God's hand on His people

Ridgedale Baptist Church – the very name evokes memories of our heritage.  From a Sunday School class begun at a home in the Ridgedale community grew a church in 1908 with 15 charter members.  The ensuing years saw this small band grow to the point that in 1912 the church was able to buy property and erect a small brick building at 2500 East 12^th Street.   Wonderful stories have been preserved which tell of the hardships, sacrifice, and faithfulness of this fellowship.

By 1924 the church had bought property at 600 Dodds Avenue and had begun the building that would be home for this congregation until 1990.  Those years were filled with the excitement of growth, not just in numbers, but also in developing ministries to share the message of Christ with the community.                                                                        

By the end of the 1930’s, the congregation had grown to 1400 members.  But even with this tremendous growth, the faithful at Ridgedale continued to be aware of needs outside their community.   Our church has always had a heart for missions – sending out many young people into full-time ministry and supporting mission efforts at home and around the world.

Additionally, in 1944 we sponsored a mission that grew into Ridgeview Baptist Church on North Moore Road.  Developing programs within the church also reflected a desire to meet needs in the name of Christ.  Notably, in 1966 the Child Development Center opened and quickly established the standard for child care across the state and the region.  Bible study, church training, missions, music, recreation, youth ministry, senior adult ministry – all of these continued to grow in an effort to reach out to a community in need of Christ.

However, the community was changing as families continued to move out into developing suburbs, and growth diminished.  But God still had a plan for Ridgedale.  In 1986 McCallie School offered to purchase the church property.  After much prayer, we agreed to sell and relocate to continue the ministry begun almost 80 years before.

Thus began a new chapter for Ridgedale.  September 2, 1990, marked the first Sunday in our new facility at 1831 Hickory Valley Road.  Rapid growth caused us to need more space within a year, and so a second story was added to the children’s wing.  By 1994 we were able to build the sanctuary.

In 1999, with a vision to further reach the community, Ridgedale purchased what is now called The Meadows.  This 24 acre recreation area has two state-of-the-art baseball fields, multiple soccer and flag football fields, and a community play-scape.  One of the houses has become a Missionary residence for missionaries on stateside assignment.  The additional house, and two of the barns, the swimming pool and the mega-tent has become the home of Camp Ridgedale and Community Kids.  Camp Ridgedale is a summer program for school-aged children and Community Kids is an after school program featuring tutoring, ministry, and fun.

In 2004, God opened still another door when an adjacent office building and acreage became available.  The newly renovated Summit now houses our dynamic Middle School and High School ministries on Sunday Mornings and Wednesday nights.  Ridgedale’s regionally recognized Summit Counseling Center that started in 2005 also occupies a portion of the Summit ministry space.  There are plans to further utilize the land space with recreational ministry features and a nature path already exists.

In 2006 and 2007 Ridgedale purchased two adjacent houses for the church’s Timothy Ministry.  The Timothy Ministry assists young ministers in gaining practical experience while they assist Ridgedale in its mission.  The Timothy Ministry also helps experienced ministers recover and re-engage in ministry after a loss of ministry crisis.

As we move into the future, God continues to bless Ridgedale with many new members and opportunities to reach more in our community for Christ.  In THE NEXT STEP OF FAITH ground was broken in July 2007 for a new educational building and an expanded atrium gathering space.

However, ours is not just a history of buildings, a succession of staff members, and programs.  It is the story of God at work through people who are willing to be used.  We cherish our past as the foundation of faith with which we face the future.  With God in control, Ridgedale will continue to reach out to a world in need of Christ.