Glen
Allen Baptist Church
On February
23, 1868, a group of 20 devoted Christians met with Rev. Alexander
Sands in a brush arbor to establish Glen Allen Baptist Church, following
the great turmoil of the Civil War. In the spring of 1867, these followers
started a Sunday School on Mrs. Ben Allen's property near the railroad
station. A feast was held on July 4, 1868, and $400 was raised to
erect a church building on land given by the Hopkins family, which
was a portion of the Walkerton Estate. Members and friends gave their
time, labor and materials. By the end of the year the church was nearly
complete with very little debt. The members met in this building until
1893, when a gothic frame sanctuary, which is still known as the "Old
Building", was dedicated.
As the
church grew in membership other buildings were added in 1941 and 1949.
On Sunday, April 24, 1960, the construction of the present sanctuary
started. It was dedicated on March 1, 1961. In 1970 memorial windows
were added to the sanctuary. Ground was broke, February 12, 1989,
for a new educational building program, the 1941 building was renovated
with a new Media Center, Chapel and Music Center.
The past two decades have been marked with continued growth of the membership. In 1992 the Glen Allen Baptist Church Pre-Kindergarten was established. On the 125th anniversary celebration of the church, a Henrico historical marker was installed on Mountain Road. Also during this time Glen Allen Baptist Church became a leader in missions by being among the top 100 Virginia Baptist churches in giving to missions.
As the new millennium dawned, Glen Allen Baptist Church caught the vision to establish a daughter church in the growing Western Hanover corridor. On March 18, 2001, Western Hanover Mission held its first service of worship with over 175 people attending. Glen Allen Baptist Church has a long and wonderful history and a bright future serving Jesus Christ and advancing His Kingdom here and around the world.