preschool and children also was started on Sunday evenings to
encourage scripture memorization and Bible study. This took the place of G.A.'s,
R.A.'s, and Mission Friends. A more contemporary style of worship and music was
also instituted by Bro. John and staff. Bro. John was called to a
church outside of Colorado Springs, Colorado and his last Sunday was September
28, 2003.
Faron Rogers was called as pastor and started his
ministry on October 24, 2004. Faron moved from DeQueen, Arkansas First Baptist
Church where he pastored for over 15 years.
Pastors of Second Baptist Church (Sweet Hill
Baptist):
(Pictures featured in foyer of sanctuary)
H. H. Thomas (1905-1907) part time;
Four different part-time pastors (1907-1911)
Dr. Noble Townsend (1912-1916)
Walter F. Warren (student) (June 1916-January 1917)
Hugh James Perry Home (March-October
1917)
Logan Ford (1917-1918)
Dr. Noble Townsend (1918-1919)
E. H. Acuff (1919-1920)
Dr. Noble Townsend (1920-1922)
Thomas B. Rouse (October 1922-November 1924)
Taylor Stanfill (student) (February 1925-July
1927)
Walter Hinsley (supply) (July 1927-May 1929)
Claude Hill (July 1929-February 1930)
Dr. Thomas Croxton (1930-1931)
James Overton (student) (1931-1935)
Sidney Wiles (1935-1943)
Ray Branscum (1943-1944)
Oscar Harvey (1944-1948)
Stanley Cooper (July 1948-April 1956)
Thomas Dove (July 1956-September 1959)
Carl
W. Kluck
(February 1960-December 1990)
Charles W. Hampton (interim) (February
1991-May 1991)
Dr. Shelby Cowling (June 1991-February 1998)
Jerre
Hassell
(interim) (June 1998-April 2000)
John Blase
(April
2000-September 2003 )
Sonny
Tucker (interim) (November 2003-May 2004)
Don
Pucik (Interim) (June 2004-October 2005)
Faron
Rogers (October 24, 2004-)
|
