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Being committed in love and faith to promote
spiritual advancement through the principles of
God’s Word, this, 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. By this date, the fellowship was thirty-nine
members strong. The first worship service was held on Sunday,
April 21, 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 W. Leon Terrace; the offer
was accepted and we closed 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.
n 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, 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 and construction was completed in August,
2005. Now, we are engaged in our third capital campaign,
“Together We Build,” to liquidate the mortgage, as well as
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. We also implemented an Ambassador
program in 2007 for new members in order to assist with their
transition into the life of the church.
Within the last year, 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. In August, 2007, we hosted our first Homecoming
Celebration, where we invited our former members back home to
fellowship and worship with us here at Christ The King.
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 two 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.
As we move through 2008, it is our prayer that we will “Remember
HIS Marvellous Works” and through our service, dedication and
commitment, continue to advance His Kingdom by offering our
unwavering support of the ‘vision’ here at Christ the King.
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