Photo by Leah Ingram Eagle.
Chelsea Baptist Church moved to its new building in February.
Chelsea Baptist Church is settling into their new location.
When the three-year lease was up at their original location — the shopping plaza on Chesser Crane Road — CBC was able to secure a church building on Highway 47 that was empty and available less than a half mile down the road.
The first service in the new building across from Chelsea City Hall took place on Feb. 3.
Pastor Steve Kilpatrick started the congregation in March 2016, after coming from a church he had started and pastored in Helena for 14 years. He said he is excited to be in the new, more permanent location that gives them more visibility and better landmarks for people to find them, including City Hall.
“This is a church building, which is better and has more space in it,” Kilpatrick said. “To me, it’s a better location than we had at the storefront, where it was easy to get lost with everything.”
The space was move-in ready and Kilpatrick said they just moved in the things they already had and freshened up the sanctuary.
“All of our folks are so excited,” he said. “This just has the church atmosphere, which can make a big difference. Some people like that traditional church look and feel, and the location has given new attention to our church as well.”
While Chelsea Baptist is a small congregation, they have experienced steady growth since their beginning. They’ve also had visitors stop in since moving to their new location.
“In this space, it gives us room to grow and gives us better possibilities for improvement,” Kilpatrick said. “It gives the impression of advancement, direction and being permanent. It also has a financial advantage for us as well.”
“We plan on being here for a while,” Kilpatrick said. “It’s a joy to be back in my home state, and especially in this area. As long as everything works out, we plan on being right here.”
Chelsea Baptist Church, located at 1800 County Road 39 in Chelsea, has services at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Sunday and at 7 p.m. on Wednesday. For more information, visit them online at chelseabaptistchurch.com.
