Building on a Firm Foundation
By Kam Cook
Stephen Ministry Coordinator
This is the second of three articles I will write based on my research into the early history of HHBC while compiling the Church Profile for the Pastor Search Committee. We have faced – and overcome – challenges in our past; we will not only overcome those facing us today, but we will emerge stronger because of them, with the help and guidance of God.
Growing up in a doctor’s house, middle-of-the-night calls were a common occurrence. However, this call was not a medical emergency – it was a construction emergency. First, a little background. After its founding in 1953, HHBC quickly became a thriving body of believers, active in numerous ministries. Two and a half years after moving into Phase I (which included the Chapel and a few classrooms), we had outgrown our space. To accommodate this growth, the church voted to embark on Phase II, the Education Building.
My father, the late Dr. Milford B. Hatcher, served as Building Chair for the $140,000, 11,336 square feet addition. The new building was designed to provide additional Sunday School classrooms, a Library and a kitchen and large meeting room that would allow us to expand our mid-week Vesper Service to accommodate Family Night suppers. Groundbreaking for the addition was held on November 3, 1957.
That brings us to that middle-of-the night call. I have been unable to find the exact date, but my father received a call from a neighbor that the two-story wall next to the Courtyard had collapsed. Since our property backed up to the church property, he was able to quickly assess the damage and make arrangements for the contractor and architect to be at the site as soon as it was light the next morning. Luckily, no workers were onsite at the time of the accident.
However, the church faced a dilemma: some believed this was a sign from God that we should discontinue construction, while others believed it was a setback that God would help us overcome. Unlike our polarized world today, members were willing to work together for what was best for the church, and the “continue construction” camp prevailed. The damage occurred early enough during construction that they were able to locate and rectify the problem fairly easily. In spite of the wall collapse, the Education Building was completed less than a year later and dedicated on October 12, 1958.
By 1966, when the membership of HHBC totaled 637, it became obvious we needed a Sanctuary to accommodate the overflow in the Chapel each Sunday. On Mother’s Day 1966, 10 years after the first service was held in the Chapel, a Note-Burning Ceremony was held to celebrate the payment in full of the indebtedness on Phases I and II. Immediately following the ceremony, the congregation moved outside for Ground-Breaking for Phase III, a new Sanctuary.
P.S. – Another challenge occurred one Sunday when we arrived to find Mike, our much-loved janitor, was not there to open the church. Fearing that our friendly, obliging janitor must be ill, imagine our surprise when we discovered he had been arrested the night before for cattle rustling!
If you are facing challenges in your life and would like someone to walk beside you and listen, our highly trained Stephen Ministers are available to provide confidential one-on-one lay pastoral care. For more information on how Stephen Ministry might serve you, contact Referrals Coordinator Peggy Williams at (478) 719-3340 or pjwms12@gmail.com.
Recognizing that God is the ultimate Cure Giver, the Mission of the Highland Hills Baptist Church Stephen Ministry is to serve God and bring Christ’s healing love to individuals who are experiencing life’s challenges through confidential, non-judgmental, one-on-one Christian care.