Our History

History of Grove’s First Baptist Church:  1898 – 2024

"The heritage of the past is the seed that brings forth the harvest of the future.  “Remember the days of old; consider the years of many generations; ask your father, and he will show you, your elders, and they will tell you.”  Deuteronomy 32:7

The beginning of our fellowship can be traced to the latter part of 1897.  Officially the church completed its organization at 4:00 pm on August 19, 1898, and carried the name Grove Springs Baptist Church throughout the Indian Territory days, after which the ‘Springs’ was dropped.  The Charter members who labored and prayed about a Baptist church so long were all relatives and were:  William A. (Doc) & Nancy Parker (husband/wife), their son John R. & Nancy A. Parker (husband/wife), their daughter Callie (Parker) Inlow, Lucinda Parker Welch (sister of William Parker) and Harvey (H. H.) Hampton (cousin of William Parker).

The council that helped with the Church organization was Elders C. W. Keeling and J. H. Hogan.  J. H. Hogan preached on the distinctive doctrines of the Baptist Faith.  After the Charge and Bible had been presented by Elder C. W. Keeling; they were then declared an Independent Baptist Church.  This was the morning service.  The Church met again at 4:00 PM, and Rev. J.H. Hogan preached on “Unity” and the Church proceeded to completion of the organization.  The first person to join the church after its organization on August 19, 1898, was Mr. A. M. Collins.  Rev. J. H. Hogan was elected as first Pastor and John R. Parker the first Church Clerk.

The Church held meetings in the old little Cherokee schoolhouse...