Bangham Heights Baptist Church

The Bangham Heights Baptist Church was started in 1963 as a mission of the Washington Avenue Baptist Church.  Bro. Oscar Davis, the associational missionary, Bro. Sam Brooks, the pastor of Washington Avenue, and Mrs. Tena Smith, a member of First Baptist Church and a resident of the Bangham community, canvassed the area for suitable property.  They also wanted to see how many homes were in the area as well as search for prospective members.  After many hours of work and prayer, the decision was made that the Bangham community needed a church.

The Bangham Mission of Washington Avenue Baptist Church held its first services on the fourth Sunday of July 1963 following a week of revival services conducted in a tent situated behind the Bangham School.  Rev. John Brown was the evangelist for that meeting.

The parent church called Rev. Guy Farris as the first pastor, and he began his ministry here in October 1963.  The mission was then meeting in a basement building on Fairview Road.

The mission was constituted into a church on Sunday, May 1, 1966, under the name of Bangham Heights Baptist Church.  There were 73 charter members.  Occupation of our current classroom building, consisting at the time of a sanctuary and 7 classrooms, began July 26, 1964.

Following Rev. Farris' resignation on September 25, 1966 to accept new work, the church called Rev. Kenneth Tramel as pastor.  He began his service on December 6, 1966.  He served as pastor until June 30, 1968.

Rev. Jack Miller was called as pastor and arrived on the field November 17, 1968.  He served as pastor until September 10, 1972.

Rev. Bill Griffith began his pastorate on a Wednesday night in mid-March 1973.  He served as pastor until his death in 1993.  During his illness, Rev. Sam Brooks served as interim pastor.  Rev. Brooks served until 1994.

Rev. Wade McDonald was called to Bangham Heights in July of 1994 and served as pastor until July 2003.  After Bro. Wade's resignation, Rev. Gene Schmidt served as interim pastor until September 2003.

Our present pastor, Rev. Keith Tosh, began his pastorate in September of 2003.  Under Bro. Keith's leadership, the church has experienced much growth and looks forward to many more years of his dedicated service.

We know the greatest days are still to come for Bangham Heights!