Valley Baptist Church has been serving and celebrating faith in our Savior, Jesus Christ since the 1950s. This little church has quite a history! We are very fortunate to have found, tucked away in our church files, historical documents as well as photos of the church through the may decades it has been in operation. We hope to preserve these documents here as well as share them with anyone who might be interested in our local history.
Old Church Photos
Please contact us if you have any information about the old photos posed here. We would love to know more about them. When the were taken, who is in them, etc. You can contact us at [email protected].
HISTORY OF VALLEY BAPTIST CHURCH
Sanders, Arizona
In 1948 the Bill Roberts family moved to the Puerco Valley. With them came a desire for a Baptist church. Two former pastors of the Roberts family were instrumental in organizing a church, H.D. Pack and Brian Judge. Pack was a missionary for the area at the time. He did the preaching and Judge led the singing in a revival at the school lunchroom. At the close of the meeting December 10, 1951, twenty three people joined together to organize the Valley Baptist Church.
L.W. Crews was the first pastor. He is now serving in rehabilitation work with he Southern Baptist Convention. Neil Myers, a layman, ministered to the church one summer.
Brother Ottis Spriggs was the man God would use to finish the job others had so well begun. While passing through the community he had car trouble, which led him to Baptists for help. This in turn led to the pastorate of the church. Bro. Spriggs was not only a spiritual giant of God, but a stone mason as well. A stone mason was just what the church needed.
Mrs. Luia Fisher gave the land and the first stone was turned for the building February 1, 1952. Dedication services were held in the nearly completed building August 17th of the same year. Dr. Willis J. Ray preached the dedicatory message to a congregation of one hundred and thirty five, representing the sister churches of the state and association.
Succeeding pastors have been Bob J. Roberts, who served the church seven years, Randy McKormick, J.D. Willingham and Homer Brannon. Under Bro. Brannon’s ministry the pastor’s home was begun. It was completed after the church called Scott New, the present pastor.
In all the years of its existence the church has never missed a month in its financial support to the association and the cooperative program. At one time during the early years the church did get behind in the gifts for a few months, but that was made up. We are proud of this record, but most of the credit must go to the lady who has been the church treasurer for all these years, Mrs. Bill Roberts, affectionately known as “Missy.”
Written by N.S. New
