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Our History--Taken from Our 25th Anniversary Church History (1977-2002)In July 1976, as our Nation celebrated its 200th birthday, 41 members from Victory Memorial Baptist Church began holding Sunday morning worship services at the Beechmont Women's Club on South Sixth Street in Louisville, Kentucky. The Women's Club allwoed us to use its facilities rent free while we searched for a more stable location. Rev. Charles Saylor led us in worship. That Autumn, the congregation moved to the auditorium of Southern Junior High School on Bellevue Avenue. In January 1977 we became known as Fellowship Baptist Church and officially called Rev. Charles Saylor as pastor. We continued seeking a more permanent location, moving in April 1977 to Diane's School of Dance on Ashland Avenue. We added worship services on Sunday and Wednesday evenings. A visitation program began, and our membership increased by baptisms and transfers of letters from sister churches. The church also began a ministry to a tribe of Navajo Indians, receiving a tremendous blessing by corresponding with their members and sending them school supplies, winter clothing, and evangelism materials. After one year, we officially became an Independent Baptist church and elected our first officers, applied for incorporation, and wrote our statement of faith and bylaws. Though planning to incorporate under the name of Fellowship Baptist Church, we learned a short time later that we could not use this name, and so on August 4, 1977, a vote was taken to change our name to South End Fellowship Baptist Church. While continuing to hold worship services at the dance studio, we sought God's guidance and aid in acquiring a permanent location. Fund raising began in earnest with pie auctions, yard sales, and a 'Pledge Sunday' that raised $10,000. Our prayers for a permanent location were answered in October 1978 when the church purchased a house and six acres, sight unseen, at 5857 New Cut Road, still the site of our congregation. After transforming the house into a sanctuary and Sunday School rooms, we began to worship in our new home on December 31, 1978. Rev. Saylor left in February 1979, and the church called Rev. Alden Puckett as pastor. Not long after, we decided to change our affiliation and become a Southern Baptist Church, joining in fellowship with the Long Run Baptist Association. After receiving sponsorship from Ninth and O Baptist Church and approval from several nearby churches, we constituted as a Southern Baptist Church on August 19, 1979. That winter, on December 26, 1979, we filed an amendment to our incorporation and changed our name to New Cut Road Baptist Church. Rev. Puckett continued as our pastor until August 1980. Rev. Jim Lankford from Pennsylvania was attending Southern Seminary and showed interest in pastoring a small church while in school. We invited him to join us, and he was instrumental in bringing two other seminary students into our fold. David Self came as Associate Pastor in January 1982 and served until August 1984 when he was called to a pastorate in Macon, Georgia. In April 1982, Jim Cobbin joined us as Educational and Youth director and served until the end of that summer when he was called to serve at Walnut Street Baptist Church. Rev. Lankford served until December 1982, at which time we were pleased to have Rev. Puckett again serve as interim pastor until October 1983. After calling Rev. Bill Ramsey as pastor, it did not take long to realize we would need larger facilities, so we began a fund raising drive in earnest--raising $24,000 with our "Fellowship Acres" project. At this time we appointed our first building committee, met with builder Bob Dadisman, obtained a loan from Liberty National Bank, and eventually broke ground on a 3,200 square foot church building. On June 5, 1988, the cornerstone was put into place! Rev. Ramsey departed in December 1989, at which time Rev. Puckett again gladly served as interim pastor while our pulpit committee searched for new leadership. Brother Ferrell Gardner recommended the committee consider a recent Southern Seminary graduate, 25 year old Greg Smith, who was then attending Carlisle Avenue Baptist Church. After talking with this young man, the committee was convinced--despite his youth and inexperience--that this man was the pastor God was calling to serve as under shepherd at New Cut Road Baptist Church. The congregation unanimously approved, and on April 15, 1990, Rev. Greg Smith became our pastor. In May 2002, the church took a new step of faith and invited Jayne Schweitzer to join our staff as Minister of Evangelism and Outreach. Jayne and her husband, Jerry, bring a passion for sharing Christ to this ministry, and routinely challenge us to sacrifice our time and energies so others can experience the new life we have found in Christ. In November 2003, the church called T.C. Judd, then a Southern Seminary student, to join us as Associate Pastor--a position he has continued to serve in since his graduation in May 2005. As a congregation continuing to grow together and seeking to join God where he is working, we are confident God will go far greater things in the future then we have been able to ask for or imagine in the past! |
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