Smith Valley Baptist Church began as a mission of the First
Baptist Church of Greenwood, in November of 1953.
Doyle Brown, a member of Greenwood First Baptist, and a lay
minister, was driving through Smith Valley on his way to work, and noted the
growth in this small community just west of Greenwood. He believed that this
would be an ideal place to begin a Baptist church. He discussed this idea with
his minister, Reverend Bob Marlett, and soon a committee was formed to make
arrangements and to oversee the work of planting a church.
A storeroom in a small strip mall in Smith Valley was rented for
$50 a month. Greenwood First Baptist provided a piano, folding chairs, and
hymnals. The mission grew quickly. On more than one occasion there was in excess
of 160 people in a room that was a mere 20 by 70 feet. The various Sunday school
classes were divided only by cloth curtains, and the buzz from the other class
“rooms” was only one of many obstacles teachers had to deal with weekly. Yet
they managed, and the mission continued to grow in numbers and spirit.
Reverend and Mrs. William Sharp had retired, and moved into the community, and
word got out that an American Baptist minister was living in the area, he was
soon asked to lead the Sunday evening services. The Sunday morning services were
still being led by Doyle Brown, and other lay ministers from Greenwood First
Baptist.
On March 20, 1955 the church was formally organized, with 26
charter members. Reverend Sharp agreed to come out of retirement and
became the full-time pastor. The small, strip mall room had already become
inadequate, but there was little hope that the church would be able to acquire a
larger facility, because the funds were not available. But, a group of men
from the church, several of who were involved in the construction industry, met
with Reverend Sharp, and insisted that the congregation could build a new church
themselves.
The church had already been given a parcel of land, on the hill
just east of the strip mall, and one of the trustees, who worked for
Indiana Power and Light, obtained an abandoned steel warehouse from the power
company with the provision that the building be dismantled and removed from
company property.
That was the first task dealt with by the men of the church, and
they began dismantling the building in August of 1957. Once dismantled the
building was moved, and then re-erected on the church’s land. The men, and many
women, pitched in to do this in the evenings after they finished their regular
jobs, and on the weekends. That building is still part of the church’s structure
today, housing the entries, the utility areas, and most of the Sunday school
rooms.
The church received a loan from the American Baptist Home
Mission society to continue with their building project, and in June of 1958
work was initiated on the sanctuary. Again the men and women of the church
provided the labor. The congregation moved into the completed sanctuary in March
of 1959. The Indianapolis Star, in an article about the efforts of the
congregation, dubbed Smith Valley Baptist Church, the “Miracle church”, as it
was built for a mere, $30,000.
Through the years there have been several remodeling and update
projects to the original structure. But, in April of 1996 a storm forced a major
rework of the church. Straight-line winds ripped through the Smith Valley
community, damaging many homes and businesses, and damaging the church to the
extent that it was no longer safe to worship in.
At this point, the Smith Valley United Methodist church extended
their hand to us, and offered the use of their sanctuary, educational area, and
their fellowship hall for all of our worship, study, and fellowship needs until
repairs to our church could be made. Although not like the days of “cloth
walls” in the strip mall, often it was quit a challenge as we held Sunday school
classes in one area of the building, while the Methodist worship services were
taking place in another. And, there was a constant juggling and re-juggling of
each other’s activity calendars in order to keep both congregations operating as
“normal” as possible.
Yet, those challenges brought two different congregations, of
two different denominations, closer together, and served as an excellent example
to the community. That time after the storm formed bonds of fellowship and
fellow-service for Christ, that are displayed in the joint Vacation Bible School
sessions, and other activities that we share yet today.
In March, 1997, the repairs, the remodeling, and the many
updates were completed, and the Smith Valley Baptist Church congregation moved
back home. What they saw was a complete renovation of the sanctuary that
included a new, larger, platform, increased seating capacity, and a complete
renovation of the front of the sanctuary that emphasized the large,
stained-glass window that was a part of the original sanctuary.
With those tasks completed, the congregation agreed that the
building need to be expanded, and in May of 1998, a groundbreaking service was
held to kick off the addition of a new educational wing, fellowship hall, and
kitchen. That work was completed in the fall of 1999.
