History

Wiley G. Mathis came to Marshall County in 1913 to conduct gospel meetings, the first of which were held in brush arbors. In 1914 he came to Calvert City and conducted a meeting in a tobacco warehouse, where many believed and were baptized in the Tennessee River at Haddox Ferry. There were a few members of the church in the community prior to this time. Some of those were Dora Schmidt, Betty Hart, Anna Algood, Verda Howard, George Ford and family, Albert Hoover and family, Bob Winders and family and Will Edwards.

A congregation of the church was organized in September 1914 with George Ford, Albert Hoover and Will Edwards serving as the first elders. In May of 1915 a 1 building was completed and dedicated free of debt at a total cost of less than two thousand dollars. It was a hard and difficult struggle for the first few years. There was preaching once a month and on a few occasions the preacher could not be paid. The contribution was less than five dollars each Lord's Day.

The  preachers that conducted gospel meetings were paid fifteen or twenty dollars for a two-week meeting. There were no automobiles or buses at this time. People traveled by train or sometimes by horse and buggy. When a meeting was in progress, wagonloads of people could be seen coming from many directions over dusty roads. Many walked if they lived within a radius of three or four miles.There were no radios or television sets. Christians enjoyed attending church services and the fellowship with one another. Some of the early preachers were Jewel Norman, Fred Chun, and Wiley Mathis. A.G. Freed,a Douthitt, John B. Hardeman and Charles Taylor were among the first to hold meetings at Calvert City.

In a short time more Christians came to worship with the new congregation. Some of those were the families of Charlie Cann, Homer Ford, Tom Norman, E.M. Roberts, John Davis, Lawrence Cornwell, Dr. L.E. Smith, and others.

In 1938, Gilbertsville was selected for the site of Kentucky Dam and many living in that area were forced to relocate. Some moved to Calvert City. Among those were the families of Earl Hall, Wiley Howard, and Ezra Hall. The elders at that time were Homer Ford, Earl Hall, Robbie Hoover, and Dr. L.E. Smith. Some of the preachers at that time were Max Carmen, Pat Hardeman, Lake Riley and Wiley Mathis.

In the fifties the old original building on 2nd Avenue (west of Main Street) was no longer adequate. A new building was erected at the corner of Second and Aspen
is Streets at a cost of twenty-five thousand dollars. The first services at the new location were conducted in April 1952. The preachers were Lake Riley and Wiley Mathis. In 1953 Huey Hartsell moved to Calvert as the first full time preacher. He was followed by Elbert Young, Donald Starks, Joe Riggs, Harry Houser and Ralph Steury.

With the beginning of the industrial development of the Calvert City area this building soon became inadequate. Under the leadership of Robert Goheen and Ray Hall, a new building was planned in 1966. The Earl Smith family donated a beautiful piece of property on Highway 62 and a new building was constructed. The first service in this building was held on August 4, 1968.

Ralph Steury served as full time minister from July 1965 until his retirement on January 1, 1989. He continued to preach for the congregation until March 1, 1989 when Lance Cordle was hired and became the full time minister. Lance came to us from Atwood, Tennessee where he had been minister for six and one half years.

In 1986 four men from the congregation were appointed to the eldership to serve with Robert Goheen and Ray Hall. They were Robert Hall, Jerry Hall, Robert Alexander, and Norman Mathis. They purchased eight acres of land east of the present building. The purchase of this property was a wise investment, which would allow for additional parking and buildings as needed.

In 1988 Norman Mathis resigned as elder to become a full time minister at Henry, Tennessee. In December, 1988 Robert Goheen passed away. He had served as elder for the church since 1959.

Ralph Casey conducted singing emphasis workshops in 1988 and 1989. This effort greatly improved the congregational singing and also developed more capable song leaders.

Under the leadership of Ray Hall, Robert Hall, Jerry Hall, and Robert Alexander the church continued to preach the gospel, be of help to weaker congregations, support missionaries, and support local benevolent work.

Mark Hart, Barry Travis and Jackie Travis were appointed to serve as deacons February 17, 1991. Robert Alexander resigned as elder on April 25,1993 when he and his wife Cleta decided to move to Nashville. Dennis Driver was appointed to the eldership on April 25, 1993. Ray Hall passed away on August 23, 1996 after serving as elder for 37 years. There were no changes in the leadership for the next few years.

The elders are now Dennis Driver, Jerry Hall and Robert Hall. Stan Shelton started weekend work as youth minister on February 2, 1997. On May 18, 1997 Stan Shelton was hired as the first associate minister for the church. Stan and his wife Dawn worked with the church for 13 months before deciding to return to Tennessee to take over the family business. Craig Evans was hired and began work in August of 1998 as the new associate minister.

Construction began June 15, 1998 on a new activities building. A beautiful 6000 square foot building was erected on the property east of the church building at a cost of $279,000. It was first used for our "Family and Friends" day on, Sunday, December 13, 1998.

The elders appointed Jeff Hall, Jamie Leonard, Nick Darnell, Paul Cloud, Gayle Hall, and Billy Walker as deacons on October 24, 1999. These were added to the four deacons who were already serving the congregation: Barry Travis, Johnny Thompson, Mark Hart and Jackie Travis.

The congregation continues to grow as the work of the church has increased each year. The average Sunday attendance for the first half of 2006 is 312. The average contribution for this period is $8,895 per week. The congregation is supporting 23 mission points this year, which includes five congreagations in Kentucky and three congregations out of state. We continue to reach out to foreign countries by supporting two mission points in Africa, one in Australia and one in Romania. We are supporting many other works including: Assisting young men with college tuition to become gospel preachers, orphan homes, food banks for disaster relief, youth camps, local evangelistic efforts and radio broadcasting efforts that will literally reach out to all the world.