Eastern Valley Baptist Church exists to worship God by loving one another, growing to be like Jesus, and going on mission to expand His kingdom.
Simply stated… We Worship, Love, Grow, and Go.
Eastern Valley Baptist Church was officially organized on August 19, 1928, meeting with 15 charter members at 700 Potter Avenue. The first pastor was GW Riley. The church grew as it ministered to the community through the Great Depression, hiring Joe Britton as its first full-time pastor in 1938. The first church building was built in 1931 and enlarged in 1941.
Sadly, in 1955 the church building at 700 Potter Avenue burned. The church rallied together to donate time, labor, and materials, completing a 3-wing education building at the current location. In 1960, EVBC called Henry Lyon to serve as pastor, and during his ministry, the current worship center was completed and dedicated on April 1, 1962. These are some of the words that Lyon shared that day:
I am happy to take this opportunity to welcome each of you to participate in the dedication day services of Eastern Valley Baptist Church. John Ruskin has expressed the spirit of this sacred occasion with these words, "Only once in a lifetime comes the privileges of helping to build a church that will stand for generations in the community for which it is built. When we build, let us think we build forever; let it not be for the present alone. Let it be such work that a time is to come when these stones will be held sacred, and that men will say, as they look upon the labor and wrought substance of them, 'See! This our fathers did for us.'
This Church has sought to minister, not only to the spiritual needs of its members, but to the community and the world at large, that the kingdom of God might be realized on the earth. It is evident that our Church has striven to interpret the truth more than tradition, to develop character more than creed. Surely its purpose has been to minister by its breadth of view, clarity of its message and genuineness of its faith, so that men might come to know the Lord Jesus.
We are realizing this legacy as we meet for worship in that building each Sunday morning. The Family Life Center, where we currently meet for Bible Study and church activities was built in 1998 under Bro. Virgil Mulkin's leadership.
So far, we have marked the history of this church by documenting the history of its buildings because it would be almost impossible to list the EVBC's most important historical milestones. The true history of Eastern Valley Baptist Church is realized in men's and women's hearts, changed by the gospel preached from its pulpit for almost 100 years. The ministries at EVBC have led countless men and women, boys and girls, to faith in Christ and discipled them to worship and serve Him. EVBC has impacted lives worldwide. Along with supporting the Cooperative Program of the SBC, our church has sent men and women all over the world as missionaries to places like Taiwan, Singapore, Ethiopia, Alaska, China, and the Gaza Strip. EVBC has also trained and sent several pastors to lead local congregations.
