Join us for a look back at our rich heritage . . .
Jesus is the Head of Vista Grande Baptist Church and the fellowship and ministries are Christ-centered. As Henry Blackaby said, “If we walk with Him closely today, we will be in the center of His will tomorrow”. Knowing and doing God’s will has always been the desire of this fellowship. God has built the body to match His assignments and equipped the fellowship to carry out His ministries. God has worked through his servants to reveal Himself, His purposes and His ways for Vista Grande Baptist Church. We invite you to take a look back at what was happening when Vista Grande was chartered.
During the turbulent times of the early 1970’s, the United States underwent profound changes.
- The Supreme Court of the United States ruled on Roe v. Wade and made abortion a constitutional right
- Troops were withdrawn; ending U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War
- Watergate hearings began in the United States Senate
- The fourth and largest Arab-Israeli conflict between Egypt, Syria and Israel took place. Arab members of OPEC restricted the flow of crude oil to countries supporting Israel, causing severe shortages and sky rocketing energy prices, sending our economy into its worst recession in 40 years.
- Skylab, the United States' first space station, was launched.
- Formal diplomatic relations were re-established between the United States and the Peoples Republic of China.
- Average income: $12,900. Average costs: a new house $32,500, a gallon of gas $.40, a dozen eggs $.45.
In 1968 the Pikes Peak Baptist Association purchased 3.9 acres in a new subdivision called Vista Grande for $24,000. Bill Dodder served as church planter and first pastor beginning in 1971, and the first service was held at Helen Keller Elementary School on February 13, 1972. Vista Grande Baptist Church constituted as a church with 19 households and 48 charter members on February 18th, 1973.
The purpose of Vista Grande Baptist Church is the same today as when it was founded. As outlined in our constitution, our purpose was and continues to be, “to nurture spiritual growth by ministering to the spiritual, emotional and physical needs of all our members and by serving our Lord in unity of spirit and in a joyful, but reverent manner; always setting a good Christian example for both believers and non-believers. A co-equal purpose is to win souls for Christ. To the above ends, we will provide an adequate place to worship in warmth and friendliness, and to the extent of our ability, promote missionary enterprises at home and abroad.”
Our members have always been active participants in ministry. The first Vacation Bible School was directed by Mrs. Eileen Smith in August 1973 while the Flintridge building was still under construction.
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| Flintridge groundbreaking |
theater seats and
dark wood paneling |
The remodeled interior |
Flintridge exterior |
Pastor Gary Christopherson |
Over the years, the Flintridge facilities were expanded and upgraded. In May 1996, the church purchased 13 acres at Stetson Hills and Powers Blvd for $850,000. The Flintridge property was sold to Grace Bible Church in July 1999 and we met in Mitchell High School for just over 2 years. We held the first worship service in the new building on September 30, 2001 and completed a 13,000 square foot Phase II education wing in January, 2005.
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| Pastor Bobby Holt |
An aerial shot before construction |
The cross was an early feature |
Drywall stage in the sanctuary |
Youth Wing construction |
A church is defined not by buildings, but by people and ministry. The Holy Spirit has directed individuals to join efforts at Vista Grande Baptist to proclaim His lordship, praise His name and share His love. We are in the unique position of being served by only 3 senior pastors (Bill Dodder, Gary Christopherson and Bobby Holt) since 1972.
The current the ministerial staff consists of Senior Pastor Bobby Holt, Minister of Music Jay Hill, Minister of Education Todd Belmear, Minister of Youth David Boncler, Minister of Children Greg Teel and Minister of Singles Daniel Wiginton. God has grown Vista Grande Baptist Church from an average attendance of 70 to an average attendance of 1,000. Over 85% of those attending worship services also participate in Sunday School.
Over the years, He has shown members and staff how to nurture spiritual growth through ministries such as Vacation Bible School, choirs for children, youth & adults, Evangelism Explosion, Bible studies, revivals, Disciple Training courses, AWANA, Operation Christmas Child, Men’s and Women’s Ministries.
From our start as a mission church, we have continued to support missions at home and around the world with the first overseas mission trip to Scotland 22 years ago. Since then, members have taken 37 mission trips to Europe, Africa, Asia and South America. There are currently members serving as full time missionaries in several locations and we are ministering to churches in Canada and the Philippines.
We have also been involved in local missions including World Changers, hurricane relief, teaching English as a Second Language, prison and homeless ministries. In addition to direct member participation in missions, Vista Grande is a strong supporter of the Southern Baptist Cooperative Program which supports the Colorado Baptist General Convention, International Mission Board, North American Mission Board and six Southern Baptist seminaries.
God has blessed Vista Grande Baptist during our first 37 years. As we begin 2010, we are prayerfully seeking the Lord’s guidance to care for the spiritual, emotional and physical needs of our members, direct our missions’ commitments, develop our singles ministry and possibly expand our facility.
Additional Resources:
If you'd like to learn more, we have two timelines about the life of our church and the people who have served. Both are available to view and print as PDF files. Click here if you need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader.
