OUR HISTORY
Early Years
The rich history of our church in the community of St. Louis began with 27 people who were meeting in private homes for Sunday school. This small group of believers, having a passion and love for God, felt led to form the Southwest Baptist Church on July 6th, 1921. They organized for the purchase of the lot on the corner of Scanlan and Tamm Avenue. Shortly thereafter, they erected the first church building on the site, a small frame building, and the first church services were held on November 21st, 1921. In the first five years, the church continued to blossom and grow to such an extent that a new facility was soon needed. A new brick sanctuary that could accommodate 400 people was built on the adjacent corner of Scanlan and Tamm Avenue. That building was dedicated for worship on September 26th, 1926. The original congregation continued to grow so that two educational buildings were built in 1954 and 1959.
Continued Grace
On February 1st, 1957, a tragic fire destroyed the original brick sanctuary. The church congregation met in the nearby Ivanhoe Theatre for 6 months while the reconstruction was taking place on the building. In 1968, the current sanctuary was built and dedicated for worship on November 30th, 1969. Only five years later, the additional Memorial Hall was completed.
Today, Southwest Baptist Church continues to stand as a beacon of faith in St. Louis. Our church is richly diverse with people of different ages and backgrounds coming together to worship and serve. We long to bless not only those within the church but those without a church. With the grace of God, we seek to be faithful witnesses in ever new and unfolding ways in our community. We invite you to join us as our story continues.