History

  By the grace of God and for His glory, Emmanuel Baptist Church began in 1939 as the Hoyer Mission of Ingleside Baptist Church. Our first members met in two Kansas City Southern boxcars on Roberts Street, and we were known affectionately as the “Boxcar Church.”

Our fellowship was small and our funds were low, yet the Lord blessed our services, and we grew and became a self-supporting church with 78 charter members on April 21, 1941.

Throughout our history, we have served the Lord in five different locations: Roberts Street (1941), Tate Street (1941-46), Jewella Road (1946-68), Jewella Elementary School (1968-69), and Buncombe Road (1969-Present).

In 1955, Emmanuel Baptist Church also started a mission church named Brookwood Baptist Church, and their fellowship remains a vibrant part of our community to this day.

In our current location, God has blessed our church with a beautiful landscape and many nice facilities, which include the following: the Initial Worship Center and Fellowship Hall (1969), the Church Sanctuary (1976), the Gymnasium (1980), the Education Building (1984), and the Family Life Center (2005).

Throughout our history we also have enjoyed a wonderful spirit of love and unity, and only seven pastors have served us: Paul Starnes (1941-44), C.C. Larrison (1944-45), Howard Small (1945-47), Joe Flanagan (1948-55), Bill Baker (1956-59), Bill Stowell (1959-2010 – for a total of 51 years), and Chad Hardbarger (2011-2022).

We praise the Lord for our wonderful history, and we look forward to our future. We give God the glory for all that He has done through us.

We are Emmanuel, which means “God is with us,” and the very same God who has been with us these past 75 years, is the same God who is with today.