Linking to the Past while Building our Future 

Central Baptist Church can trace its history back to October 11, 1931, the second Sunday in the month of October.  How prophetic it is that we have begun our current Stewardship Campaign kick off on October 12^th, 2003, the second Sunday in the month of October!  On a fall day in 1931 a tent meeting was held in Allenton, Missouri. On that day Rev. G. C. Cross organized the Allenton Baptist Church along with charter members Mr. and Mrs. Fridley, Mrs. Gasperson, Mrs. Noel, Mrs. Dasher, Mr. W. A. Votaw and Mr. J. T. Sparks. Due to their vision of a church in this area others were added that day and evening. They were Mrs. Sarah Cloak, Mrs. Dora Johnson, Mrs. Mary Ender, Mr. Ender, Mrs. Fannie Otis, Mr. Elmer Weidman, Mr. Ernest Weidman, Mr. S. W. Johnson, Miss Willie Cloak, Mr. Weidman, Mrs. Rose Weidman, Miss Daisy Brown and Mrs. Margaret Weidman. These people were able to purchase a building in Allenton to use as a meeting place.  

Establishing a church during the Great Depression here in America was no easy task. It took a strong vision from the Lord. God strengthen and allowed this small body of believers to grow and even begin a mission Sunday School in Glencoe in 1933. As early as March 1^st, 1934 there was discussion about finding a more centrally located spot for the church to meet bringing the Allenton and Pacific resident members and the Glencoe and Valley Park members closer together. The vision of erecting a new building in Eureka would help combine these two groups. It was not until October 1937 that the Allenton congregation voted to move to Eureka and adopt the name Central Baptist Church since Eureka was more centrally located.  

The Central Baptist Church congregation met at several different locations in the city of Eureka between 1931 and 1938. Rev. Cross left the congregation as pastor in April of 1935. In September of 1935 Rev. Max Payne was called as pastor. He began his work on September 26^th, 1935. The congregation found a suitable site and was given the vision to build. On May 29^th, 1938 construction of a basement church was begun on our current site. The building was finished and the first meeting in the new building was held on September 7^th, 1938. This meeting was a prayer meeting. Today this part of the building houses our nursery.  

On March 14^th, 1942 a sanctuary was built above this basement. The white frame building served as the church’s sanctuary for over 30 years. At this time the congregation had a Ladies Aid group similar to the WMU as well as a music program and soon a bus ministry was started. These programs along with the calling of God allowed the congregation to grow. On Nov. 17^th, 1946 a basement education space was added to the existing building. More people were drawn to the church and in September of 1960 the second floor was added to this basement education space.  

In 1965 Rev. Payne retired from the ministry and the church looked for a pastor. Rev. J. I. Jacobs of Shaw, Mississippi was called as pastor and remained until June of 1969. The foreign Mission Board commissioned Rev. and Mrs. Jacobs as missionaries to Guyana, South America. During Rev. Jacobs time at the church a program of debt retirement was adopted. The sanctuary was also remodeled and the education space was changed. A building fund was also established in order to build a new sanctuary that would seat 300 people. The vision of building such a facility would allow for more worship space. In July of 1969 a building committee was established. Members of this committee included Joe Bane, Warren Bailey, John Whitworth, Dan McKinley, Kennie Callahan, Audie Laubinger, John Whitelock and Bob Thompson. 

The new sanctuary was completed and the first services were held on Nov. 14, 1971. This building project was a financial challenge and commercial lending intuitions felt that the church was not strong enough to undertake a $100,000 loan. This was a trying period for the congregation and construction plans were even postponed for a time. Through faith and encouragement in the vision the church had for this building, the church began selling bonds on Nov. 8^th, 1970 and the $100,000 bond issue was sold in two weeks time.  

During this challenging time the church called Rev. Alfred Cobb as pastor in Dec. 1970. The Cobb family moved into the parsonage on Jan. 1, 1971. Rev. Cobb served the church for over 10 years. During this time a parsonage was purchased, the parking lot was surfaced, the balcony was constructed and the stair way was completed connecting the two buildings. Many ministries developed thanks to devoted lay people and part time staffers. The Wee School program was started in the early 80’s as well as a children’s ministry lead by part time staff member Doug Bell. After Rev. Cobb left Central in 1983 Rev. Chuck Ostrander and Rev. Dean Catlett pastored here completing the decade of the 1980’s.  

Rev. Jim Breeden became the pastor in 1991 and remained as pastor until 1999. During the 1990’s the congregation grew. The AWANA program began and our missions organizations continued to grow as well as the music ministry. The church facilities needed up dating and more space was needed. In 1995 the fellowship hall and classroom spaces were dedicated with much of the work being done by members of the congregation between 1991-1995. The first meeting of the Strategic Facilities Planning Team was held on March 30, 1999.  Those attending the meeting were Jim Breeden, Dale Cobb, Orlando Gaut, Dale Hicks, Mel Bishop, Doug Stewart, Mike Lee, Sr., Mike Hickinbotham, and Ed Gibson, Chairman. This team was to plan and envision Central Baptist in the Future and what our facility needs would be at that time.

 After Rev. Breeden took a job as the Evangelism and Church Growth Coordinator of the St Louis Metro Baptist Association in Dec. 1999, Central was without a pastor. The church arranged for an interim pastor while the search committee sought God’s man for this position. Rev. Jerry Cowin was called and became pastor in September of 2000. The vision of the Strategic Facilities Planning Team soon became a vision shared by our new pastor as well as the many new faces that have joined the church since then.

 This vision has grown into the Building for Our Future Central’s Vision Stewardship Campaign. It is the prayer of the Stewardship Team that the vision God has given us at this time will be the vision that leads our church to be a tool in God’s hand, a tool to lead others to the saving grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Good News that each believer has been commissioned with spreading.  Matt. 28:19-20 says, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” NIV