From the book “The Living History of the First 125 Years of the First Baptist Church, Dunlap, Tennessee, 1868-1993” by Lee and Alice Greer

Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

Ephesians 3:21

On the third Saturday of January, 1868, 15 people six men and nine women, formally came together and dedicated the Dunlap Baptist Church for the purposes of “constitution and covenant to Christian fellowship, further God’s Kingdom, and educate our children.” Three elders or elder pastors as they were known, Thomas King, James M. Hale, and L.D. Tipton, were joined by 12 lay persons. Two of these lay persons were Dr. Starling Tried Smith and his wife Amy. Dr Smith is noted as being Sequatchie County’s first doctor around 1860.

Even though our Church’s founding was 11 years after our county’s founding and 10 years after Dunlap reserved lot #49 for a Baptist church, there is no record that one was built there. We can only imagine our early members met in homes, school rooms, and later in public buildings as they became available. During summer months, brush arbors and tents were probably employed as was the custom recorded later in the 1890’s.

In 1882, the Sequatchie Valley Baptist Association formally organized its first meeting at New Friendship in Marion County, on September 9-10. The first record of SVBA minutes in 1891 indicated our Church had 60 members, and had joined the SVBA the year before in 1890. Representing the Church at the 1891 meeting, were W.H. Hatfield, pastor/clerk and William Long.

On July 13-17, 1896 the church was reorganized as Dunlap Baptist Church of Christ, or Dunlap Missionary Baptist Church. This new name had nothing to do with the churches of Christ of today, but simply meant that it was “one of Christ’s Churches.” The word missionary meant that this was not a primitive Baptist church. The significance was that this reorganization was carried out by five members. Three were from the Dunlap Baptist, Crave Waters, Polk Smith and W.M. Narramore. The other two were new members that came from Ooltewah Baptist, B.F. Jones and J.G. Blalock.

In 1898, Dunlap Baptist Church became the official name and would remain until the fall of 1944 when “First Baptist Church” would be adopted. The name Dunlap Missionary Baptist would still be used in certain records for a year or more after this 1898 vote, just as Dunlap Baptist would be used for several years after the 1944 vote.

On April 23, 1901, the Trustees of the Dunlap Baptist Church bought the present site, “lot #112 of the Rankin First Addition”, from Robert Mauzy and I.R. Huddleston for $300. This deed was re-registered at the Courthouse on June 26, 1956, when the present auditorium and educational building were constructed. Trustees of the original sale were: L.S. Ewton, Joe Minton, Dr S.T. Smith, J.W.C. Jones, J.G. Blalock, W.A. Moore and J.B. Smith.

During 1909, Church membership topped 100 for the first time. 108 members were led part-time by W.E. Davis at an annual salary of $300. This amount was exactly double from the year before.

During the early 1920’s, the membership shared services with the congregation from the local Dunlap Methodist Church by alternating preaching services every Sunday. Although they both owned a building, they could not afford a full time pastor. After each congregation held their Sunday school, they would then walk to the other church for preaching. This occurred every other Sunday. By 1927 membership was up to 130, 176 in 1928, and 230 in 1929. After the stock market collapsed in 1929, the effect on the Church was soon felt as salaries and contributions fell.

Despite the hard times of the 1930’s and the United States involvement in World War II, the Church continued to grow with 242 members in 1941. 1941 was also the first recorded VBS in Church history. In 1944, R.L. Goodson became pastor of Dunlap Baptist Church becoming only the second pastor to be paid more than $1,000 per year. In February 1945, after World War II had ended, veterans began coming home and the Church began thinking about its building again. A Church committee reported it would cost $4,000 for needed repairs and over $20,000 to replace the building.

In the early 1950s, the Church began raising $20,000 and constructing the existing educational building for Sunday school rooms, etc. The educational building was completed in 1953. In 1956, the church issued $12,000 in bonds and enters the new auditorium. By March, 1959, these bonds would be retired. The new auditorium and educational building were dedicated on October 28, 1956.

In 1961, the present parsonage was built on the west side of 1^st Avenue, south of Dell Trail. Bobby Zumbro was called in August of 1962 by a vote of 85 to 19 and at a $4,400 salary. Bro. Zumbro was one of the most effective and popular pastors in church history. During his ministry, all facets of church life flourished, such as BTU, WMU, Brotherhood, GA’s, and RA’s. He was well liked in the community and was very supportive of youth activities. A chapter of Dixie Youth Baseball was established in the community by Bro. Zumbro and stayed active until 2001 when the local league dropped their affiliation with DYB and went to Dizzy Dean. During the 1960’s, Church membership grew to over 400.

On May 17, 1972, Bro. Zumbro resigned to pastor First Baptist Church of Woodbury, Tennessee where he served until his retirement in 1990. Vernon Johnson was called in December of that year to pastor the Church. In March 1974, Vernon Johnson resigned to become pastor at Memorial Baptist Church in Chattanooga. In 1974 the practice of giving flowers on Mother’s Day to the oldest and youngest mothers began. Also, in 1974, the practice of giving graduating high school seniors Bibles began. On January 12, 1975 Ron Arflin was called as pastor. Two years later he resigned to accept a call in South Carolina; his home state. On October 2, 1977, the Church called Lyndle Taylor from a church in Illinois.

Lyndle Taylor resigned to go to a church in Kingsport, Tennessee on September 14, 1980. In September 1981, the Church voted to take money from the land acquisition fund and turn it into a building expansion fund. On July 18^th 1982, the Church called Gary Anderson to become its pastor. The Church’s biggest undertaking of the decade began on August 25, 1985 when they voted for a two-story expansion of the educational building. The new expansion was dedicated on Sunday August 2, 1987. In December 1988, the Church secured the adjoining property next to the new expansion which was formerly Hamblen Dry Cleaners and a strip of bordering property next to Barker’s Chevrolet. The old dry cleaner area is now the Church office and the pastor’s office.

On August 20, 1992, Gary Anderson completed his 10^th year as pastor of First Baptist Church of Dunlap and Jim Ortwein was in his 12^th year as Minister of Music. The Church celebrated its 125^th year in 1993.

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