Third of a four-part series, part
I part
II part
III part IV
After the first Pastor of Bible Center resigned in
October of 1958, pulpit duties were primarily the responsibility of a long
time friend of the church, Dr. Lester E. Pipkin. Dr. Pipkin was the founder
and President of Appalachian
Bible Institute in Bradley, WV.
In
June of 1961, Rev. Charles E. Hendricks became the second pastor of the City
Bible Center (now known as the Bible Center Church). He was saved through
the ministry of the church during special meetings with Dr. Harry A.
Ironside while the services were still being held at 419 Broad Street. Mr.
Hendricks and Mildred Henderson were married and he attended and
graduated from Tennessee Temple Bible School and Marietta College. His first
church was the founding of a church in Marietta, Ohio, which was called
Marietta Bible Center. The church prospered, and it was no easy decision
when he received a call to the Bible Center Church. God blessed the Bible
Center under his able direction. In the fall of 1967, Mr. Hendricks received
a call from the Perry Hall Baptist Church in Baltimore, Maryland. His
farewell message was delivered on February 11, 1968. A written statement by
Pastor Hendricks included these words to the congregation he was leaving:
-
"It would be impractical to list the many past and
presently contributing to the ministry. Mr. R.M. Maxwell and Rev. A.
Reid Jepson shepherded this work before me. Now the pastoral
responsibility will pass to another. In the interim be very faithful in
your attendance, giving and prayers. ... Great things lie ahead, reach
forth to them expectantly, trusting all the while in the One who said:
'faithful is He that calleth you will also do it.'"
After
Pastor Hendricks' resignation the pulpit of Bible Center Church was filled
by many servants of God including again, Dr. Pipkin. A number of others from
Appalachian Bible Institute also ministered the word during this period,
including: Dr. Joseph Pinter, Rev. Mel Sequine, Rev. Cary Perdue, Rev. Bill
Hanmer and Rev. Earl Parvin.
On September 29, 1968, Bible Center Church welcomed
its third pastor. Pastor Robert K. Spradling, his wife Gertrude and
daughters Cynthia and Cheryl moved to West Virginia from a pastorate at
First Baptist Church of Northville, Michigan. It might be better to say
"moved back" to West Virginia as he grew up in Kanawha County, and
he and Gertrude are both graduates of St. Albans High School. Pastor
Spradling's education included Southland Bible Institute, Piedmont Bible
College, Bob Jones University Graduate School and Grace Theological
Seminary.
During
28 years of ministry, Pastor Spradling led through his example, vision and
preaching of the Word of God. During this time the radio broadcast was
shifted from a studio production to a live broadcast of the morning service,
which continues to the present. As the congregation grew, the location on
Kanawha Boulevard reached its capacity. Additional adjoining property was
purchased, but still facilities were inadequate for the growing
congregation. Approximately 8.5 acres of land were found on Rt. 14 south
(now the location of corridor G - Rt. 119) and was purchased in 1973. During
this time Pastor George Darlington was called to serve as Associate Pastor,
a position he held until his retirement in 1993.
In addition to the property, the master plan called
for the construction of a building at a total 
cost
of approximately $1.4 million. Ground was broken on November 10, 1974,
at a special service featuring Dr. Lehman Stauss as guest speaker. The
dedication for the building was held May 2, 1976, with Dr. Howard Sugden as
featured speaker. The new facilities enabled an expansion of existing
ministries and allowed for the opening of a Christian
Day Care program in 1977.
A second phase of expansion was the addition of the
family center which included 6 classrooms a half-gym and new foyer space.
This addition was dedicated on July 5, 1981, with notable guest U.S. Senator
Jennings Randolph. These new facilities allowed Bible Center Church to open Bible
Center Christian School in 1981.
The work of Bible Center Church continued to
prosper under the leadership of Pastor Spradling. The blessing of God led to
the need to add a second morning worship service in 1990. Pastor Spradling
announced his retirement in 1994 and now serves as a consultant to churches
seeking to grow through Church
Development Services.
On April 6, 2003, Pastor Spradling was a speaker at
special 60th anniversary services at Bible Center. As part of his message he
stated: "When R.M. Maxwell gathered a group of believers together to
teach them God's Word, many people in Charleston laughed at this little
group. They aren't laughing now."
Part IV >>
Jesse Waggoner
Associate Pastor
© 2002 Bible Center Church
Back To Main Page /
Archive of Previous Articles