HISTORY OF BLACKSBURG CHRISTIAN CHURCH
(taken from A History of Blacksburg Christian Church by Bobby Perkins, 2003, and a History of Blacksburg Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), 2008 Abbreviated Version)
“Reformed and evangelical” denominations made their initial appearance in Blacksburg during the early 1900’s, and one such Protestant denomination was the Christian Church, Disciples of Christ.
Seven men, eight women, and three young people founded and organized the Blacksburg Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) on April 12, 1903. On October 15, 1903, the eighteen devoted Blacksburg charter members, together with a few others, as a congregation purchased the old Baptist Church located on the northeast corner of Roanoke and Church Streets and established the original “House of Worship” for the new denomination in Blacksburg.
Reverend E.B. Kemm was the first full-time minister of the Blacksburg Christian Church.
By 1923, Blacksburg Christian Church (BCC) had been served by four different ministers and its membership had grown to one hundred and eighteen members!
Shortly after the First Fifty Years Celebration in 1953, work began to draft a new Constitution and By-Laws. These new documents were approved and became effective on January 1, 1955. The Constitution outlined the seven Standing Committees still active in the church today.
In late 1966, after sixty-three years of fulfilling its mission on the original downtown site, our church began a comprehensive study of its future. The congregation concluded that it should relocate and build new facilites as the beginning step in launching a new era of ministry.
On Sunday, November 30, 1969, sixty-six years after the founding of the church, BCC held its first worship service at our present location on the corner of Tom’s Creek Road and Watson Avenue.
Blacksburg Christian Church sold the original house of worship to the Odd Fellows Lodge; and after twelve years, the Odd Fellows in turn sold the property to the Blacksburg Jewish Community. Soon after the Jewish Community moved into their new Temple, they realized that parts of the old Christian Church stained glass windows were incompatible with the Jewish faith. The center shields were removed from each window and put into storage for seventeen years. In January of 1998, BCC’s minister, Johnny Loughridge, discovered that the panels existed, obtained them from storage, had them cleaned and refurbished and had them hung in the current sanctuary as a surprise for the congregation!
Blacksburg Christian Church celebrated its Centennial in 2003. Our current minister, Gary McCoy, began serving BCC as our twenty-sixth full-time minister in August of 2007. Currently our total membership is over two hundred and our congregation includes many young children and young families. We are a growing and thriving congregation. Although we’ve had many ministers, been in two different locations, and changed over the last one hundred years, one thing always remains the same – our congregation is dedicated to proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Our intention is that we carry God’s light into the world touching those we meet with His hope, peace, and love.
For additional details about BCC's one hundred year history, click the following links:
Original 2003 "A History of Blacksburg Christian Church" by Bobby Perkins