English Creek Baptist Church 
               2161 Bogard Road
 

Newport, Tennessee

In 1949, the missions committee at the First Baptist Church in Newport sponsored a tent revival next to the Joe Kyker store building in the English Creek Community. Rev. Jess Johnson was the evangelist. Rev. C. O. Binkley, Associational Missionary, helped the English Creek Community in a survey to see if it would be feasible to organize a Baptist Mission. As a result of the first revival, another revival, led by Rev. Lowell Milburn from the First Baptist Church was held in the store building. On the closing night of this revival, October 14, 1952, a mission was established.

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Before this time, an important religious need in the community was filled by Rev. L. L. Brown, a faith missionary to the Great Smokey Mountains Area. He had begun a Sunday School which had been meeting at the English Creek School on Sunday afternoons. Rev. O. W. Hare also held Sunday School classes at the school.

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After English Creek Mission was established, Rev. Carl Ogle, then a ministerial student at Carson Newman College, was called as the first pastor on October 14, 1952. He led the church to become self-supporting, instead of a mission of First Baptist.

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Joe Kyker furnished the old store building with seats, a piano, and repaired the building for the congregation. He deeded the store building and adjacent lot to the church "for as long as a Missionary Baptist Church remains on the property with remaining interest in the Southern Baptist Foundation."

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On August 20, 1953, the church became self-supporting with 25 charter members and became a member of the East Tennessee Baptist Association. The church voted to build the present auditorium, which was completed in 1954.

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In 1993, the church added a baptistery, a new fellowship hall, and expanded education space, along with updating the sanctuary with ​new lights, stained glass windows, new carpet, and new padded pews. The old store building is still being used for Children's Church.

Carl Ogle: Oct. 14, 1952 - June 27, 1954


Lee Harroll: Sept. 5, 1954 - Feb. 1957


Frank Campbell: April 14, 1957 - June 15, 1958


Jim Holmes: July 17, 1958 - April 24, 1960


Norman Livengood: July 3, 1960 - June 3, 1962


David Smith: Oct. 1, 1962 - Aug. 26, 1964


James C. Franklin: May 28. 1965 - May 1, 1973


M. L. White: July 29, 1973 - March 31,1985


Charles Hobbs (Interim): 1985-1986


Patric Fife: 1987 - 1990


Charles Hobbs (Interim): 1990-1991


Steven Smith: Jan. 1, 1992 - Oct. 2008


Kerry Powell (Interim): Nov. 2008 - Aug. 2009


Brian Parrish: July 1, 2009 - Nov. 3, 2013


Kerry Powell (Interim): December 2013-Oct. 2014

Tom Shelton: October 5, 2014 - January 17, 2020

Kris Brady: (Interim) July 18, 2021 - Current