Praise God
(The vision of Brother Lewis Copley)
1959 - Delmer Daniels
1962 - Ralph Parsons
1978 - Joe Walters
1979 - Clifton Thompson
1980 - Joe Walters
1981 - Lewis Copley
2007 - Eric Boggs
2003 - Chris Stewart
2006 - Eric Boggs
2007 - Lyle Arnett
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| Bucyrus Free Will Baptist Church | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| The Bucyrus Free Will Baptist Church was organized on December 9, 1956 as the Zion Free Will Baptist Church on Hopley Avenue in what was a converted coal building. This after congregating in the home of John and Rosie Redman in the mid 1950's. The congregation remained on Hopley Avenue until 1964 when they constructed a new building on Galan St. across from the railroad tracks. The building was remodeled several times until the vision of seeing a new church built was seen by former pastor, Brother Lewis Copley. The congregation once again moved, this time from Galan St. back to Hopley Avenue, which is where the church is currently located. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| I, Lewis Copley, Pastor of the Bucyrus Free Will Baptist Church, after being elected by the vote of the membership, began having wonderful worship services, which I thought of as a spiritual honeymoon. Soon after I was elected I noticed when I came from Mansfield I would pull into the parking lot and notice heaviness over me. I thought it would let up, or go away, but it didn't. So I made up my mind that I would tell the church just how I felt. I did so at the next business meeting. I told the church and they responded really well. We appointed a committee of three to look for land to relocate and almost three months passed and no land. Then it happened, Brother Larry Parsons was going home one evening from work and there was a sign, "Land for Sale, 2.9 acres." The prefect location, 1676 Hopley Ave. So Brother Larry took down the phone number and called while the committee began to look into purchasing the land. On a Saturday evening, Brother John Schubert, Brother Larry Parsons, and I went out to look at the land and as we walked up on the land, we discussed the asking price of $26,000. While I was thinking on the price a small still voice said to me, "$20,000 would buy it." The brothers told the people in charge of our offer. They said ok. We had only about $5,000 in the church treasury. A good old soul, Mr. Albright let us have $16,500.00. No paperwork, just pay 10% interest as we could afford. Approximately 10 months later, we were blessed by God to have it all paid for. By this time the church was getting really involved; car washes, garage sales, bake sales, etc. The church really pulled together to make a real profit. I remember saying to the church, "If we that can afford it, place a tenth of what we clear into the treasury, we could build a church." The next thing I knew, the offering had went up and I had to hurry to get my part in the offering. Along about this time, I woke up one Sunday morning and it seemed like I was out of my body, but I knew I was still in bed. I was walking up the drive through the entrance. I went up to the sanctuary door and as I looked, I came to myself and realized I was still in bed. What a charge! I couldn't wait to tell the church what God allowed me to see. We then elected Brother John Schubert for our building chairman. Money was coming from everywhere, including the sale of our previous church. I was real concern of losing some of our people not having a place to assemble. Just like God, a building in New Winchester came available. Brother Schubert had just gone through heart surgery and everything was going beautifully. Sister Churches were working with us, especially the Bethel Free Will Baptist Church. Brothers and Sisters were even giving us their income tax returns. Everyone was so free to give of themselves. What a wonderful experience. I shall never forget it. This happened between the years of 1985-1987. Praise God (The vision of Brother Lewis Copley) |
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| The old church on Galan St. in Bucyrus, Ohio. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| HISTORY OF THE BUCYRUS FREE WILL BAPTIST PASTORS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The history of Pastors in the Bucyrus Free Will Baptist Church is a rich one. After congregating in the home of John and Rosie Redman, the Church was organized as the Zion Free Will Baptist Church with Ransom Spence as the first Pastor. Reportedly, there was a debate as to whether the church would be Free Will or Pentecostal. After serving for three years, Delmer Daniels took over as Pastor, once again for three years. The congregation went through growing pains in those first six years, but then Brother Ralph Parsons and his family moved to the area from West Virginia. It was under Brother Parsons that the Church began to grow. The first real building project was accomplished under Brother Parsons leadership at the former Galan St. location. Brother Ralph served as Pastor for 16 years, and saw many of our Saints saved. One of those individuals he witnessed being converted was Evangelist Joe Walters. Brother Ralph’s ministry was blessed. Two of his sons are ministers, Brother Ronnie who Pastors the Willard Free Will Baptist Church, and