Our Story
60th Anniversary Stories
For seven weeks leading up to our 60th Anniversary on September 19th, 2021, we had the opportunity of interviewing some very special Grace Baptist members who have been here for decades. Their stories of the history and legacy of Grace Baptist Church, in this valley and the world, are captivating and encouraging.
60th Anniversary Grace Weekly
In this commemorative edition of the Grace Weekly, we will discover that the enduring legacy of Grace Baptist Church is not expressed through corporate gatherings, ministry programs, community events, and campus buildings. The legacy continues through the lives of Christ-followers who are committed to understanding and applying the word of God into every area of life through every season of life.
The Beginning
On April 25, 1961, eight believers met in a home to seek God’s will regarding the formation of a new evangelical church in the Newhall area of the Santa Clarita Valley. After meeting in homes for a time, the first Sunday School and Morning Worship Service were held on July 9th. There were 35 people in attendance at a hall rented from the Moose Lodge. Rev Harry Gay served the church as its first pastor.
The First Move
Moving from one rented building to another, the church continued to minister to the community. In 1963, Grace Baptist purchased its first land including a small building. Rev. Robert Spence came to serve as Pastor in 1964. Attendance grew to the point where Sunday School classes were forced to meet outside and soon the small building was outgrown.
As God Blesses, Grace Grows
In 1970, a 2-story Education building was completed and James Rentz became Pastor. By its 10th anniversary, church membership had grown to 423. The people of Grace Baptist built the Multi-Purpose Building in 1975 which provided additional space for worship and soon after called Donald Coddington as Associate Pastor. John Swanson was called as Senior Pastor in September of 1977. With more growth, a Children’s Building was constructed and completed in 1984. Tom Givens was called as Senior Pastor in 1984, and served faithfully through 2006. In 1990 and 1991, the people of Grace Baptist spent a great deal of time in prayer regarding the direction for the church in light of the overcrowding and attendance. It was believed that God was leading to another, larger campus.
The Big Move
In 1991, the church voted to purchase a 24-acre parcel of land in Saugus, with plans for a large complex including numerous buildings to be built over the next 10 years. In 1996 an 1800-seat outdoor Amphitheater was constructed on the new property with the majority of construction being done by volunteers. Worship services, concerts, weddings, and many special events are held in the Amphitheater each year. Still in construction at the new campus, two Sunday services ultimately grew to three, and Saturday services were added. By 1994, there were six weekly Worship services and over 1500 people worshiped weekly at Grace Baptist.
Building the Campus
Construction on the new buildings began at the end of April of 1997. The first buildings including a 1000-seat Conference Center, numerous Nursery and Children’s education classrooms, offices, a full-size kitchen, and other features that have been in use since July 4, 1998. Construction on the 2,000+ seat worship center was completed in the fall of 2003. As Pastor Tom Givens retired in 2006 the Lord was preparing the people of Grace Baptist for its next chapter. In 2009 David W. Hegg joined the Grace Baptist staff as the Senior Pastor and continues in that role today skillfully teaching and preaching the Word of God expositionally.
Patio and Parking
As rooms and buildings were filled up each weekend it became very clear that more parking was needed. In 2012, Grace Baptist completed a project that added nearly 400 parking spaces on our campus. From the day we moved to this new campus in 1998 there was a strong desire to make the patio more useful throughout the entire year. The patio area was large, over 10,000 square feet, but the concrete and bright sun kept it from being a comfortable place to hangout and chat. In 2013 the patio project was completed, providing a pleasant shaded space with a large playground for kids and water feature to help cool off the warm days. The patio is also home to Grace Coffee, a great place to grab a drink and scone while enjoying fellowship on the patio.
A Master Plan Completed
The original construction on Copper Hill included a large, temporary, modular building to provide a space for ministry to Junior High and High School students. While that building filled the need for nearly two decades the time had come for a permanent structure. In 2018 Grace Baptist completed the Timothy Student Center. The TSC provides three large meeting rooms and a welcoming lobby that serves to connect this student space to the patio, providing an intentional link of student ministries to the church central campus. This building was the final piece in the original Master Plan drafted in the early 90's for the Copper Hill campus. Since its opening, the TSC has served to support not only our Student Ministries well but also provide flexible areas for church-wide events.
The Next 60 Years
As we look ahead, we do so with the calm assurance that we are not our own but belong to the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the head of our church. We also enter a future with the assurance that whatever our Lord asks of us he will be faithful to enable as we set our hearts on him. We will hold fast to the Word, to the truth that has been handed down to us and bravely displayed for 60 years here at Grace Baptist Church. And les us hold forth the wonderful news of the gospel before the eyes of a needy watching world.