Chapter 2: Baby Steps

On that joyous day, October 16, 1949, Spring Hill Baptist Church was officially organized and dedicated to the service of God. Present in the congregation on that day, as a visitor, was the Reverend Norman W. Clapp, who was called one year later to be the first pastor.

Sunday School, Training Union, W.M.U. and a Music Ministry were started immediately.

God had His hand in the organization of the church. The varied talents, experience, training and qualifications of the charter members filled the needs of the new church perfectly.

On the property was a beautiful two story building, the Marechal house. Later, it was decided to call the building, the Edith Terrill Building, in memory of a charter member of the church, Mrs. Marechal’s daughter. This building, with its beautiful white columns, served the new church well. For the first year, worship services were held downstairs, the nursery was on the front porch and Sunday School classes were held in almost every room. The bathroom was so large that a group of boys met for Sunday school in there, and called it “The Bathroom Class.”

The new church was growing so fast a larger place of worship was needed. The men organized work crews and erected what came to be known as our first chapel, a cement block building with a tin roof. The women organized crews to feed the men. The building was erected for $4,700.

Since this was before air conditioning, a large fan was installed in the front and pulled air and sometimes a myriad of insects over the heads of the congregation toward the preacher and choir. The tin roof and the whir of the fan proved quite an impediment to hearing when it rained, since this was also before a sound system.

The first anniversary of Spring Hill Baptist Church was observed in the almost completed chapel. At that time the church voted to extend a call to the Reverend Norman W. Clapp as its pastor.