Galmey Community Bible Church

Our Past, Present and Future

Our Past

God was so important to Travis and Mary Moore that on July 9, 1900 they deeded one acre of land for the exclusive purpose of building a church that is now known as Galmey Community Bible Church.  Records are not available, but it has been told the five men who were deeded the property and who are considered the founding fathers of the first church building was J. J. Stults, E. J. Kelly, J. Aspey, O. L. Boardley and Willis Pitts.  We are grateful that God put it on their hearts to see the need for a place of worship for future generations.

In 1901 a building made of two foot thick concrete walls was erected.  This building was not affiliated with a denomination and was considered open to all Bible believing denominations that wanted to use the building to spread the good word.

The recorded history of the church states:  During those years several preachers came and held revival meetings at the church.  People came to church by wagon and team, horseback or on foot in those early days.  They came here to have their spiritual needs met and to expand the roster of the faithful.  Times were hard, money was scarce but the faith of the people was strong.  It was their custom to have yearly Revival Meetings, and the church would be packed to capacity.  Many precious souls found Jesus as their savior at an old fashion altar as well as encouragement to go on.

The first officially named church in the building, New Light Christian Church, came about in 1911.  In 1922 the building was considered unsafe for holding service.  They removed the old concrete building from the original site and built the one room frame building that exists today within the present day building.

In 1929 the appraised value of the church building was $1,000.  It was the beginning of the great depression.  Reverend Thomas Crance began his first of 30 years as pastor on a once a month basis.  During the off weeks, student preachers from Central Bible College in Springfield and Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar would fill in.  Because money was scarce, the ladies of the church, which at this time was known as the Congregational Christian Church, would sell pies, coffee and sandwiches at farm auctions to contribute to the church finances.

When the construction of the Pomme de Terre Dam across the Pomme de Terre River began in the late 1950's several farmers in the area were forced to sell their property and many left the area.  Subsequently, the population of the church dropped dramatically. 

By 1959 the church was in disrepair and a fence was built across the front of the property adjacent to the highway that threatened the continuation of services.  In 1900 when the one acre plot of land was deeded for the church, the stipulation was made that the land must always be used for Christian services or it would revert back to the original tract from which it came.  It was the faith of a few that revived the hope that the church would again grow and become a vital part of the community.  After the fence was determined to be illegal, it was removed.  An appeal was made for financial assistance and money began to come in from members and former members.  In the early part of the 1960's a revitalized building project was ending and the population in Galmey was beginning to grow.  With the completion of the Pomme de Terre Lake in 1961, an influx of retired people into the area brought new life to the community and to the Galmey Church.

It was not until 1973 the church would have a full time pastor.  Once again the hope of having a permanent interdenominational church was revived.  A charter was applied for and officers were elected to serve as a board.  There were 13 members at this time.  The church became officially incorporated on November 5, 1973.  By spring of the next year the small group of church members drilled a well and began working to build three Sunday School classrooms, kitchen facilities and restrooms to the one room sanctuary.  The church continued to grow at a rapid pace, resulting in long range plans to add more rooms. 

As people were added to the Church family, plans were made to build a new sanctuary.  By October of 1977 the concrete for a new sanctuary was poured with construction of the building beginning in 1978.  By spring the new sanctuary was ready for services.  The first service in the new sanctuary was held on Easter Sunday, March 19, 1978.  On May 21, 1978, the new sanctuary was dedicated to our Lord. 

When the concrete floor was being poured, members of the church decided to bury a time capsule under the concrete on the north side of the sidewalk.  The contents of the time capsule include a King James Bible, a copy of the Statement of Faith, a membership list, the corporation papers and a copy of the church history.  In June of 1979 the church held a note burning service.

