Scripture: Hebrews 13:8
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
THE CHURCH’S JOURNEY
Adapted from an article by Michael Faber
God became flesh in Jesus, born in Bethlehem to Mary and
Joesph. He grew up in a small village in Northern Israel called Nazareth. He
gathered 12 men as disciples to teach them why he came. He performed miracles.
Religious leaders were threatened by Jesus and had him murdered by crucifixion
at the hands of the romans. Three days later Jesus rose from the dead, gave
proof of his resurrection and further instructions to his disciples and
returned to heaven sending His Hole Spirit in His place.
On the day we now call Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came, and
the church was born with 3000 new converts.
The Church was persecuted from the beginning; first by the Jewish
leaders of Israel who rejected Christ as messiah; then by Jewish synagogues
around the world; and finally by the Roman government, who determined
Christianity to be an illegal religion, and often imprisoned or killed those
who claimed to be Christians.
Then the world literally changed overnight.
Constantine, the Emperor of Rome became a Christian in 323 AD, and declared
Christianity to be the religion of the Empire. Suddenly it was no longer
a crime to be a Christian, but a crime NOT to be one. Up until this time,
baptisms were made immediately upon profession of faith because there was no
question that the individual believed because of the threat of persecution.
Now people were claiming to be Christians simply because
Rome demanded it and had no interest in being faithful to Christ. It was
not long before the Roman government and the Church became indistinguishable.
Over the next 450 years or so, the Church would enact seven
major creeds, which defined fundamentally what the Church believes: Nicea
(325), Constantinople (381), Ephesus (431), Chalcedon (451), Constantinople II
(553), Constantinople III (680), Nicea II (787).
The Church, in spite of its theological struggles, remained
one Church for a thousand years. But in 1054, the Western Church, which
we now know as the Roman Catholic Church
made a minor modification to one of the creeds, and the Eastern Church,
which were comprised of the other major Churches, which we now call the Eastern
Orthodox Church, did not agree with it; and the church was split in two: East
and West.
The two churches remained two churches until the 1500s until
an Augustinian Monk by the name of Martin Luther began to have some significant
differences with the RCC. He began to write and engage other church
leaders on these matters, and created quite a stir. Luther wanted to have
a debate with the RCC about these matters, and created 95 theses, or statements
to be debated. When the RCC refused, Martin Luther grabbed a hammer and
nailed these 95 theses to the door of the local church. Needless to say
that the RCC was not happy about Luther’s actions, and eventually
excommunicated him.
Luther had developed quite a
following in Germany, and the people there rallied to him, and they formed
their own church, to protest the problems within the RCC. This began what
we now call the Protestant Reformation, of which the first church was the
Lutheran Church. Other leaders and churches would follow suit. Ulrich
Zwingli led a reform movement that was supported by the city council of Zurich,
Switzerland with Conrad Grebel, and Felix Manz.
They were soon split by a disagreement over infant baptism.
A public debate ensued with Ulrich Zwingli defending the practice against
Grebel and Manz. Then, they rebaptized
each other upon a confession of faith and began a free (non-state) church just
outsize Zurich. The city council decided to continue the infant baptism, and
Grebel and Manz were told to submit. Both were arrested, Grebel escaped and
Manz was killed by drowning.
About twenty
years later, John Calvin gained the support of the Geneva city council. Reform
missionaries also reached England, where King Henry VIII had separated the
church of England from Rome. The
Protestant Church has grown to become a third wing of the church, comprising
many denominations and independent churches that have their roots directly or
indirectly in the RCC, but remain apart in protest of theological and practical
problems. The Protestants—the Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians,
Pentecostals, etc.—are all splits in the Protestant movement that have happened
in the last 500 years.
That brings us
to today. The church remains divided, coping with many disputes between
its groups. Yet, there remains a fundamental element of unity in the
church surrounding Christ and the essential beliefs that make us all
Christians. It is now our turn to write a chapter in Christianity’s
story.
Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
THIS CHURCH’S JOURNEY
First Baptist Church
History
Chapter One Laying
the Foundation 1904-Early 1918
Jim Gentry
Between
1904 and 1918 the First Baptist Church became a significant congregation within
the newly formed city of Twin Falls, Idaho.
The church originated when Hortense Perrine (Wife of Ira Burton Perrine)
sent in July 1904 a letter to William Henry (W.H or Henry) Bowler, district
missionary of the southern Idaho Baptists, asking him to help develop a church
in Twin Falls. This letter came to
Bowler before the first lot was sold in the new community.
In 1903 the Twin Falls Land and
Water Company, stimulated by I.B. Perrine,
began preparing to irrigate over 200,000 acres of land by constructing
the Milner Dam along with water-distribution canals. I.B. Perrine was the center of the Twin Falls
Investment Company which sold its first town lot on August 1, 1904.
Henry Bowler became district
missionary of the southern Idaho Baptists in 1902. In that role, he was also
available for preaching services in Shoshone.
In some ways it seems strange that
Mrs. Perrine would contact Bowler about establishing a Baptist church. After all she had attended an Episcopal
school and would later join the Twin Falls Episcopal Church. Interestingly, Pastor Herman Rice of the
First Baptist Church of Twin Falls preached her funeral in December 1947. Perhaps I.B. Perrine’s religious affiliation
motivated her; at his death in October 1943 I.B. belonged to First Baptist
Church.
Perhaps she
hoped a Baptist church would encourage some potential settlers to purchase land
from the Twin Falls Investment Company. Whatever her motivation, in sending the
letter, she sent it to the right person.
In response Henry Bowler traveled to the Twin Falls town site and
selecting a lot on the corner of Fifth Avenue East and Third Street for a
future church. In October 1904 Bowler
preached the first Baptist service in town at the Hazen rooming house, which a
good Baptist Sister was running. The leading business men of the town, also
some of the promoters and capitalists of the Twin Falls enterprise, were
present and, though there are not a dozen Baptists in the place, both rooms
were crowded, and many had to stand in order to get in. There was general delight when it was
announced that we were going to take up regular work there.”
Hortense Perrine
announced that on December 18 Reverend Patterson would preach at the newly
constructed school house in Twin Falls.
A box would be placed at the entrance to receive donations to build a
Baptist church. It was announced that
she desired “to erect a church which will be a credit to Twin Falls and be in
line with the rapid growth of our thriving city.” She reported that $1200 had
already been contributed.
In January 1905
Henry Bowler preached revival services in the school building on Third Avenue
East with the specific goal of organizing a church. On January 15 a church was
organized with twenty-two charter members. At a night service, a motion was
made that the church be declared organized with the twenty-two members and those received for baptism that
night to be considered charter members.
J.H.
Schenck was called as pastor in September 1905.
The church paid part of his salary, the American Baptist Home Mission
Society paid the remainder. In spite of
early enthusiasm for seeking building funds, the church was slow in obtaining
adequate resources. Finally, after a
$500 gift and later a $1,000 loan on December 18, 1907, from the American
Baptist Home Mission Society, in 1908
church members constructed their first structure on the corner of Fifth
Avenue East and Third Street-present Rock Creek Community Church at 262 Fifth
Avenue East. Starting on October 20, 1908, the railroad chapel car Emmanuel 2 of
the American Baptist Publications Society was parked in Twin Falls. During a
three month period Pastor E.R. Hermiston and his wife raised money and
encouraged the building of Baptist churches in nearby towns.
In the 1910, ten
female church members organized the Women’s Missionary Society. For mission outreach the church asked L.H.
Perrine in 1911 to compile information cards about the church to be distributed
to local hotels and rooming houses.
After setting a goal of no longer needing the subsidies provided by the
American Baptist Home Mission Society, on June 3 the church voted to become
“self-supporting” as of July 1, 1911.