Dave who Pastors a Church in Ashland, Ohio. He also has two sons who are Deacons. Brother Larry who has been a Deacon at the Bucyrus Free Will Baptist Church since 1974 and Paul who was just set aside as a Deacon at the Dean Rd. Free Will Baptist Church this past year. One of Ralph’s daughters, Joy, married Fred Crank, a minister who announced his calling and was ordained while a member of the Bucyrus Free Will Baptist Church, and now Pastors a Church in North Carolina. After 16 years, Brother Ralph moved on and currently attends the Marion Enterprise Baptist Church in Marion, Ohio. Brother Walters, who has been a life long member of the Church, stepped down from his position as the Northern Ohio Quarterly Conference Evangelist to fill in as Pastor in 1978. Shortly after being saved in 1963, Brother Joe announced his calling and was ordained in 1968. He served as Pastor for one year before Brother Clifton Thompson was put in as Pastor in 1979. Brother Thompson served as Pastor for the Holly Fork Free Will Baptist Church in Kentucky before moving north because of work. He was living in Marion at the time when he took over as Pastor for one year. He now resides in Mansfield, Ohio and attends the Fifth Avenue Free Will Baptist Church. After one year, Brother Joe Walters once again filled the position while the Church sought a new Pastor. Brother Lewis Copley was living in Mansfield at the time and had experience as Pastor, including stints as Pastor with the Dean Rd. Free Will Baptist Church, the Fleming Ave. Free Will Baptist Church, and the Shelby Free Will Baptist Church. Brother Copley took over the job as Pastor of the Bucyrus Free Will Baptist Church in 1981 and has overseen the most fruitful years of the Church to date. Under his ministry as Pastor of the Bucyrus Free Will Baptist Church, there have been countless men of God who have announced their callings, including his son Brother Jerry Copley, who attends the Shelby Free Will Baptist Church, Brother Chris Stewart, who Pastors Freedom Fellowship Church, Brother Fred Crank, who Pastors a Free Will Baptist Church in North Carolina, Brother Johnny Schubert the III, Brother Jeff Parsons, who attends Freedom Fellowship, and both Brother Eric Boggs and Brother Lyle Arnett who currently serve the Church as Pastor and Assistant Pastor. Brother Copley was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in the mid to late 1990’s. Although this condition slowed Brother Copley over the years, you were hard pressed to find a better preacher than Lewis. Brother Copley also saw the second large building project in the Church’s history, building the new church on Hopley Ave., which is where the church is currently located and has enjoyed worshipping in for over 20 years. In 2007 Brother Copley stepped down as Pastor, serving the Church as such for 26 blessed years. During that time, the Church introduced the concept of having an Assistant Pastor. Although there were many men of God who assisted the Pastor, the position did not become official until 1990. The first was Brother Charley Nolen, who at that time was a member of the Dean Rd. Free Will Baptist and a good friend of Pastor Lewis. He served as Assistant for 13 years, when in 2003 Brother Nolen passed away. Brother Chris Stewart was then nominated as Assistant, which he faithfully served as for four years before leaving to build a new church in the Caldonia, Ohio area. Brother Eric Boggs was then asked to be the new Assistant, which he was for only one year before stepping into the vacated Pastor’s position. The current Assistant Pastor’s position is being served by Brother Lyle Arnett. Since Brother Boggs has taken over as Pastor, a new minister has announced his calling. Brother Justin Feight has begun preaching as of 2008 and continues the long rich history of spirit filled men of God to be groomed while attending the Bucyrus Free Will Baptist Church. This is only scratching the surface of the rich history of the Bucyrus Free Will Baptist Church, and as more information is gathered, this brief history of ministers will only continue to grow. Please check back in soon. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| This picture is of the early congregation of the Bucyrus Free Will baptist church when it's location was in a converted coal building on Hopley Ave. Notice all the children in this picture!! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| This picture is of the new sanctuary, which was finished in 1987, and is the current home for worship for the church. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| History of Pastors | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1956 - Ransom Spence 1959 - Delmer Daniels 1962 - Ralph Parsons 1978 - Joe Walters 1979 - Clifton Thompson 1980 - Joe Walters 1981 - Lewis Copley 2007 - Eric Boggs |
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| Bro. Lyle Arnett | Bro. Eric Boggs | Bro. Lewis Copley | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| History of Assistant Pastors | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1990 - Charly Nolen 2003 - Chris Stewart 2006 - Eric Boggs 2007 - Lyle Arnett |
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| Bro. Charley Nolen | Bro. Chris Stewart | Bro. Joe Walters | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||