Amherst Open Bible Baptist Church

Title

Amherst Open Bible Baptist Church

Church Name

Amherst Open Bible Baptist Church

Church Association

N/A

Province

Nova Scotia

County

Cumberland County

Address

131 Victoria Street, West Amherst, NS

Status

Active

Date

Built 1979

Historical Information

The congregation of the Amherst Open Bible Baptist Church first began in the home of Miles Foster, with prayer meetings, in 1974. It is here they began to identify themselves as a congregation, separate from other Baptist churches in the area. It is said that many Baptist churches banded together to support and help the church begin, donating time and resources towards the formation of a congregation and church structure. From there the first business meeting was held Feb 26, 1978, at the R. B. Dickey schoolhouse. Prior to this first meeting the congregation did not have a minister and primarily just had Bible studies and not regular services. At the meeting held on February 26, the congregation unanimously decided to call their first pastor, Barry Beebe. After the congregation moved out of the home of Miles Foster, the congregation rented various places for awhile and in 1979 began working on their current building. However, it was not until 1980 that the AOBBC moved in and they have been in this location until the present (2021).

The church structure is atypical for its time, in terms of style. It is a one-and-a-half storey wood frame construction with a medium pitched roof. Rather than the entrance being on the gable end, like most Maritime churches, it is on the side, at ground level. Inside the church, to go to the sanctuary, you must walk up stairs. The building has visible architectural detailings that were popular in the mid- to late-twentieth century, those being the stripes of decorative siding between the upper storey windows and the basement windows.

Information provided by the church.

Files

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Citation

“Amherst Open Bible Baptist Church,” Atlantic Baptist Built Heritage Project , accessed March 28, 2024, https://atlanticbaptistheritage.omeka.net/items/show/260.

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