Two Rivers Community Church opened its
doors for the first time on April 4, 1993. The Greater Dayton
Association of Baptists (GDAB) granted First Baptist Church of Fairborn,
Ohio permission to start a mission church in a vacant church building
that formerly housed Little York Road Baptist Church. Pastor Don
McMurry lead the Missions Committee of First Baptist Fairborn to make
a request of the GDAB to start a new church in this building.
Numerous requests were made for use of the property but First Baptist
was the only one who wanted to actually plant a new church. The
GDAB enthusiastically approved their request. The Missions Committee
then asked Mac Williams, who was presently serving as Minister of Youth
and Singles, to pastor this new work. Pastor Williams agreed and
around 15 people from First Baptist came to be the nucleus of what would
become Two Rivers Community Church. They chose the name because
it lay in between the Great Miami and Stillwater Rivers. The building
itself was constructed in 1968 and is on 5 acres of land.
This nucleus along with many other individuals
gave many hours to the preliminary work needed before Two Rivers would
have its first public worship service. First of all they worked
on several renovation projects in the building. They covered concrete
block with dry wall and insulation, they painted, they remodeled the
bathrooms and the foyer and the stage area, added fluorescent lighting
with a dropped ceiling, they added curtains, blinds, and new carpet,
and also revamped the sound system. All of this was done in less
than three months. Within a couple years they also replaced all
of the windows and put up a new sign.
Secondly, they spent countless hours
on the telephone calling all of the homes in the area to invite them
to this new church. In a 5-week period they contacted 11,149 people
by phone. From this effort, 984 people expressed interest in the
church and were added to the mailing list.
Ninety people attended that opening worship
service. Bible study groups for all ages were offered on Sunday
mornings before the worship. They also started a youth meeting,
a singles group, and several home groups. From the beginning
they sought to have a ministry that focused on doctrine, devotion to
God, and daily lifestyle. There was also a strong emphasis on
the need to develop families that would be embassies for the kingdom
of God.
After the first year the church selected
Undershepherds that were given the responsibility for the spiritual
health and direction of the church. Wayne Carver, Alan Gilbreth,
and Mike Scarberry joined Pastor Williams in shepherding the church
under the lordship of Jesus Christ.
Two Rivers Community Church officially
consituted as a church on April 27, 2003 with 50 members. And
then, on February 8, 2005 they purchased the building and property from
the GDAB for $25,000. In January, 2007 the church added Jeremiah
Mattingly as an Undershepherd and appointed Jeremy Raley to the office
of Deacon.
Over the years there has been an emphasis
on outreach in varied ways. Servant evangelism projects, Vacation
Bible School, Backyard Bible Clubs, prayer walking, the "Jesus
Video Project", yearly participation in the Angel Tree ministry,
serving special needs persons in conjuction with the Dayton Air Show,
serving in the Vandalia Food Pantry ministry, supporting the Miami Valley
Womens Center, and visits to those who have newly moved into the community.
They have also sponsored serveral conferences that focused on "Fellowship
With God", "The Superiority of Biblical Counseling",
and "Engaging the Culture When Worldviews Collide".
The missions focus at TRCC has grown
over the years as well. There are mission education programs for
the children and adults as well as frequent missionary guest speakers.
The church has always given generously to Southern Baptist missions
offerings. October is the missions focus month. At that
time an offering is taken for the support of the International Mission
Board, the North American Mission Board, and Ohio Baptist Missions.
Members have also participated in mission trips to Ecuador, Nepal, France,
St. Lucia, Mexico, Sweden, and Paraguay.
God has richly blessed Two Rivers Community
Church. He has abundantly met the needs of our church and used
us to help the meet the needs of others. It is our prayer that
God would use us in His kingdom work in Dayton, in Ohio, in the United
States, and among the peoples of the world.
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