Community Baptist Church was founded through the church planting program at Bob Jones University in Greenville, SC. God burdened Mr. & Mrs. Larry Malone to contact BJU about planting a church in the Rochester, NH area. The church planting team, including Cliff Stewart, came to the area and investigated the need. After prayerful consideration, Pastor Stewart felt called to start this church. In July 17, 1977, Community Baptist Church had its first service with 19 present. The church met in the home of Mr. & Mrs. Freeman on Richardson Street.
In 1978-79, the church purchased the present property with the house and the small building, which is now known as the “Little Church.” Much work was needed on the small building, so Paul Whitfield came to help with the repairs and to build an addition. It was a blessing from God to have our own property. The church seated about 50-75 people and housed the following: auditorium, pastor’s office, nursery, and three Sunday school rooms. Through the preaching of God’s Word, the church began to grow. In 1981 a building fund was started for what was to become our present building. In 1990, God provided a beautiful new facility on the same property that seats about 200 people. Many improvements have been made over the years on both buildings and we are grateful for all the Lord has given us. However, the most important changes in our church were in the spiritual lives of our church family.
In 2002, Community Baptist Church celebrated its 25th anniversary. We are blessed that all of our pastors have been Godly men who desired to shepherd a church that honors God. We are thankful for the consistent focus placed on God’s Word and the desire to win others to Christ.
One goal of our church is to spread the gospel of salvation to others.
Another goal of Community Baptist Church is to provide growth and fellowship for born-again Christians. We, as a church, are here to glorify God and to meet the spiritual needs of this community. God is very much alive at Community Baptist Church. We are very family oriented and welcome visitors with a God-given friendliness. We would like to extend an invitation to you to come and worship with us.
FROM OUR 40TH ANNIVERSARY:
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE FOUNDING OF COMMUNITY BAPTIST CHURCH
BY
CLIFF STEWART, FOUNDING PASTOR
THE EARLY YEARS – 1977-1988
In 1971 the Lord saved my wife Earlene and I, and soon we found ourselves by the leading of the Lord in an independent Baptist church where missions and evangelism was a prime emphasis. It was in this atmosphere that the Holy Spirit spoke to me about going to Bob Jones University in order to study for the ministry. In 1973 we headed with our two young daughters to Greenville, SC and started our studies.
In my junior year I became interested in New England missions with an emphasis on church planting. I enrolled in the Church Planting Ministry at BJU under the leadership of Dr. Otis Holmes. Near the end of that year we made a survey trip to New England and Rochester was on the agenda. After touring the area with June and Larry Malone, we went back home to pray over what we had seen and seek the Lord’s guidance.
After the decision was made that Rochester was the place, there was much to do. Not the least of which was to finish my senior year and graduate. In 1977 I did just that, and six days later we (my family and I) were in Rochester, NH ready to go to work for the Lord.
We were supported in that first year by three sources – 1) Bob Jones University thanks to Dr. Bob III who always had a heart for missions; 2) our home church, Southside Baptist, thanks to Dr. Walter Handford who ordained me and graciously supported our efforts; 3) and the initial families of Community Baptist Church who stepped up for the work from the very beginning.
Our support from BJU and Southside was to last at least one year, but well before the year was up CBC was self-supporting. So we were able to discontinue the funds from BJU and Southside so they could support others who needed it. Except for a very brief time when I worked part-time, CBC has been self-supporting ever since.
In reality, the Lord owns the cattle on a thousand hills and the gold in the mines are His. He meets our needs according to His riches in Glory. He proved this to us over and over again during those wonderful early days of getting the ministry up and going.
Two things were pressing in those first few weeks. Start meeting for services and finding a place to live.
The services started on July 17, 1977 at the home of June Malone’s parents, the Freemans, at 10 Richardson Street with eight attending including my own family. We sang (thanks to song leading class at BJU), I preached (I wish I could remember what.), and we all got excited about what the Lord was going to do.
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One example follows: After finding the house that we wanted to live in, I met with the banker downtown, explained what we were doing in Rochester, and said this, “I’m trusting the Lord to meet my every need, and I’m asking you to trust me while I trust Him.” Two days later he got back to me and said, “I don’t know why I’m doing this, but I’m going to lend you the money for the house.”
In 1988 when I turned the ministry over to Joe Montgomery, the church was debt free and established on its own property at 136 Eastern Avenue. Through the generous giving of those committed to the work, a onetime gift of over $100,000, and the faithful provision of our heavenly Father. We never had so much as a late charge on the mortgage. Did the Lord keep His promise? Indeed, He did!
