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A Little History In the fall of 1985, two Signal Mountain businessmen contacted Dr. Gary Phillips, head of the Bible and Philosophy departments at Bryan College, to begin a Bible-based, expository teaching ministry in the community. Naming themselves Palisades Community Church, the group began meeting for Thursday night Bible studies and Sunday morning worship in vacant storefronts in the Signal Plaza shopping center, moving from one store to the next as space allowed. Within a year, the handful of families was growing, and it was apparent that the church needed a more permanent home. The town of Signal Mountain owned an old and unused log cabin on Timberlinks Drive, and made it available. The church relocated there in 1986, and shortly thereafter changed its name to Signal Mountain Bible Church. In moving to the log cabin, the church was symbolically joining with a ministry whose roots on the Mountain go back to Easter Sunday, 1934. On that day, several families met for worship in a private home and committed to begin a mission work to the rural mining families then prevalent on the "back side" of the Mountain. Land was donated, funds were raised, and building began in October 1935. Log Cabin Chapel, also known as Signal Mountain Mission, was dedicated Easter Sunday 1936. A small log cottage was built adjacent to the Chapel and occupied in 1941 by Misses Eula Greenway and Mildred Rothermel who oversaw three other Sunday Schools in addition to the Chapel. These Sunday Schools had a twofold mission: first, to teach the Bible; second, to help the poor. Signal Mountain Presbyterian Church was very active in the ministry of Log Cabin Chapel, and its members worked with Miss Greenway and Miss Rothermel to teach Bible studies, health, first aid, child care, and hygiene. In 1951, Signal Mountain Presbyterian appointed a full time pastor to the Mission and changed its name to Log Cabin Presbyterian Chapel. The ministry grew, requiring an addition to the log cabin in 1964. However, as the center of population shifted and churches began to open on the back of the mountain, the need for the Chapel diminished. Services were discontinued in 1974 and for 12 years the log cabin was largely unused until Signal Mountain Bible Church re-established a Bible-teaching ministry there. Signal Mountain Bible Church met in the log cabin until December, 2000, when, bursting at the seams, the church relocated to the former Bachman Elementary School, now Bachman Community Center. Since that move, the church has continued to see significant growth, and the time has come for us to build our own building, the first in our history. The Lord graciously provided funds to purchase 6 acres of land on Shackleford Ridge Road in 1996 and plans were developed with the input of the entire congregation. Finally, in March, 2003, construction began and was completed in December, 2003. We celebrated our first services December 14 and look forward to seeing what God has in mind for us in the coming years.
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Announcements (requires Acrobat Reader) Link to the full list of announcements Children's Church Expands, September 5 Family Day, September 12 at Camp Vesper Point Women’s Fall Brunch, Saturday, September 25, 9:30-11:30am |
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