Emmanuel First Baptist Church dates its
origins back to 1896 when it was organized in Wadsworth,
Nevada. In those days, special railroad cars, their
interiors designed like chapels, were used by missionaries
to conduct services in remote areas.
It was such a railroad car, the Chapel
Car Emmanuel, sent by the Home Mission Society, that
a meeting was held on November 7, 1896, and the Emmanuel
Baptist Church of Wadsworth was organized. The charter
members of Emmanuel were Dr. T.B. Holmes, Mrs. T.B.
Holmes, Mrs. Alma Fishburne, Mrs. Charity Gregory, Mrs.
Mary Austin, and Mrs. Amanda Lewis.
In the years following, services were
held at the homes of different members. Baptisms took
place in the Truckee River. The church members continued
to pray and move toward the vision of having a building.
They didn’t have the strength of a State Convention
and a great National Convention behind them. They were
a handful of Christian people in a tiny desert community
who saw the need of “an edifice for divine worship”
as their Church Clerk, Mrs. W. L. Smith expressed it.
This was on September 11, 1898, at an afternoon meeting.
Later the same day they had a second meeting,
a prayer meeting, and she says of it “We had a
great meeting-the Spirit of God and His Power being
in our midst.” With this secret ingredient you
can begin with six people and a few dollars and do almost
anything. You can build a building, train singers, teach
children, you can send young workers to the Mission
field, you can share in and lift the level of community
life, and you can inspire and enrich the lives of those
within the group so that generations to come will share
in the dedicated dream of its founders. In other words
you can build a church. This then is the history of
this church as seen through the lives of just a few
of its families.”
It was not until January, 1902, that the
first church building was built. In 1904 the town of
Wadsworth was moved to Sparks because The Southern Pacific
Railroad Shops and Roundhouse moved from Wadsworth to
Sparks and since this was the economy, everyone followed
including the church.
Early in 1904 plans were made to transfer
the church from Wadsworth to Sparks. In the summer of
1904 a temporary building was erected in Sparks for
church services. In September of the same year it was
decided to move the church building to Sparks. It found
a home on the corner of 12th and D Streets.
Sparks was a railroad town with a population
of 8,500 in 1953. By 1963 this had all changed-the population
had doubled and the city was still growing. Emmanuel
needed room for expansion during these years as well
as for the future. So ground was broken for the new
church building on April 8, 1962. The last service was
held in the old church on November 25th, and the first
service was held in the new building at 1100 12th Street
on December 2, 1962.
Throughout Emmanuel’s life many
pastors led the church. Above all the programs, groups,
and activities the eternal truth of the gospel has been
preached and lived out in the community of Sparks. As
a faith community with a rich history we look to continue
the work of the founding members. It is our hope, prayer,
and vision to see the transforming work of Jesus Christ
continued in the community of Sparks.
Professional football has The Hall of
Fame. This is the place where greats of the game are
recognized and remembered. The Bible has something similar
to this. Hebrews 11 is referred to as The Hall of Faith.
This is where the greats of the Old Testament are remembered
for their faith in God. They were great because they
allowed God to work through them. The Bible remembers
these people so believers can continue in this great
tradition. As we remember the faithful people of Emmanuel’s
past let us continue to build to the future.
|