But, I’m getting ahead of myself.
Services had begun, and we continued to meet at the Freeman’s. Two things now came to the forefront – We needed a place to meet that would accommodate more people, and we needed to get the word out that we were here.
We began renting the second floor of the Odd Fellows Hall on South Main Street for Sunday services. We continued to meet in our new home at 35 King Street for Wednesday evening prayer meeting.
The Odd Fellows Hall had two interesting features to it. First, the stairs were so steep that the Odd Fellows (who were old) installed a chair lift to get them up and down for their meetings. They frowned on us using it, so it was like mountain climbing each Sunday to the service.
The other Interesting thing about the Odd Fellows hall was the seating. The chairs were finished in old sticky, dark varnish. As the summer months continued and the heat increased, the chairs got stickier. We decided to have evangelistic meetings. Our evangelist (I can’t remember his name.) had a light blue sports coat on. When he stood to preach, he had brown stipes on the back of his jacket and the chair lifted right off the floor when he stood up. After that we had to cover the chairs with plastic sheets so we wouldn’t stick to them.
In spite of these minor issues we were glad to be in a larger place. We had some brochures printed up, bought some tracts, and started going door to door. We approached the city very methodically like the Post Office does. It took quite some time to complete the task, but eventually we had knocked on every door in Rochester including the surrounding communities.
The Lord honored our efforts and we grew to about 25 people. Interestingly, not so much from the door-knocking but from the word of mouth. I think, however, if we had not done our part, God would not have given “the increase.“
But, we knew we needed our own place. Once again, the Lord provided. The property at 136 Eastern Avenue was on the market.
A house and a chicken coup! Since we could live in the house, we sold our home at 35 King Street and with the profits from the sale we were able to purchase 136 Eastern Avenue.
The chicken coup had been used by a doctor who had put a few walls up and carpet on the dirt floors (yes, dirt!), and opened his practice. Where the auditorium was, there was a large open area like a barn with the coups hanging there uncleaned and exposed. In the middle of it was a large above ground swimming pool. Unbelievable! But, we sold it and got some money for concrete. We then tore out the coups, put up paneling, and laid carpet. We painted the outside and fixed the roof as best we could. We were in business! The Lord had given us a church, and we dedicated it to Him.
We were not only blessed financially, but most importantly, we were blessed by seeing the souls that were saved and the lives that were change. Many went on to serve the Lord beyond CBC.
Over the years the struggles of growing a ministry have diminished in my memory and the blessings are recollected with great joy. Here are just a few of those blessings.
During those first eleven years Community Baptist Church had grown from 8 to between 80 and 100 people. The emphasis of the ministry was preaching, teaching, evangelism and missions. We had an annual missions conference that was so well attended we hardly had room for all the people. We had brothers and sisters from around New England and around the world attending.
We studied through the Bible regularly in both preaching and teaching sessions. At one point about 20 adults studied through the Bible in survey form in a year. Homework and quizzes when they came to “Sunday School” was their routine for 52 weeks. I remember how they strove to excel and how pleased they were when they received the certificates for their accomplishments.
We had men’s conferences once a quarter for many years on Friday evenings. Men would gather from all over New England for prayer, preaching, and fellowship. Our precious ladies would feed and serve us.
We were on the local cable station for two years with a one-hour program every Sunday morning. We also had a small Christian school that we named Eastside Christian. My own daughter, Kelly, graduated from Eastside. She was our piano player for the services, and then went on to graduate from BJU. My oldest daughter Kristen graduated from BJU Academy and got her “Mrs.” degree at BJU.
Many were sent out to prepare for service away from CBC. Two airmen, Ken and Tony, from Pease Airforce Base went to BJU to study for the ministry. Ken eventually went to England as a missionary. The Amadon family surrendered for service and went off to BJU. Wendy Kreger went to Liberty University to study missions after being the WMF coordinator here at CBC. John Kenny went to BJU as a single man, got married, and has been serving as a missionary in Germany under GFA for many years. John’s sister also went to BJU along with others.
Through it all God was there trying to teach us what we should become in order to do what He wanted done. For that I’m eternally grateful.
As you, the current congregation of Community Baptist Church, begin the next 40 years of service to our King, I pray that you will take heed to the challenge that the Apostle Paul wrote to Titus, his son in the faith.
“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” Tit 2:11-14 ESV
May God continue to bless Community Baptist Church.