History

 The Beginings

Battery Park Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) has served the Ginter Park community for over 89 years.  Formed in 1921, the congregation met in a school until a  church building was erected at the corner of Moss Side Avenue and Essex Street and dedicated on Feb. 5, 1922.

The entire cost of the building and equipment came to $17,575.  The Church was named Battery Park because there was a Battery located in this section during the War Between the States, and the property was contiguous to a city park of that name.

Battery Park grew rapidly.  The original Sunday School of 91 members had grown to 208 members by July of 1922.  Therefore, in the following year an annex was constructed. Both the Church and annex were built as temporary structures which could be converted into three apartments if necessary.  That never happened, and the original building now serves a Baptist congregation. A Ladies’ Aid Society was organized for the purpose of raising money for the Building Fund, and The Women’s Missionary Society was started as well.  The two groups eventually united and were called the Woman’s Council.  During the depression years, the women continued to raise funds which were divided 50% to missions, 35% for the Building Fund and 25% for a contingency fund. Elders and Deacons are elected by the congregation to serve on the Board and also serve during the worship service.  In 1941 there were five women serving.  The Disciples of Christ was one of the earliest protestant denominations to include women as full partners in ministry.

Sunday School has always been held weekly to educate children and adults.  In the early years, the first Sunday in June was Children’s Day, which had an emphasis on missions.  The annual church picnic crowd took the train to Buckroe Beach, where a grand time was had by all.  The church sponsored a baseball team, and young people attended summer conference each year.  On Friday nights there was entertainment on the lawn, and supper was served.

The War

Then came Pearl Harbor, on December 7, 1941.  Seventy-seven young men and women from Battery Park Church answered the call to serve their country.  Not one of them was killed while in the military.  “Win the War and Build the Church” became a slogan for the Building Fund during the war years.  Vacation Bible Schools were organized for the summer and a nursery during the morning service was started.

The women helped with “drives” for clothes, food and other necessities for war-torn countries.  As their husbands returned from serving in the military, the women stated that they no longer wanted to attended women-only classes, and the first adult Sunday School class for men and women was formed, and still meets today.

The membership continued to grow and the need for a larger building was realized.  By 1947, a location had been agreed on, but the post-war church lacked funds.  Mr. Charles A. Zincke, a member of Seventh Street Christian Church, and resident of the Bellevue area learned of this fact, and made what was at the time an anonymous gift of $30,000.  Zincke also made it possible to preserve and install the stained glass windows and baptistery, from the original Seventh Street Christian Church, which was being demolished in the summer of 1947.  As the result, Battery Park has one of the most beautiful sanctuaries in the city. 

The former church building and parsonage were sold to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, with the stipulation that Battery Park’s members would have use of the premises on Sundays until 1 p.m. with joint occupancy at other times until the new church and Sunday School buildings were completed at the corner of Brook Road and Bellevue Avenue.  The ground-breaking event was in July of 1948.

The New Church Building

The current church building was dedicated in December of 1949.  With the new facility came a re-birth of determination to encourage growth in membership in the community.  In 1950 the Woman’s Council became the Christian Women’s Fellowship.  Through the years the women of the church have continued to fund Christian missions throughout the world.  The annual Yard Sale and Bazaars were popular events to earn cash for their projects.

In the 1950s the church was given 7 and ½ acres of wooded land along a river in Hanover County to form a sylvan retreat, especially for young people.  The men of the church adopted the project and created a building, complete with kitchen and dormitory rooms.  It was to become a bittersweet memory, however, when it was soon consumed by fire and never replaced.  However, the church families continued to have summer retreats at the river home of member, Herman Lukhard, for many years.

As neighborhood families during the 1950s and 1960s attended church regularly, the facility became cramped.  A new Fellowship Hall wing with kitchen was added so the previous space below the sanctuary could be renovated into classroom spaces.  Many fellowship covered dish dinners have been held there over the years.

Future Outlook

Time marches on and change is inevitable.  Yet, through the years, the church at the corner of Brook Rd. and Bellevue Avenue has remained a vital part of the community.  The congregation draws its membership from all directions.  We are black and white, male and female, young and old.

Our outreach ministries serve locally, through the Care-A-Van health clinic to sheltering the homeless during CARITAS week.  We provide monthly dinners at the Ronald McDonald House.  We provide a convenient meeting space for various neighborhood groups.  Battery Park frequently hosts local families for community events such as the Fall Festival, Outdoor Movie Night, and Ice Cream Sundays complete with games fun for all.

World Outreach is an important part of our ministry as well.  After the Asian Tsunami in 2005 devastated so many areas, Battery Park’s efforts rallied several congregations together to send $10,000 to help re-build.  Various annual offerings also go toward assistance to Christians around the globe, and with each new church budget, a minimum of 10% of all income goes to missions.

Ginter Park residents with basements won’t be surprised to learn that the church was badly damaged by Hurricane Gaston.  As the result, our basement area has been completely renovated, and the space is once again a large open room where church and community groups gather.    We’ve made our facility more accessible with a ramp to the Brook Road entrance. Outdoor banners to announce events of interest to the community.  All are welcome.

For more info about the Disciples denomination:
http://www.discipleshistory.org

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