Women On Mission - April 2023
On October 6, 1963, Oakhill was constituted as a church. Bonnie Boultinghouse Beckham shared her memories of these early days. Bonnie is a charter member. How did we start coming to Oak Hill Baptist Church? {I was a child of eight years of age, so my memories are different from those of an adult}. We had always attended Sunday School and church at the Rescue Mission. When the church sign was placed in the yard in front of the house and little garage on Oak Hill Road, Dad told Mom that we should visit and see if it would be a place where we could worship together close to home. Dad also noticed several people he knew going into the church when he would pass on his way home from work. So, one Sunday we visited and before long we joined the church. I remember our family being baptized at Keck Avenue Baptist Church to become members. I think I was eight years old. Sunday School classes were held in the house, and worship was in the white concrete garage-type building. The kids met in the house and the adults split up in the corners of the Chapel for class. As more people joined the Chapel and it became able to stand on its own, we became a church instead of a Chapel. I remember that day as a long service with many visiting pastors and missionaries from the area encouraging us to become a leader in the community for Christ. As we continued to grow, it became evident that we needed to build. The property surrounding the house and garage was purchased and plans were started for a larger church building. I remember a committee of people from the Sunday School board coming to the church with suggestions for how to plan the layout for the new church. Many wanted to build right in the middle of the hill but the developers pointed out how we need to build at the top of the hill so we could grow. The day we turned over the ground to start building was a great day! Dad and other men of the church gave their time, talents, and money to the building of the church. I did not know until much later that Dad along with several others had enough faith to put their homes up for collateral for the loans to build the church. These men spent many hours finishing the inside of the church, building cabinets, tables, painting, and anything else that needed to be done. As time drew closer for the opening of the new building, I remember going to the church along with other families to clean and get ready for the big day. As children, we had worked to give our allowance and chore money to build “our” new church. We were so proud of our new building. I have been at this church for over 60 years. God has blessed the vision of that small group of believers so long ago. They would be so overjoyed with the way Oakhill has continued to follow God's call and direction. God continues to bless our church with members that are willing to use their talents to glorify Him.
Women on Mission will meet Thursday, April 6th at 1:00 pm in the Grace Classroom. All ladies are invited to join us.