How it all started...
Ringgold First Baptist Church first came into existence as Zion Hill Baptist Church in October of 1844. That first congregation had 26 members. It is believed that the first pastor was Reverend George W. Selvidge. Many of the earliest church records were burned or lost in the adversities of the the Civil War battle in Ringgold. The first location was on the western side of "Taylor's Crossroads"," which is now called Guyler St. As Ringgold grew the church moved to the current location on Nashville St into a new brick building about 1860-61. That building was located where our parking lot is today.
As the Civil War got closer to Ringgold, services were suspended and did not resume until March or 1866. During the war the church was used by both the Confederates and Federals as a hospital. The church building was spared the torch in the burning of Ringgold in 1863. After the war the church served not only the Baptists but the Methodist, Presbyterian and Cumberland Presbyterian churches. The church also served as a school building until the end of 1868 when a new school building was provided.
Over the years the church has seen a few changes and additions. In the beginning Chickamauga Creek was our baptismal site until a baptistry was built in 1937 under the pulpit. Sunday school rooms were added to the "Civil War Sanctuary" in 1928. The current sanctuary was built in 1957 and the previous sanctuary was taken down and cleared away. The educational building was added in 1970 bringing us to how our church currently looks today.
As the Civil War got closer to Ringgold, services were suspended and did not resume until March or 1866. During the war the church was used by both the Confederates and Federals as a hospital. The church building was spared the torch in the burning of Ringgold in 1863. After the war the church served not only the Baptists but the Methodist, Presbyterian and Cumberland Presbyterian churches. The church also served as a school building until the end of 1868 when a new school building was provided.
Over the years the church has seen a few changes and additions. In the beginning Chickamauga Creek was our baptismal site until a baptistry was built in 1937 under the pulpit. Sunday school rooms were added to the "Civil War Sanctuary" in 1928. The current sanctuary was built in 1957 and the previous sanctuary was taken down and cleared away. The educational building was added in 1970 bringing us to how our church currently looks today.
175 Years and Going
In 2015 we celebrated 175 years of ministry here in Ringgold. God has used this church in great and mighty ways through it's history and has seen thousands of people come to a personal relationship with Jesus by accepting His gift of salvation from sin.
Where we are headed...
Each and every day we seek to follow the path that God has laid our for our church. While we don't know exactly what that will look like. We do know that we will continue to be minister to the Ringgold community until the return of Jesus.
