Our History
Being committed in love and faith to promote spiritual advancement through the principles of God’s Word, the Christ The King Baptist Church was founded and organized by the Reverend John Wesley McVicker, Sr., under the inspiration and guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Our initial organizational meeting was held on April 9, 1985, with forty charter members. The first worship service was held on Sunday, April 21, 1985, at the Vel Phillips Center, 3940 North 21st Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The organizational ceremony of the church and investiture of the Reverend John Wesley McVicker, Sr., was conducted on Sunday, May 19, 1985, by the Wisconsin General Baptist State Convention, Incorporated, of which the Reverend Fred L. Crouther was President.
In October 1985, we submitted an offer to purchase the edifice located at 4422 West Leon Terrace. The offer was accepted, and the closure was completed on July 3, 1986. We moved into this building and celebrated with daylong activities on October 19, 1986. It was a vibrant day that will remain in our hearts forever. Shortly thereafter in December 1988, Pastor McVicker implemented a two-year mortgage liquidation plan for the Leon Terrace property, and on December 2, 1990, we burned the mortgage.
In March 1995, due to the tremendous growth in membership, it became necessary to launch “Catch the Vision,” a relocation capital campaign. Based upon the successful implementation of this campaign, on March 11, 1996, Christ The King purchased 9.1 acreage of land at 7750 North 60th Street. A special dedication service was held on April 28, 1996, giving God the glory, honor and praise for choosing us as His vessels, and challenging us with this opportunity to witness for Jesus Christ in a new community. In a jubilant ceremony, we broke ground in December 1996, and triumphantly moved into our beautiful new edifice in December 1997.
As God expanded our territory, we made preparation to build a Quality of Life Center which would provide programs and services to our members and the community at large. In order to raise capital for this new endeavor, another stewardship campaign was launched. Its theme, “God’s Doing It Again,” denoted our acknowledgement of God’s activity through the ministry of Christ The King.
In November 2003, through the hard work and the monetary sacrifice of our members, we broke ground for the Quality of Life Center. The construction was completed in August 2005. Now, we are engaged in our third capital campaign, “Together We Build,” to liquidate the mortgage and to support the operations of this new facility.
In May 2006, we celebrated yet another milestone in our church’s history – the burning of the mortgage on our current edifice located at 7750 North 60th Street – our second mortgage to be liquidated within a 15-year period.
In August 2006, we completed construction on Phase III of our building projects, which included the new Administrative Wing, Choir and Hospitality Rooms, and the expanded mingling areas.
Within recent years, Christ The King Baptist Church has continued to be the “beacon of light” that God has called us to be both in our community and around the world. Additionally, we expanded our mission outreach efforts by not only committing to the constructing of a new church edifice in Blantyre, Malawi, but also through our continual financial support of four Pastors in Kenya, Africa. In December 2007, as a result of our members’ sacrificial giving, we were able to offer a Christmas “gift of support” to several local non-profit organizations whose mission mirrored ours in providing services to those in need.
Therefore, the members of Christ The King Baptist Church will continue to offer our service, dedication and commitment to advance the Kingdom of God by offering our unwavering support of the mission and vision of our church.
