In 1988, The Centennial History of Hurricane, WV was published to commemorate the town’s 100th anniversary. The publication included the histories of 16 Hurricane area churches. This week’s selection is the 2nd of the church histories which were published in 1988.

EMMANUEL BAPTIST CHURCH

Emmanuel Baptist Church had its beginnings when two students studying for the ministry at Lexington Baptist College, Kentucky, desired to return to their native West Virginia to start a Baptist work. The two students, respectively Glen Archer and Hollis Walter, chose the Hurricane area. In August of 1966, Emmanuel Baptist Mission was established out of the mother church of Waverly Road Baptist Church in Huntington, West Virginia. The mission sight chosen had previously been a gas station and pool hall, but with the help of the Waverly Road Church and other churches the property was transformed into the four column white sanctuary it is today.

In the fall of 1967 the mission started the Teays Valley Baptist College with Hollis Walter heading up the school. The mission was organized into a church in April of 1968 with Glen Archer serving as the church’s pastor. The college was a ministry of Emmanuel Baptist Church for eighteen years until it moved its location to Calvary Baptist Church in Nitro, West Virginia.

Emmanuel Baptist Church is credited with the establishing of three other Baptist churches during her history: Evergreen Hills Baptist Church, Culloden, West Virginia; Sovereign Grace Baptist Church, Rockford, Illinois; and Riverview Baptist Church, Point Pleasant, West Virginia.

Over the years Emmanuel has had several pastors: Glenn Archer (1966-1978), Clifford Curry (1980- 1981), Joe Meyer (1983- 1985) and Arthur Hunt (1987-present).

Emmanuel is an Independent Missionary Baptist Church and is located on U.S. Highway 60 in Hurricane, West Virginia.