Already in 1913
members of the First Baptist Church in Twin Falls began to consider the
possibility of constructing a new building. The
Trustees repsponded to real economic problems.
Frequently there was inadequate money to pay the salary of the
pastor. The Deacons noted in 1912 that
many individuals did not commit to a stated amount for the budget. There were others who had pledged a specific
amount but were behind on their giving.
The Deacons decided to contact those members. As late as September 1,
1914, church leaders reported that after considering unpaid bills there was
only seventy-six cents on hand and pledges were not adequate to pay
expenses.
Ironically,
while finances were inadequate, church and Sunday School attendance numbers
were expanding. On July 2, 1913, Pastor
Henry reported that church attendance was 185 in the morning and 250 in the
evening, the largest attendance since he had arrived in 1910.
With increased
attendance on August 24, 1913, the church membership instructed the trustees to
purchase a lot for a future church on Shoshone Street and Sixth Avenue for
$2,000.
Another
turning point in ministry came with the
vote of church membership on November 3, 1915, to join the Brethren,
Methodists and Presbyterian in supporting the Oliver Butler Tabernacle meetings
in February 1916. Dr. French E. Oliver was a well-known evangelist from the
East. He arrived in Twin Falls on
February 12 with a team of five people who assisted him in the services,
including the director of a 400 voice choir consisting of local people, with an
audience of about 1,500 people. During
the next few days over three hundred conversions to Christianity occurred which
funneled new members into the four participating churches. Between March 28 and June 4 some ninety-four
people joined the church with almost fifty of them being baptisms. One of those new baptized members was Stella
Perrine, daughter of I.B. and Hortense Perrine.
After selling
the church building, services were held in the new Idaho Theatre at a cost of
$25 per Sunday. On August 20 the Baptist
congregation voted unanimously to purchase the old Presbyterian Church
sanctuary for $5500. The following day
the Baptist and Presbyterian Trustees handwrote an agreement on the back of a
business envelope. With a new pastor and
a different church building there was a flurry of activities. The church purchased another lot on Sixth
Avenue and Shoshone Street for $800. A
new men’s group called “Brotherhood” was organized.
In 1916 the church published a new First Baptist Church
Directory. 99 years later we are about
to publish our first interactive online pictorial directory.
During it’s
first 14 years the First Baptist Church developed a viable ministry in the
community. The war would also cause
young men from the congregation to leave and cause Pastor Anderson to leave the
church for a war which would be over before he could be mobilized. But the war for men’s souls would continue
through the church to the present day.
Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
ONE MAN’S JOURNEY
By Phil Wade April 2015
JOHN 6:44 Jesus
said “…no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him”
The ringing of
our doorbell caught me by surprise. It
was unusual for someone to come by in the evening unannounced, but when I
opened the door there was Charlie standing there. Charlie was a few years older than me and as
always he was dressed in a nice suit which gave me the impression he was a
white collar worker, only to learn later that he was a mechanic that repaired
and maintained the machines at his workplace.
I had come to know Charlie Dodson at the Lutheran Church that we both
attended, and he was the most dedicated Christian I knew. Charlie had heard we were having some
problems and was there to see if he could help.
Both of our daughters had been sick all day with high fevers. Despite applying advice from the doctor’s
office and from an RN friend to lower their temperatures both their
temperatures continued to remain high.
After talking for a while Charlie asked if he could anoint them with oil
and pray for them. With our permission
he went to their bedroom, and in about ten minutes he came back and to our
amazement informed us that not just one but both their temperatures had
returned to normal (at the same time).
