Lakewood Baptist Church

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Westminster Presbyterian Church began its ministry in an unusual way with its first worship service on July 9, 1981. The need for a new Presbyterian Church in Gainesville had been proved when church leaders from nearby Chestnut Mountain PCA discovered that approximately one-half of their membership came from the Gainesville area. Their cramped facilities due to overcrowding indicated that God desired to do something new and significant. Initial plans were to locate a storefront or other suitable space in the Gainesville area, but another opportunity presented itself instead. The historic old First Methodist Church building in downtown Gainesville had been vacant for over a year. If Westminster would commit to leasing it, the new church would be given six months rent-free. There was great excitement as plans quickly solidified, and people quickly volunteered to do whatever was necessary to make it happen. The name 'Westminster" was chosen because the church would proclaim the whole counsel of God's word and because the theology of the Bible is best expressed in the historic Westminster Confession of Faith. The church would be "Presbyterian" because that is the form of government found in the Bible, with elders who are elected by the people that they shepherd. The opening service was scheduled at a time when there would not be any conflict with other churches in the community. To everyone's amazement, 673 people showed up for that historic service on a Thursday night ; latecomers had to be ushered into the Fellowship Hall for seating. Ben Haden, pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Chattanooga, was the special speaker for the evening. There were floral arrangements given by several local churches as well as many community and business leaders that welcomed the new church to Gainesville. In 1983, the church decided to purchase the old First Methodist facility. The officers also determined that there was sufficient interest to establish a Christian School in Gainesville. Westminster Christian School was begun in 1984 with the mission statement: "To provide a Biblically balanced education in partnership with the Christian family." The school became a reality the fall of 1984 and is known in the community for providing quality education with a unique Christian world-view. Students from Westminster have gone on to distinguish themselves in a number of other academic arenas. Westminster's presence in the community resulted in growth that brought about another change in 1997. The success of the church and school resulted in overcrowding of the facility. Insufficient parking and recreation space resulted in the conclusion that God was leading them to move the church and school to a facility that would allow additional growth. The decision was made to purchase Lakewood Baptist Church's property with 10.5 acres, and Westminster moved two miles to its present facility. In 2002 and 2003, the officers crafted new Vision and Mission statements to distinguish Westminster Church that resulted in other substantial changes. A capital campaign was held to raise funds for a complete renovation of the church nursery, church offices, school offices, educational space, and a new front fa