By LEON HUMPHREY

CARTER COUNTY MAYOR
Sunday, October 8, 2017 marks a tremendous milestone for one of Carter County’s Crown Jewels. I am delighted to share with you that First Baptist Church, located on the corner of Lynn Avenue and F Street in Elizabethton, Tenn., will be celebrating its 175th Anniversary. The Church was formed when 31 pioneer Baptists gathered in the Methodist Church on Sunday, June 21, 1842 and constituted itself as a Baptist congregation. The Church is a cornerstone of Carter County’s foundation and heritage.
This Sunday, I will be presenting the Church with a proclamation. Many people will be at the celebration but for those of you who are unable to attend or who attend other churches, I will share with you some excerpts from the proclamation.
WHEREAS, the presbyters of Elders Reese Bayless, Valentine Bowers, and James Edens elected Elder William Cate as its first pastor and the congregation approved the Articles of Faith, Church Covenant, and Rules of Decorum; and
WHEREAS, the church met in several locals including a “Mission Arm in Turkeytown” until a brick church facility was built on First Street at Kendrick Avenue in Elizabethton near the County Court House; and
WHEREAS, the records indicate the church was significantly impacted by the American Civil War and did not meet during those troubling times; and WHEREAS, in 1881 came together in a reformed church and met at the Hyder School House until a new wooden church facility could be erected on the corner of Main and Broad Streets in Elizabethton Old Town in 1892; and
WHEREAS, in 1903 moved that facility west across the Doe River to a site of higher elevation from the floods of the Watauga and Doe Rivers to a location in the center of the growing town on the corner of Elk Avenue and Sycamore Street; and
WHEREAS, in 1968 joined other churches from Carter County, Johnson County and Unicoi County to form the Watauga Baptist Association; and
WHEREAS, because of that growth brought about by the change from an agrarian oriented county seat town to a major hub of business and commerce brought about by the railroads and the construction of textile mills, the church sought out property to relocate on Sunset Hill on the corner of F Street and Lynn Avenue in 1828; and
WHEREAS, the church in 1943 started four mission bible study programs that would ultimately lead to the establishment of four new Carter County congregations: East Side Baptist, Oak Street Baptist, Immanuel Baptist, and Calvary Baptist churches; and
WHEREAS, the church would provide a mission to the Reservoir Hill community with the establishment of the Reservoir Hill Mission and The Hale Community Chapel that would provide ministry and physical relief for the needy of the county; and
WHEREAS, First Baptist Church continued to grow during the middle part of the twentieth century such that in 1956 the church facility was doubled with the addition of a new educational wing that provided ministry and Bible study for all ages and groups of the church; and
WHEREAS, the church continued to excel in ministry through the years by providing specialized programs to the challenged, handicapped, and shut-in individuals by such programs as a Silent Class, Scouting programs for the Down’s Syndrome Child, and visitation and Meals on Wheels to the sick and elderly; and
WHEREAS, First Baptist Church continues to reach out to the community and the world through such ministry programs as the broadcast of the Sunday service on radio station WBEJ, by weekly Bible study and ministry to the inmates of the local County Jail, and through annual programs of mission trips to Africa and Central America; and
WHEREAS, the First Baptist Church has been served by 38 different individuals who have been called as pastor since its inception in 1842 as well dozens of professionally trained associate ministers; and
WHEREAS, the church has been faithfully supported through the years by hundreds of men and women who have volunteered time and resources to ensure the mission statement, “To Glorify God, Serve the Lord Jesus Christ, and share Him with the World,” is carried out.
Pastor Todd Hallman has invited the community to join him and the rest of the membership of First Baptist Church for this historic celebration.
Extremely tragic events are occurring in the world every day. Many of these horrific events affect not only our lives but those of our family and friends. It is very important that we all have a sanctuary. Here in Carter County we are truly blessed to have First Baptist as well as all many other wonderful churches. I pray that Carter County Citizens will always treasure these sacred places of fellowship and worship. For it is imperative that we never lose sight of the fact that God loves us and is always there for us no matter what happens in our daily lives or in the world around us.
For the latest updates and breaking news announcements from my office, please see the County Home Page Latest News section on the internet at www.cartercountytn.gov . Great things are happening in Carter County.
Please feel free to contact me at mayor@cartercountytn.gov or by phone at 423-542-1801 if you have any questions or if I can be of assistance to you. My office is located at 801 East Elk Avenue, Suite 201 located in the County Courthouse in Elizabethton. I have an open-door policy and everyone is always welcome.