Church History

Central Baptist Church was incorporated on May 19, 1959. Our original location was 5050 Greenwell Street. We sold the church facilities in 1989 to Interdenomination Faith Assembly. Then in 1994 we sold our school facilities located on North Foster Drive to Mason's Academy. We presently hold second mortgages on both of these two properties.

Our church has had three pastors. In 1959, Central Baptist Church was started by Pastor Billy Reed. After Pastor Reed, Pastor Bob Smith took the pastorate. Pastor Smith was here until Dr. B. G. Buchanan came in 1977. Dr. Buchanan has been the pastor since that time, and he and his wife are the parents of three children who all graduated from our school.

In 1989, we purchased our present property. We bought original lots E & F for $115,000. We built our present buildings for $480,000 in 1990. This loan was paid off in the spring of 2000. Then we immediately began construction on our new auditorium that was completed this past summer. Parish National Bank financed this project for $1,600,000. The total cost of this project was approximately $2,000,000.