History of Grace Baptist
Click to play our 60th Anniversary Video (1946-2006).
Scroll down to read about the history of Grace Baptist Church.
1946
In 1946, the Jordan City Baptist Church, pastored by Rev. JL Reeves, was located on Talbotton Road on what is now an empty lot adjacent to Buck Ice & Coal, Co. Mr. Jordan, owner of the cotton mill across the street, donated a plat of land to the church at 2915 14th Avenue. On June 23rd, forty-seven members disbanded the church, moved to the new location and incorporated as Grace Baptist Church under Rev. HL West.
After two years, Pastor West resigned and was succeeded by Rev. JE Wilks, another original member, who served as interim pastor for the next eight months. Pastor VA Campbell was called in April 1949, and served for over a year. On October 1, 1950, Rev. Jimmy C. Neaves became the church's pastor.
1952
In 1952, Pastor Neaves led the church to build a new auditorium, now called Hodges Hall. Later that year, the church adopted its first official constitution. Pastor Neaves cut his own salary so that the church could begin supporting its first two missionaries at $10 per month each. In February of 1956, the church purchased its first bus to bring in children from the community.
1957
Pastor Neaves died unexpectedly, and on November 3, 1957, the church called Rev. Walter Lee Hodges as pastor. For the next 31 years, Pastor Hodges expanded the church's outreach through the bus ministry, missionary support, the founding of a Christian School, the establishing of sister churches in the community and the winning of souls. On September 25, 1966, the church voted to dissolve its denominational ties and become independent. By 1972, the church had outgrown its facility, and the current auditorium was built. Under Bro. Hodges' ministry, the Sunday morning attendance grew to an average of 300 to 400. In 1979, Pastor Hodges led the congregation to begin Grace Christian School. By August of that year, the new Educational Building was finished, and the first year began with 65 students in grades 1 through 9 with Rev. Doug Hodges as the school's first principal.
1988
In 1988, Brother Hodges retired for health reasons and recommended Rev. David Price to succeed him. Under Brother Price, the church and school attendance continued to rise. In an attempt to accommodate this growth, the church facility underwent a remodeling project and purchased a modest amount of adjacent property. It soon became apparent, however, that the congregation's vision was outgrowing its facilities, and in 1996, the church purchased 40 acres of largely undeveloped land (including two lakes) adjacent to a main highway leading out of Columbus. The timber has been cleared, and we are now actively preparing to begin planning and building a new facility for all of our ministries on this beautiful property located in the direction of our city's suburban development.
1999
In 1999, Pastor Price resigned, and the church called Dr. Jeffrey A. Amsbaugh. Under Pastor Amsbaugh's leadership, Grace Baptist Church continues to thrive. Our Faith Promise Commitment to Missions has more than doubled, and we now support over 140 missionaries. Pastor Amsbaugh has also implemented an innovative program for teenagers who are interested in Missions, known as Harvesters. The church also began a deaf ministry in the Fall of 2001. Due to the growing Hispanic population in Columbus, our pastor responded first by installing translation equipment and later by initiating Columbus' first independent Baptist Hispanic ministry under the leadership of our Spanish pastor. Dr. Amsbaugh and Grace Baptist Church have also joined forces with the local servicemen's center to offer evangelistic military retreats and Sunday School classes on Fort Benning. Our senior pastor looks forward to new ministries among college students and new outreach opportunities as a result of our relocation project.