CHURCH HISTORY

The Church was organized in 1920; during the time coalmines were being opened and developed into the hills on Catron’s Creek of Harlan County, Kentucky. The first worship service was held in a log house and was called Ball’s Chapel. Later the name was changed to The Baptist Church at Liggett. The coal companies were building houses and people began migrating to the area for jobs. The Church then moved into an eight room wood building and renamed Liggett Baptist Church. This building was heated with a pot-bellied coal burning stove and had wood benches for the seats. Electric cords suspended from the ceiling with small light bulbs provided the lighting. The membership began increasing and consisted of people from the coal camps at Liggett, Bardo and Stanfill. All people attending Church services walked from these mining camps. Prayer meetings on Wednesday evenings were held at times in private homes in the coal camps.

In 1943 the wooden church building burned. A new brick building was constructed at the same site and with additions is the Church building today. Coal mining in the area has since stopped. Only the Church and two homes remain at Liggett and a few homes are occupied in Bardo and Stanfill. All other buildings such as company stores, coal tipples and houses are gone. There were times when as few as six devoted Christian women assembled at the Church to worship the Lord. Their faith in God and obedience to him kept the church active and today the Church is growing and very active in the Lord’s work, with an average Church and Sunday school attendance of over 80 people every Sunday. Practically all people that attend services travel by vehicles, at distances from 1 to 50 miles.

The following ordained ministers have served as Pastors of the Church:

• Rev. G. L. Ridenour
• Rev. Gregory Rhodes
• Rev. J. D. Sayers
• Rev. Thurman Woods
• Rev. Farrell Brown
• Rev. William Rapier
• Rev. Elby Frost
• Rev. S. F Way
• Rev. Edwin Jackson                                                                      
• Rev. Earl Burns
• Rev. Walter Hubbs 
• Rev. Ernest Boggs
• Rev. J. F. Chandler                                        
• Rev. Roscoe Douglas
• Rev. Dale Etheridge
• Rev. Larry E. Parker
• Rev. Chalmus Boggs
• Rev. Samuel Jeffery Green
• Rev. Dennis Williams
• Rev. Joe Howard

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