History of Jersey

 

It began as a dream when a small girl named Verna Sagar Lantz worked in the field that would eventually become the home of Jersey Baptist Church.  While planting corn Verna dreamed that some day a church would be planted in the field and souls, not corn, would be harvested.  Eventually Verna inherited the land and agreed to sell the property to a small group of dreamers that were meeting one mile to the east in a Grange Hall at the crossroads called "Jersey."

 

On Easter Sunday, April 1980, under the sponsorship of Brookside Baptist church in Reynoldsburg, Ohio, the Mission at Jersey began. A handful of people, mostly from the surrounding area, met to worship in the 100-year-old building that would be their home for the next three and a half years.

 

Even though the conditions were rough and the people few, God had a plan for Jersey that was far greater than the dreams of a farm girl named Verna and this determined group of believers.  In 1980, the mission churches first pastor, Bob Blevins was called to the foreign mission field.  Jersey now faced the challenge of finding a new pastor.  They were led to contact John Hays, a young seminary student.  Although he had a great deal of enthusiasm, John had no pastoral experience.

After his initial visit to the Mission, John was not convinced this was where God wanted him. He tells the story of driving from Columbus to Jersey and how the road kept getting smaller. There were fewer and fewer houses and finally when he thought things could not get worse he saw the dilapidated building the Mission was meeting in. He said to his wife, "You can't grow a church where there are no people!"

 

history_08/08_corn2

 

Shortly thereafter God's calling became clear. A defining moment was when John received a shoebox full of the names of prospects.  Doubt was replaced with a dream of a dynamic church, with a real building, filled with devoted disciples.  John Hays became the pastor of the Jersey Baptist mission.

 

In 1981, the mission church purchased 5 acres at the corner of Morse and Hamilton roads from Verna and Delmar Sagar.   Plans were developed for a 3,400 square foot building that would cost approximately $65,000 to be constructed with volunteer labor.  This first building was completed and the church constituted in 1983.

 

The church experienced dramatic growth from 1983 to 1985. The church soon outgrew its facility and it became obvious that if Jersey Baptist Church were to grow into the future it would require construction of a larger building for both worship and Sunday School. In 1985, plans were developed for a 14,000 square foot addition attached to the present facility with a sanctuary seating capacity of 400. Sunday school space was tripled which proved later to serve as a catalyst for growth in the Bible study program.  The new building opened its doors in the fall of 1987.

 

In 1990, Pastor John was asked by the Southern Baptist Convention to serve as a trustee on the International Mission Board.  God used the eight years that Pastor John served on the IMB as a catalyst to lead Jersey in becoming a pacesetter in sending people around the world.

 

Growth continued and once again fueled the dream to expand the ministries of Jersey.  In 1995, construction began on the Worship and Activities Center.  In many ways, this project presented the greatest challenge the congregation at Jersey had ever faced.  As the church accepted the challenge from God to build this building, God was faithful to meet each need, every step of the way as Pastor John and Jersey pursued the vision.  “Though still unfinished, the first service in the WAC was held on a cold Easter Sunday in 1996. Nearly 1600 people attended that day.”

 

In 2003 the senior staff was evaluating future growth projections both in the community and within the church.  Once again, Jersey was challenged with a facility that would not support the projected growth.  However, this time Jersey faced the realization that the church could not build another worship facility due to the lack of public utilities; Pastor John began praying for ways to continue reaching the communities with the existing facilities.  He felt God leading him to expand our worship services to include different styles of music at different locations on the church campus.  In the fall of 2004, the Gospel Celebration venue was launched.  And then in the fall of 2005, the EMERGE venue was launched.  The Synaxis venue began in September of 2007.

 

Today, Jersey has 2500 active members with over 780 serving in ministry.  Additionally, more than 1200 attend BF each week while over 1,800 people attend our 6 Sunday morning worship services.

 

John and Jan pic

 

In 1981, a young pastor and his wife accepted the call to lead a small group of believers in the corn fields of Jersey, Ohio.  Nearly 30 years later Jersey’s impact under the leadership of Pastor John has not only touched the lives of a small community where more than 2,300 people have been baptized, they are touching lives across the world.

 

Just imagine what God has planned in the days and years ahead…for this field of dreams.