Our Story

The birth of Mission came on September 5, 1920.  It all began with a five-week meeting at Rock Springs Baptist Church and held by Elder J. T. Brattin who was a missionary of the Barry County Baptist Association.  At this time, there were 53 professions of faith, 4 renewals and 34 baptisms.  28 members of the Rock Springs Church took their letters and organized into a missionary Baptist church.  They met in the O.K. school house and declared their intentions to become a separate church and proceeded by electing Elder J.T. Brattin as moderator and Edna Garrison as clerk.  At the close of the first service, there was an invitation given and 13 more members, by letter, were added.  This brought the membership up to 41 on the first day the church was organized.  At the first meeting, they adopted "Mission" as the church name and also voted to meet at the O.K. school house on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. before the second Sunday in each month, also Sunday at 11:00 a.m. and Sunday night.

The church continued to grow and to be a lighthouse in the community.  In October of 1940, Mission held a ten-week revival in which there were 27 conversions, 29 baptisms and 36 additions to the church.  On October 27, 1940 the church held a business meeting electing a trustee's building, finance, and seats committees.  On October 30, 1940 the land for the new church site was donated by Brother Fred Daniels, one of the new converts during the revival.  The land was accepted by the trustees committee and the church.  In November of 1940, the church accepted the land and size of the building to be 30 feet wide and 40 feet long with an elevated floor.  In April of 1941, the church voted that the new church be plastered, and that each junior member pay $.25 each month for the completion of the building and the building committee was instructed to get a loan to complete the building.  The first service for the church building was held on the 4th Sunday in October of 1942.
In June of 1969, the church started planning their first addition to the building.  Between June and November of 1969, they built a room approximately 26 feet wide and 28 feet long on the back or east of the building.  This building was divided into one large, two smaller and one very small Sunday school classrooms.  Before this, all Sunday school classes had to meet in the sanctuary with the curtains on wires pulled to separate the classes.  This addition was a great improvement at this time.
In February of 1979, another building project went into the planning stage.  Between February and July of 1979, a room approximately 26 x 16 feet was added to the back of the new Sunday school rooms for a kitchen area.  At this time, the church had a well drilled with a pump and pressure system, hot water tank and indoor men and women's bathrooms, kitchen cabinets, a kitchen sink installed.  Later a cook stove was installed.

The church had been deliberating for some time on expanding the classrooms and sanctuary and to undertake a major renovation of the building.  After much prayer and being led by the Holy Spirit, the church stepped out on faith; and in September of 2001 plans were drawn and approved for the renovation.  Having the faith that God would provide, we took the first steps in this building project.  Mark 11:24 tells us, "Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they shall be granted to you."  In October of 2001, a loan was secured through the bank and the expansion began.  A room approximately 30 x 42 feet was added on and one storage room.  The inside walls in the first addition were removed, making it a larger open fellowship area, with the baptistery and heating and cooling units located on the west side of the room.  We added a 30 x 30-foot addition to the back of the sanctuary, with a 20-foot extension to the sanctuary and the remaining 10 feet for two handicap accessible bathrooms, a foyer and a pastor's study.  The classrooms were being completed in March 2002.

In 2007 after God's leading we began building our current sanctuary, a 50' x 90' building.  The building was completed in the fall of 2008, and the church held a dedication service in October of 2008.  The Lord blessed us with being able to pay off the debt for the new sanctuary in February of 2011.  To  celebrate this accomplishment, we held a note burning ceremony.    

We continue to rely on God and His word for direction, Jesus Christ for our salvation, and the Holy Spirit for help and guidance.  With a church family that is united and shares a love of God and Love for each other, this church will continue to grow and have to expand again.