Oak View Baptist Church was “One of the 30,000,” a movement that was begun in 1956, in which Southern Baptists were challenged to begin 30,000 new churches or missions. The first meeting of the Oak View mission was on August 17, 1958 in a small building on Earle Place that was formerly used as a plumbing company. There were eleven people in Sunday School and the offering total that day was $26.15.
Rev. John A. Burger, the minister responsible for the mission, held the first revival the week of August 24, 1958, during which a group of people began to feel a deep desire to see a full time Baptist church in the community. The minister and his wife “visited all the homes in the Oak View community” between the time the mission was begun and the formal organization of the church. Plans were made for the church organization and the formal organization meeting was held on November 23, 1958.
Oak View Baptist Church was born and Rev. Burger was called to serve as pastor of the approximately twenty-seven initial members. The monetary means of the organization were small but the people had faith that the Lord would bless their efforts if they took the initiative to begin a much-needed work in the Oak View community. Praise the Lord for their faith!
Even the early days of the church were filled with much enthusiasm by the people and it showed potential growth to the point that the pastor loaned his trailer to be placed beside the church building to be used as classroom space. As early as February 8, 1959, the church began a building fund on faith that the Lord would supply for a real church building. Sister churches, businessmen and many Christian laymen from other churches gave toward this need and in the fall of 1959, three acres of land on James Rd. across from Oak View School were purchased for $5,000.
The new building soon became a reality. It had a seating capacity of 200 with eight classrooms and the first service was held on August 7, 1960. Rev. Burger resigned on May 14, 1961, with the church having grown to 108 members and a budget of $6,000. On August 13, 1961 the church voted to call Rev. Max G. Reece as pastor. Organization and winning others to Christ was the main work of the new pastor. Soon after, guests were asked to fill out a guest card for record keeping and for a follow up visit in the home. Oak View became known as “the friendly church of dedicated people.”
On Sept. 2, 1962, dedication services were held for an expansion to the existing church building. In November 1962, the church was recognized for its over-all growth during the 1961-62 year by the Baptist State Convention. Other notable items during this time included organizing a visitation program, supporting a part-time chaplain for the High Point Memorial Hospital and hiring the first paid music director in 1965 for a salary of $17.50 per week. In March 1966, Rev. Reece resigned with the church having grown to 258 members and a budget of $17,224 and current facility space exhausted.
During this interim period, Mrs. Evelyn Sells became the first paid church secretary at a salary of $7.50 per week and land was located for a new location. An offer was made for $5,000 per acre for six acres facing Oak View Rd. at Johnson St. It was felt that this was the right place because of the many un-churched people who lived in the area and the many people who had to drive across town to go to church. The third pastor, Rev. Kenneth A. Miller, began his ministry on August 1, 1966 and in October, the six acres was agreed to be sold for $30,000. The church adopted a statement of faith- “The task before us is not as great as the power behind us” and it served as an inspiration for the new building program. The first payment of $5,000 was made on the new property on April 18, 1967 and a sign was erected stating that it was the future site of the Oak View Baptist Church. The inaugural service in the new building was held on May 16, 1971 in a sanctuary that seated 450 and the church had now grown to a membership of 486. Winning others to Christ was and is the main aim and commission of Oak View Baptist Church.
During the next ten years, membership grew from 486 to 925 and the space available was once again filled. The church voted in 1981 to enter the Together We Build program to raise money for an addition. On March 27, 1983, the church held a groundbreaking for new educational space and the present sanctuary, which seats 1,000. Dedication Day was Sept. 30, 1984. The old sanctuary (chapel) was renovated to provide new classroom space. The church had also by this time purchased an additional 11 acres of land for a total of 17 acres on the current site. On July 1, 1986, Rev. Ken Miller announced his retirement, which became effective on Jan. 30, 1987. Pastor Miller had faithfully guided the church for over 20 years. In November, 1987, Dr. Roy Mason was called as pastor. He served until 1992.
*Our history continues below these pictures.
The most recent history of Oak View Baptist Church would be guided by its current pastor, Rev. Steve Smith. Steve began his ministry at Oak View on Sept. 5, 1993. Before coming to the church, Steve was interviewed by the local newspaper. It was written that his vision for Oak View would focus on evangelism and adherence to Scripture. He said, “I believe that the church should be reaching people with the gospel, then teaching them, equipping them to do the work of the ministry. My ministry will be focused on the Word of God. Whatever I can do to facilitate that is what I want to do.”
One of the first achievements was paying off the remaining debt on the 1984 addition. The church had seen very difficult financial times during the late 1980’s and into the 1990’s. Then, on July 27, 1994, the debt was retired and a celebration was held on Oct. 2, 1994. It was written that the church was “out from under the burden of debt and looking forward to the future for great things from God!” Great things did come as Oak View continued to reach out and grow stronger both in sharing Christ and as the body of Christ.
Space was again becoming an issue so a committee was formed to assess the facility needs. It was decided that a children’s education building was the priority along with a welcome center that would connect the new building to the back of the sanctuary. The church began a campaign called Building Tomorrow. At the conclusion of this campaign in December 1999, $1.3 million dollars was pledged by the church body, more than twice the church’s annual budget. A groundbreaking ceremony was held on June 11, 2000 and the building opened in September, 2001. This new facility allowed all preschool and children’s classes to have the space they needed. It also allowed the adults to utilize the old children’s classrooms and the youth to move into the chapel, which was renovated. The debt on the new facility will be retired in late 2007 or early 2008.
With adequate facilities in place, Oak View continued to grow. In 2001, the church saw 128 baptisms and was recognized by the Baptist State Convention as one of the top churches in baptisms in the state. There were also 106 other additions that year for a total of 234. Evangelism training has been ongoing through tools such as FAITH, Evangelism Explosion and GROW. Judgment House, a nine scene walk-thru drama, has become an annual Kingdom outreach event at the church. Judgment House® is a time-tested method of presenting the Gospel of Jesus Christ by showing the eternal consequences of our choices here on earth. Over 8,000 people have come through during six presentations with 845 first time decisions for Christ.
During this consistent period of growth, the church also continued its commitment to missions. Since Steve arrived at Oak View, $235,346 has been given to Lottie Moon International Missions offering, with a high of $44,469 in 2006. The church also supports many other ministries both at home and abroad and has been very involved in supporting and defending the rights of the unborn. In April of 2006, the church allowed for future growth by purchasing 2.6 acres of land and a 3,000 square foot home on Lakecrest Ave directly behind the ball field. In October of that year, a driveway was made connecting the church parking lot to Lakecrest Ave. to provide another entrance/exit.
God has richly blessed Oak View Baptist Church through the past 50 years. Countless souls have come to Christ; many have been discipled in God’s Word and experienced the joy of serving the Lord. As great as the last 50 years have been, the future is brighter. As Oak View maintains a commitment to the inerrancy of Scripture, the evangelism of sinners, and to the edification of saints, the church will continue to experience the hand of God and the joy of witnessing changed lives.