A Missionary Circle began to meet on the first and third Tuesday of each month.  The purpose of the Missionary Circle was to send items to the Flagstaff Mission for the Navajo Indians in Arizona.  These items included hand made quilts and blankets that continue to be made today.  The mission included sending food and personal items to missionaries overseas and sending items to burned out victims in the local area.  At that time the church contributed to four missionaries overseas as well as in the United States.

The ministry of Women in the Word was established in October of 1982 to teach the church women the Biblical approach to a life pleasing to God.

In the Spring of 1982, construction of a fellowship hall began with much of the work donated by members of the congregation.  In November of that year the parking lot was graded and a new sidewalk was poured.  By the end of 1983 the fellowship hall was almost completed.  A Thanksgiving meal "Count Your Blessings" was served to more than 80 members.

In 1983 the church board met to discuss the need for a name change in an effort to clear up confusion about the meaning of interdenominational.  The board recommended the name of "Galmey Community Bible Church", although it continues to be known by many as the Galmey Church.

Through the years the church has continued to grow spiritually as well as physically.  While many were saved at the little church, they were baptized in the Pomme de Terre Lake at the Galmey Cove , physical changes were also taking place.  A steeple, donated by the Dale and Esther Kelley, was added to the front of the church and is still in place.  Air conditioning was installed and new pews were purchased to replace chairs that had been in use for several years.

With thankful hearts these faithful people gave honor to God for what He had done in the past.  With a strong faith in God, they looked forward to His continued blessing in the future.  The years have passed and through all this time the church has stood as a lighthouse to all that needed help.  By the faith, service and personal sacrifice of so many men and women, souls have been won and lives changed over the past 100 years plus.

Stained Glass Window in Sanctuary

This beautiful stained glass window was given to our church for our new sanctuary with love from the Ladies Mission Circle.  The stained glass window was created by Graphic Artist, Clint Hansen from Audubon, Iowa.  Around the outside of the frame Mr. Hansen has written, "This window was created by joining many very different broken pieces into a unified grouping that glorifies God.  It must have light shine through it, to shine in the same way.  May your church bring Glory to Christ as you are unified in His love.  May His light shine brightly through you to a dark world.  May God's truth always be taught and lived out through you".

The Present

On July 6, 1997, God added Pastor Rick Walters and his wife Edna to our Galmey church family.  It is their desire along with the present members to pass on to future generations the committment that was started so long ago.

At the present time, we have three regular services, over 100 members.  Local ministries hosted by our church include men and womens Bible study groups, ladies and mens activities, jail ministries, the Mission Circle, Teen ministries, Art classes, ministries at the Urbana Care Center in Urbana and the Christian Health Care of Hermitage in Hermitage and a newsletter that is sent to over 2800 postal patrons, along with many other activities to honor our Lord.  We are priviledged to help support 17 missionaries in nine countries around the world. 

In July, 2004 a groundbreaking ceremony was held to begin the building of a 12,000 square foot sanctuary.  The Galmey Community Bible Church has the first and is the only public building in Hickory county to have an elevator. 

On July 10, 2005 we our dedicated our new 325 seat sanctuary to God at our Homecoming and Opening Celebration.  One hundred eighty seven were in attendance to help us dedicate the sanctuary to our Lord, Jesus Christ.  The picture at the top of this page is of our new sanctuary.  We thank God for the blessing he has given to us in growth.  We have one goal in mind, we want to "Give God the Glory".  Come join us in worship in any or all of our many services or groups.

Our Future

We are entering into the final stage of our building project.  We are building classrooms in the old sanctuary, getting a new church office, redoing the foyer and widening the hallway to the new sanctuary.  Later we will have a new fellowship hall in the basement.  It will be possible to use it for an area storm shelter when it is finished.  Please excuse the inconvenience you may have during this progress of our Galmey Community Bible Church.

We are excited to be in a community of wonderful people and to live in a country where we can worship God as we so desire.  We invite you to worship with us.  If you have a church home stay faithful where God has placed you, but if you do not have a church home we invite you to worship with us.

"To God Be The Glory"