Our Story

East Ridge Missionary Baptist Church was organized on Sunday, April 7, 1940, at 2:30 o'clock in "Miss Carey's Room" of the old abandoned East Ridge Schoolhouse at the corner of Ringgold Road and Marlboro Avenue. At least three abortive attempts had been made to begin a Baptist church in East Ridge before the church was organized.  Later, Mr. Hugh Scruggs, Sunday School superintendent at the Brainerd Baptist Church, made at least two unsuccessful attempts to begin a permanent mission in the old East Ridge Town Hall, a building which stood on the northwest corner of Marlboro Avenue and Ringgold Road, across the street from the present site of East Ridge Baptist Church. The building was uninviting; Sunday School was held in the afternoon with no preaching; the teachers, with the exception of Mr. Scruggs, were irregular in attendance.

The East Ridge Baptist Church Kindergarten was organized in 1963 after much deliberation and prayer by the first Kindergarten Committee, Mrs. H. J.
Litton, Chairman; Mr. C. L. Bailey, Mrs. W. L. Dearing, Jr., Mr. Ray Powell, Mrs. H. A. Wallace, and the Rev. C. Henry Preston.
The Kindergarten was begun to help children in all area of growth: mental, physical, social, emotional, and spiritual.
Randy Waterhouse, son of Mr. and Mrs. C. A. Waterhouse, was the first child enrolled.
On January 18, 1971, a committee was appointed to consider the beginning of a Child Development Center at the church which would provide full day care for children of the East Ridge area in a Christian atmosphere. The new program was to include the activities of the already functioning Kindergarten plus full day care. The Child Development Center was approved by the church
January 28, 1971.

CrossPath 2026.