History
Ten Mile Baptist Church has been blessed with a rich history in Southern Illinois and is one of the oldest churches in the state of Illinois.
Early History
According to the Illinois Baptist State Association 1969 Annual Report only three churches were organized prior to Ten Mile’s organization in 1820. They, include Elizabethtown, which was organized in 1806, Shiloh organized in 1817 and Jonesboro, which was organized in 1819. It is, however, the oldest church in Illinois to remain open continually since the date of its original chartering.
Named after nearby Ten Mile Creek, Ten Mile Baptist Church was first formed by members of the Bankston’s Fork Church west of Harrisburg, IL and called Ten Mile Creek Church. Although church minutes are missing from 1820 to 1829, records show that in December of 1829 the church agreed to work on the meeting house. It is unclear whether the meeting house was under construction or was in need of repair. The first church was thought to be near the center of the cemetery which is east of the current church.
The second meeting house was built in 1838 in the same vicinity as the first. The record shows the dimensions were 24 feet by 26 feet of hewn logs, a board roof to be nailed to the rafters and the ends to be gabled with boards nailed on. This building served the community well until 1896.
Wood frame building—1896
This wood frame building was erected 1896 on land donated by W. D. Harper and Chester Judd. The cost of the new church building was $1,306. By December of 1896, only $406 was owed on the building.
Brick building—1976
The need for a new church building became evident by the early 1970’s. After much discussion, the church congregation decided to build an octagon design with brick veneer. Financing the new facility seemed to be a larger problem than the decision of what the building should look like. After much thought and prayer, the congregation decided to proceed with the project and depend upon the Lord to provide what was needed.
Construction began in 1975 with the first services in the new building held in early 1976. Three short years later the $150,000 note for the new building was paid in full! The central auditorium of this facility was surrounded by classrooms, a kitchen, fellowship hall and rest rooms.
Fellowship hall—1995
With the joyful problem of needing more classrooms the church voted in 1994 to build a new fellowship hall and convert the existing fellowship hall to classrooms. The octagon shaped facility joined the existing church and included the fellowship area, a large kitchen, storage areas and rest rooms. Although construction was not completed, the first meal in the new fellowship hall was held February 12, 1995. The financial burden of this structure was $224,000 and was paid in just 18 months.
New Worship Center
With continued growth in all age groups and classes, it became evident that the church’s auditorium was no longer adequate. On April 15, 1998, the congregation voted to construct a new, larger octagon worship center designed to seat over 500. The decision was later made to enlarge the structure to incorporate classrooms around the central auditorium. Pouring of concrete began in May of 2000 with approximately 400 yards of concrete poured for the foundation and floor area. The structure’s first steel girder was set in place on July 14, 2000. A combination of contractor labor, donated materials and hundreds of hours of donated labor made it possible for the first worship service in the new auditorium to be held on July 29, 2001.
