Black Oak Heights Baptist Church began in May 1946 as the result of six members of Oakwood Baptist Church working to establish a church in the area. These members originally met in homes for prayer meeting; the Sunday School; and eventually in a tent erected on the property for worship. After the church was organized membership was opened and twenty-five people joined the six charter members. The total membership that day was thirty-one with the church's initial offering of $31.00 being sent to the Cooperative Program. The first structure was the basement of our present chapel. The church ordained Bro. J.J. Bingham as its first pastor. The original sanctuary, including our first baptistery, was built in 1952 and is now Bingham Chapel. Members were previously baptized in Beaver Creek. Bingham Chapel presently serves as a meeting place for Children's Church. In 1969 our Educational Building, which included much-needed classrooms, was completed. Black Oak Heights has grown from the original six members to over eighteen hundred at present. The first auditorium seated 120. The present auditorium, completed in 1978, accommodates over 1200. In 1999, our Family Life Center was completed through the generous offerings of our congregation. The Family Life Center includes a gymnasium, fellowship hall, kitchen, and offices for our staff. May these blessings of the past serve to continually challenge us to follow God's plan to go forth and preach the gospel, "baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit."
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