the PAST...
Although Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary defines the word "history" by saying that it is “a chronological record of significant events often including an explanation of their causes,” many would argue that much more than that is involved. History is not just the documentation of facts and figures in chronological order -- history is the telling of a story. The story of King Spring Baptist Church revolves around a group of individuals who loved God so much that they had to share His love with others -- they had to share “His Story” with the people of their community.
In the spring of 1957 the Missions Committee of First Baptist Church of Smyrna made a recommendation to the church body to purchase a 6-acre tract of land and construct a large meeting room in the house located on that property in order to establish a church. On Sunday, May 19, 1957, the King Spring Baptist Mission was formally established by a group of about 40 individuals from First Baptist. Due to the rapid growth of this church plant, the Mission Committee of First Baptist soon recommended that a full-time Pastor be called, and on March 1, 1958, Dr. Guy S. Williamson filled that role.
This newly planted church continued to reach people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and it continued to grow numerically. So it was in August 1958 that the Missions Committee of First Baptist recommended that this church plant formally be constituted as an independent church. That formal constitution occurred on Sept. 28, 1958, with 111 charter members present. And that’s just the beginning of the story.
the PRESENT...
Fifty-plus years from the time of that first worship service, the story of King Spring still revolves around a group of individuals who love God so much that they have to share His love with others -- they have to share “His Story” with the people of their community. That’s why, in 2009, King Spring started doing things a little differently.
The community and culture around the church has changed tremendously over the past 50 years, so we’ve changed the way we “do” church in an effort to show our community just how relevant God still is to their lives! What’s so different about what we’re doing? Well, we recognize that many people today seem to think that “church” is outdated ... or behind the times. We’re attempting to help them see that’s not the case. In addition to our band, we’ve integrated numerous multimedia aspects into our worship experience and have sought to provide an atmosphere that is inviting to those who might be “turned off” by the thought of attending church.
At the same time, we haven’t chosen to ignore the fact that many in our community still like to worship God in a “traditional” manner each week. So we now provide two worship opportunities, each with their own distinct style. We’ve sought the best of both worlds by providing variety for our community when it comes to church.
the POTENTIAL...
What’s in store for our future at the Spring? We hope to have continued success in our vision! Our vision is to share the message of the gospel with our community in a manner that connects with them ... and to provide opportunities for people to utilize their talents to help us accomplish that objective.
Over the next few years, we hope that we’ll be able to look out across those gathered in our worship services each Sunday and see people from every walk of life represented -- no matter the age, ethnicity, gender or social status. And hopefully, we’ll see you!
