Alpine Bible Church
Alpine Bible Church had its beginning in the Spring of 1998 when a small group of people felt the leading of God to join their hearts together, believing by faith that God would bless their faithfulness to Him and, through His Spirit, enable them to build a ministry for His glory. Several weeks were given to consider the matter of identifying what kind of Church they should seek to build; what theological and practical distinctives would they pursue? For consultation purposes they brought in counsel from Rev. Byron Stewart, who was presently Dean of Student Affairs at Lexington Baptist College in Kentucky. He had previously held pastoral positions in Ontario, Canada for 13 years, served with Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Virginia, and has had opportunity to teach / speak at several Christian colleges & universities.
Following several weeks of developing a fresh statement of belief and praying for God’s continued blessing, this group met in area homes, began contributing their resources, and selected leaders among themselves of whom they believed met the criteria of Acts 6:3; that is, “men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom…” These men became temporary leaders until the group felt they could call someone to come and lead them as a Pastor. The Church took the name – Alpine Bible Church, wanting to identify with their surrounding culture, and hold high their desire to be led by the Holy Scriptures. Incorporation soon followed and the church called Rev. Stewart to come be their pastor in June of 1998.
As of March 2006 the Church had quadrupled in size and continues growing! It is exciting to see visitors every week! We used to refer to our ministry as a “Wagon Train,” and now it seems more likened to a “Passenger Train.” Our growth, along with many other confirming signs, suggests that God truly has raised up this church. In 2001 we hired a full-time Associate Pastor, Mikkel Jasper, who specializes in Student Ministry. He is a graduate of Boyce College in Louisville, Kentucky and previously did intern training under Pastor Stewart’s leadership. The addition of Mikkel and his wife, Niccole, has added stability to our family ministry, bringing many students and parents into our church.
Another strong blessing has been our Missions Emphasis. We do financially support several missionaries, but our greatest asset in this area has been the recent partnership with “Steppin’ Out Mission,” a new organization started by one of our own, John Corley, along with his wife - Shirley. John brings many years of experience, having led short-term mission projects all across the world for several decades. Numerous people in our church have been on mission trips with John, and this strong mission emphasis within our people is helping to shape the character and nature of our Church. In January of 2006 John’s son, Joel (along with his wife – Megan) announced their belief of God’s call to join Steppin’ Out Mission. Joel & Megan are Bible College graduates, now serving full time with Steppin’ Out Mission, but also serving on our Student Ministry Leadership team, and making quite an impact for the Lord with our students.
God has definitely placed His hand upon this Church and confirmed to us that our existence is not by mistake nor by man’s determined strength, but by His Spirit. Our motto is simply this: “To Know Christ Jesus and to Make Him Known;” This is who we are and who we are becoming. This church is Rock Solid because Jesus Christ is our Leader, the Captain of our souls, and the Architect behind every act. As long as He receives all the glory for all He is doing, this church will thrive and continue growing until the day He returns to call all believers unto Himself! May our Lord Jesus Christ be truly exalted & praised for His wonderful work in our lives!