Sure enough we verified that he was right. The implications of this were not lost on me,
and when he later asked if Alice and I would like to receive Jesus as our Lord
and Savior we readily agreed. So on the
evening of October 5, 1965 we got down on our knees in our living room and
Charlie led us to receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
I was a very unlikely candidate
to become a Christian. I was the product
of two great, loving, parents, but my mother was a Christian and my father an
atheist. Mom sent me to a Presbyterian
Sunday school where she occasionally attended church, but all I learned from that
experience is we should live a moral life and that Jesus was a great teacher,
and we should live our lives according to his example. The thing is I couldn’t see that the way the
people there lived was any different than how I had been living. Don’t get me wrong, they were very nice
people, but I felt I also was a nice person.
So, what’s the big deal? The
thought that I might need a savior never occurred to me (savior from what??).
When I went to
the University of Oregon one of the first things my chemistry teacher told us
was that no matter how many questions science answered there would always be
another unanswered question and that eventually it just gets to God and only He
can answer the question. I decided that
I wasn’t an atheist but was probably an agnostic. After two years at the University I
transferred to The California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena,
California. After receiving my Bachelor
of Science degree in electrical engineering I took a job with Hughes Aircraft
Company designing electronics for military applications. At Hughes I met a young, vibrant lady named
Alice whom I married a year later. We
will celebrate our 58th anniversary in July.
As we raised our
family we made several trips to Oklahoma to visit Alice’s relatives. We travelled the now famous Route 66, a
two-lane highway that took us from California to Bristow, Oklahoma where Alice
was born. Along the way there was an
occasional roadside sign that said “Jesus Saves”. I would usually think “saves from what?” After all, I knew I was a good person and
probably better than many who called themselves “Christians”. I figured that if they qualified for heaven
then so did I. I was reluctant to get
involved with a church because I had already experienced that. When Alice got an invitation from our neighbor
to go to the Lutheran church up the street she went, but I declined. It irritated me a bit that she would go but I
didn’t forbid it (not that I could have stopped her anyway). Later we moved to Gardena and while there
Alice started attending Loving Shepherd Lutheran Church a small church located
nearby, but I refused to attend. She
made some very good friends at church and would tell me about them. One day she decided to start attending weekly
prayer services Wednesday evenings, and she would tell me about healings that
were taking place. This seemed amazing
to me and gained my interest in seeing this for myself. So out of curiosity I started attending the
prayer services which I found were directed by lay people and were well
attended. This was the real beginning of
my journey to become a Christian. After witnessing some healings I began to
attend church services, which at first was confusing to me because of the Lutheran
liturgy that I knew nothing about. When
the pastor offered a class I decided to attend and discovered I was the only
one in the class. But it gave me a
unique opportunity to ask questions as he went through the whole story
beginning with Adam and Eve. For the
first time I began to question what I believed about Christianity, but I wasn’t
ready to make any rash decisions.
At church I
began to notice the people’s attitudes; their friendliness, their apparent
enjoyment they were getting out of serving others, etc. This made an impression on me that there was
something different about these Christians and this drew me closer to
them. Looking back I can see that God
was using them to draw me to Jesus. I
began to feel I was part of something bigger than myself and just perhaps I did
need a savior. Finally I decided that
this was a choice I would have to make because I wasn’t able to scientifically
prove or disprove the gospel message.
So
when Charlie came to our door that October evening in 1965 I made a choice to
believe. Yes, I chose to believe Jesus
would save me if I received him as my personal Lord and savior and believed he
was who he claimed to be. Fifty years
later I have no regrets for making that decision.
Thinking
now about those 50 years I realize I could have done more to proclaim Jesus,
yet I hope that in some way I have helped someone get pushed, pulled, tugged,
or drawn toward Jesus ….perhaps someone in the high school Sunday school class
I taught or the youth group that Alice and I helped lead, or could I have even
been a positive influence to someone here at First Baptist of Twin Falls? I hope so, but you never know.
So,
my journey continues……………………….….!!
In conclusion, I
refer you to a gospel song from one of Elvis Presley’s CDs. In part it reflects my unique journey as he
sings these words: “Only believe. Only believe.
All things are possible if you’ll only believe”.
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