The History of Noble Avenue Baptist Church of Guthrie.
As Guthrians awoke on Wednesday, February 6, 1929, they were greeted by blizzard-like snow and bitterly cold temperatures. It was a day to stay inside by the fire. If you could endure the harsh weather condition, you could go hunting or trapping and make some pretty good money. George T. Wright was buying furs and hides at the following prices: prime possum - $1; skunk - $2; water rat - $1; civit – 90 cents; and coon - $3, $5, $7, and $9.
Several men did brave the elements that day, but with a different purpose. At 6:30 on that cold winter night, they met in the law offices of Judge George W. Partridge to constitute a new Southern Baptist Church in Guthrie. The church members chose to name the new church the Tabernacle Baptist Church of West Guthrie, which in 1947 was renamed the Noble Avenue Baptist Church.
The church had its beginning as a mission project of the Gospel Team of the First Baptist Church of Guthrie. This Gospel Team was composed of laymen who wanted to reach neglected areas with the gospel. The Gospel Team held revivals throughout Logan County and described their revival services as: full of song, testimony, prayer, and Bible Gospel, something doing every moment. They defined themselves as: against; the devil, communism, and infidelity; and for country, home, and church. Wanting to offer a Baptist church for people on the west side of Guthrie, they organized a mission at 813 West Noble. It was that mission that became a church on that cold February night in 1929.
The newly organized church quickly outgrew the building where they were meeting and purchased the property at 901 West Noble. A building committee of Roy Kneeland, A.W. Maker, and Walter Gambill moved quickly to oversee the construction of a building at the new location.
Soon after the church was formed, the members sought a man to pastor the new church, then known as the Tabernacle Baptist Church of West Guthrie. A young minister named Robert McCulley was called on April 8, 1929 to serve as the first pastor of the new church. Rev. McCulley lived at 1111 West Noble Avenue during his brief tenure as pastor.
On May 19, 1929, just as the church was preparing to move to their new location at 901 West Noble, the church members experienced the first of what would become an all-too-frequent nightmare – the flooding of the Cottonwood lowlands. Over the years a ritual developed among the church members. When the Cottonwood Creek neared flood stage, church members gathered at the church to set the organ and piano and everything else as high off the floor as possible, hoping to prevent flood damage. When floodwaters receded, the members gathered again at the church to clean out the murky debris left by the flood. The church members soon began dreaming of moving west to higher ground.
Just six days after the church’s first flood experience, the church moved into the new location at 901 West Noble and the building, still damp from the flood, was dedicated on May 26, 1929. The newly organized church grew rapidly at first, growing from 18 members to over 200 members in her first 15 months of existence.
In 1947, work was begun to remodel the church. Also that year, the church’s name was changed to Noble Avenue Baptist Church.
Still dreaming of a day they would escape the constant threat of floodwaters, the church purchased their present property at 1219 West Noble Avenue on February 26, 1955. The dream was slow in coming to fruition.
Groundbreaking for the building was not until February 2, 1958, and dedication of the new building was April 16, 1962.
In 1974, the church voted to begin a mission southeast of Guthrie in the Woodcrest area. On March 17, 1979, the mission became the Woodcrest Baptist Church.
On June 11, 1978, the Noble Avenue Baptist Church voted to build a new worship center at their 1219 West Noble Avenue location. The 390-seat sanctuary was dedicated on September 9, 1979.
In the 90 plus year history of the church, twenty men have served as pastor, with two of them serving the church twice as pastor. One man, Rev. John Little, died while serving as pastor.