SCIOTO VALLEY BAPTIST ASSOCIATION

HISTORY:
Located in the scenic Hocking Hills, the City of Logan calls itself the "Gateway to Ohio's Scenic Wonderland".  With the county seat having no Southern Baptist work, attempts for a work in the Logan area between 1956 and 1963 were unsuccessful.  First Baptist Church began as a Home Bible Study Fellowship held on April 16, 1963 at 114 East Main Street, Logan.  Regular services then began in the home of Mel Adams sponsored by First Baptist Church, Athens.  Wilford Platt, Ohio University graduate student and a graduate of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky led those services.

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When Wilford Pratt graduated, Leonard Ferguson, a staff member with The State Convention of Baptists in Ohio, became the interim pastor.  He was called as mission pastor in March 1964.  The Chapel constituted on September 13, 1964 with 27 members.  At this time, the church services were held in the James Building in downtown Logan.

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In April of 1965 with assistance from The State Convention of Baptists in Ohio, one acre of the present property was purchased for $6,000.  On December 15, 1965, church services were held for the first time in a new sanctuary, built with the aid of the 85th Street Baptist Church of Birmingham, Alabama, as well as a $35,000 loan from The Home Mission Board.  An educational unit with seven classrooms was added with dedication on June 11, 1972.  In the year immediately following that addition, the church worked to secure a second acre for the property.  Under Randy Wood's leadership as pastor, the second addition was built, financed by the "Together We Build" program.  This addition provided the church with a two-story educational unit, which included 11 classrooms and a fellowship hall.

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Over the course of its history, the people of First Baptist have sought to multiply and to assist new works within Scioto Valley Baptist Association.  During the 1970s, the church sponsored a work in Lucasville.  This work developed into Cook Road Baptist Church.  During the 1980's and 1990;s they sought to plant new works in the other areas of Hocking County.  For a season, both Calvary Baptist Chapel and Salt Creek Baptist Chapel provided Southern Baptist Works for areas in Hocking County lacking such a congregation.

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First Baptist has seen a number of men go forth in service and ministry.  The church is thankful for its role in the spiritual lives of men who have served the Lord faithfully in other communities and locations around the nation and around the world.  Such men are Jim Ditty Sr., Jim Ditty Jr., John Ditty, Robert Francis, Chris Coakley and Nathan Green.

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The importance of training the Youth for mission awareness has been evident throughout the years.  In 1995, the Youth took a mission trip to First Baptist Church, Jenkins, Kentucky.  Again in 2008, the Youth went to Murphy and Andrews, North Carolina.

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Following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina along the Gulf Coast in 2005.  First Baptist was able to aid in the relief effort by delivering a truck load of supplies to Gulfport, Mississippi.  That summer 22 adults and youth went tp Riverside Baptist Church, Pascagoula, Mississippi to help in rebuilding their church which was destroyed by the Hurricane.

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A 3-year Giving Campaign (Growing By Faith) was instrumented in August 2007.  The purpose of this campaign was to raise funds for renovations and possible additional facilities.  In 2009, the current facilities were renovated.

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Reaching out, reaching within, First Baptist Church, Logan has been actively involved in ministry.