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THE LIGHTHOUSE ON THE CORNER
Adapted from “A Lighthouse on the Corner” by John B. Rogers
The beginning of the twentieth century was a time of great excitement and monumental change. Such men as Thomas Edison, Orville and Wilbur Wright and Henry Ford were creating new possibilities. This new century promised a new way of living for everyone.
At the same time, the end of the nineteenth century found the church embroiled in battle against a formidable threat: the rise of theological liberalism and modernism. This movement began in the universities of Germany, which taught against the possibility of the supernatural and so increasingly called into questions the reliability of the Bible. This academic movement quickly spread to Europe and eventually to America.
 It was in this era of movement forward technologically and moving backward theologically that Western Avenue Baptist Church was born. Western Avenue Baptist Church was organized as the Second Baptist Church on September 15, 1901. Forty-four charter members were present at the organizational meeting on that Sunday evening just one day after the death of President William McKinley. Forty-two charter members came from the Statesville Baptist Church and two came from a church in Clinton, South Carolina. The name was changed from the Second Baptist Church to Western Avenue Baptist just three months later in December.
Western Avenue was a product of the economic development which took place in Statesville during the 1890's. With the organization of the Statesville Cotton Mill in 1893, Statesville was on the map as a leading manufacturing center. As south Statesville developed, it became evident that a church was needed in the area to attend to the physical and spiritual needs of the people in the new community. During a revival in January 1894 at the Statesville Baptist Church, a movement began to establish a Sunday School Mission in south Statesville. Thus, the Southside Chapel was born.
 The new mission church was an instant success. Within a month, Sunday School attendance was averaging almost one hundred and the Friday night prayer meeting was also widely attended. The meetings were first held in a school on Bell Street but the Statesville Baptist Church realized that the growing mission needed a building of their own. The Statesville Land Development Company gave the Statesville Baptist Church a lot for the mission church. The lot was located at the northern end of the Boulevard on the corner of New Street (Western Avenue) and the Boulevard, which was also known as Sixth Street. The road name “Western Avenue” was most likely taken from the name of the Western Railroad, which ran nearby.
During March 1894, a small white frame building was constructed to be used for Sunday School and occasional worship services. Built at a cost of $675, the chapel seated about four hundred persons. The chapel served the church until a larger sanctuary was constructed in 1918, which still stands today. The first educational building was occupied in 1926 and was the only educational facility when the Sunday School enrollment peaked at this location at 1,349 in 1931. A second educational building was completed in 1961.
When Dr. Ralph F. Carter, Jr. became pastor on January 1, 1977, Western Avenue began to deal with some very tough questions in regard to its future and its ability to minister to the Statesville community. The mission of the church has always been to reach people who need a Savior. The lingering question was: Could Western Avenue Baptist Church continue to reach people for Christ at its present location? A five year “Long-Range Planning Committee” was organized to study the future needs of the church. The congregation voted on August 26, 1979 to purchase 10.5 acres of land at the corner of  Museum and Radio Roads. The church voted unanimously on May 18, 1980 to relocate the church within a two and a half year period. Construction began on the 25,000 square foot facility (the current fellowship hall located next to the current sanctuary) during the spring of 1982. The final services at the Western Avenue location were held on April 30, 1983. The first services in the new facility were conducted on Mother’s Day, May 8, 1983. Five hundred and eighty members and guests were present for the first worship service, including nine new members who joined during the first service.
The church realized tremendous growth following relocation, and it became evident that additional facilities were needed. On March 29, 1987, the congregation voted to begin a two million dollar expansion program for a sanctuary and additional education space. The church voted later to build only the sanctuary. The 16,000 square foot structure provided seating for 600 on the ground level, 300 in the balcony and 80 in the choir. The sanctuary is a fan-shaped auditorium and a maximum of 13 pews deep with seating divided into four sections. The lower level of the sanctuary houses a choir room. The sanctuary was dedicated on August 27, 1989.
Ralph Carter resigned as pastor to relocate to South Carolina in 1992. However, the church continued to grow under the leadership of the new pastor, Dr. James Cartin, who served as Minister of Education under Dr. Carter. After serving as the interim pastor for several months, Dr Cartin was voted Western Avenue’s new pastor in 1993. Dr. Cartin's emphasis on bible exposition has been used of God to grow a church known for its teaching and preaching.
In the fall of 2000, the church voted to expand its education space once again. A church vote led to the beginnings of a $4.2 million dollar education wing at the back to the current property in July 2001. The new wing houses twelve adult classrooms, fourteen preschool rooms, the office of the Director of Marriage and Family Enrichment, a library, a prayer room, several small kitchenettes, children’s playgrounds and a 2,500 square feet multi-purpose room. The education wing was completed in May 2002.
Eighteen pastors and seven interim pastors have served the church during its one hundred year history. The first pastor, R.H. Gilbert, was called soon after the formal organization. George H. Church will always be remembered for his unique ways to reach people. B.E. Morris took a new educational building built during the ministry of P.A. Hicks and built the largest Sunday School in Statesville in the midst of a crippling depression. The horrors of a World War brought Herbert Baucom and his congregation to their knees on Wednesday evenings to invoke God’s guidance for a troubled world. During the ministry of Wendell Davis, the church took stands on important social issues, and the ministry of Paul Wonders and James C. Honeycutt ushered in the modern period of Western Avenue’s history. Improvements in the physical plant and expansion of the church property were achieved during Rev. Honeycutt’s twelve year ministry. Ralph Carter’s zeal for evangelism and concern for people is seen in the relocation of the church to renew the church’s ability to reach people for Jesus Christ. Finally, the hope and promise of even greater days may be realized during the ministry of Dr. James Cartin.
 Western Avenue Baptist Church has had a continuous history since its conception as a Sunday School Mission. The church’s greatness lies in its utter dependence on the Lord, who has promised He will build His church. He has done so at Western Avenue as the church leaders focused on worship, the preaching of conservative biblical doctrine and the equipping of its members for service and missions. Western Avenue has stood fast to Baptist beliefs, but, yet, it has been able to apply them to a world that has changed drastically over the last one hundred years. The church’s compassion as it has reached out to meet the needs and problems of people in Statesville is a worthy part of Western Avenue’s history. The methods and practices will change continuously but Western Avenue Baptist Church will continue to be led and ruled by Christ, who is the “same yesterday, today and forevermore.”
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| Western
Avenue Baptist Church | 1206 Museum Road | Statesville, NC 28625 (p)
704.872.4139 |
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