Our History at Canyon Ferry Road Baptist Church 

In the 1960's, the men of Calvary Baptist Church in Helena built a small chapel at the corner of Clinton and Thurman in East Helena. At first the building was only used in the summers for Vacation Bible School and staffed by college students.

Finally in 1965, the First Baptist Chapel of East Helena, forerunner of Canyon Ferry Road Baptist Church, was co-founded by Rev. Donald R. Gribble, and Miss Shirley M. Farley.

Rev. Gribble of Rome, Georgia had just completed seminary in New Orleans when he came to Montana to be the first pastor. Miss Farley of Helena began a class for everyone third grade and younger. Rev. Gribble taught grades four and up. As many as 60 children were enrolled, although usually only about 30 attended at a time, which was all two people could handle anyway. Soon morning worship began and then evening services started. However, few adults attended.

"Bro Don and Miss Shirley," as they were known, visited many homes and "Bro Don" provided transportation to services and activities. He also worked at St. John's Hospital in Helena. Miss Farley worked for the Montana Department of Highways.

May 7, 1967 was Rev. Gribble's last Sunday. He returned to Georgia to pastor two other churches and spent many years working with high school students for Campus Crusade for Christ throughout the U.S. Worship services were discontinued upon his departure.

Mrs. Phyllis (Kent) DeVore of Helena then joined the staff and taught the older children until the summer of 1969.

For several years, Mrs. DeVore and Miss Farley also conducted a weekly evening Bible Study at the Mountain View School for Girls, a correctional facility located in the Helena valley.

In July 1969, Rev. and Mrs. Thomas Hocutt arrived. Hopes ran high, but almost immediately, the chapel was closed and sold to the East Helena School.

Those who worked so long and diligently were devastated. But, it had shown brightly as a beacon of Jesus' love to the children of East Helena for five years!

The church then became the East Helena Baptist Mission, and was officially established with its first service on Sunday, November 30, 1980, with ten persons in attendance. This first service was held in the Chapel of the Nativity Episcopal Church in East Helena. The mission continued renting from the Episcopal Church for all services until May 31, 1981. In that first service, six people joined together to form the Mission. They were the Reverend Billy Ferguson and his wife Valerie, Eugene and Snowdeen Kieffer, Jo Haggerty, and Ed and Kathy Lason. Also in attendance at that first meeting were Courtney Ferguson, Adam, Paul, and Mark Kieffer. The church began as a mission of Calvary Baptist Church of Helena and by the Missionary Millionaires of Amarillo, Texas. Canyon Ferry Road Church was a mission church of the Northern Plains Baptist Southern Convention.

Early in March of 1981, the Panhandle Baptist Foundation of Amarillo, Texas offered to help the mission secure some property if a desirable site could be found. A man was found who wanted to sell six acres in the middle of the East Helena Valley, a mile north of East Helena proper and facing some of the busiest roads in the entire area. The Foundation paid $15,000 for the six acres, which was one-third the going price for land in the Valley. This loan was repaid at $150 a month. After securing the property in June, a two-bedroom trailer was purchased for $6,000 and used as a church building.

During one of the Sunday morning worship services the trailer started to rock and rattle around. The worshipers looked out the door and to their amazement found a whole herd of red Angus cows scratching themselves on the trailer, and three cowboys riding up on horses apologizing for the disruption; a part of the mission history that will not be forgotten by its first members! About this same time a church in Kalispell was unable to continue its work and the remaining members voted to give the East Helena Mission all of their church furnishings which consisted of tables, chairs, kitchen and nursery supplies a black board and an organ. Additional pews and a deacons bench were hauled by John Diehl and Gene Kieffer in John's flatbed ranching truck from Butte, Montana, with the Kieffer boys sitting on top of all the furniture thinking that this was the best time they had ever had.

It soon was apparent that more Sunday School room and nursery space was needed. Materials were bought to add four rooms to the trailer; however, the State of Montana informed members of the Mission that they could not hold services in a residential-type building. The problem was resolved by an issued variance for nine months with a promise that a permanent structure would be completed by the summer of 1982.

The decision to build was made and the ground was broken for the new church. It was completed in 1984 by Christian volunteers from around the country including First Baptist Church of Amarillo, Texas, and by the church membership. The group from Amarillo arrived in RV's on July 30th, 1982 and the slab for the church was poured the following Monday. The first service was held in the church on the following Sunday August 8th, 1982. The church became constituted March 25, 1984 under the leadership of Pastor Larry Cochran.

Reverend Sammy Chilsolm and his wife Linda arrived at the church in August of 1987 and stayed until December of 1989. Having no monies to pay for a pastor, Pastor Sam continued to lead the small church on Sundays, and during the week he drove school bus and was the chaplain for the East Helena Police Department. Pastor Chilsolm held baptisms at Park Lake, as the church had no baptistery, in winter they were held at Calvary Baptist Church in Helena. The small church building was still heated with two old wood stoves and members of the congregation would come early Sunday morning to get them started so the congregation would not freeze.

Pastor Chilsolm and his family answered a call to pastor a church in Mississippi in 1989, where he was later tragically killed in an automobile accident. Anyone who knew him knows that he is now eating chocolate chip cookies with his Lord.

In March of 1990, Reverend Dave Howeth accepted the position of full-time pastor at Canyon Ferry Road Baptist Church. Both Pastor Dave and his wife Debbie are natives of Helena. Pastor Dave, Debbie, and three children began their ministry March 1st of 1990. Pastor Dave led the CFRBC for six years and was responsible for the first "Challenge to Build" program, a two-year commitment by the congregation to raise funds for the planned addition to the church. During Pastor Dave's service the church added the Fellowship Hall dedicated to Sharon Hance, created new Sunday school rooms, and to complete this project was a new sanctuary, all were dedicated in 1994. Under Pastor Howeth's leadership, Reverend Mark Fitzwater and his wife Wendy were called as church planters for the Montana City Mission Project in April of 1992. This project focused on four subdivisions near Interstate 15 near the old Montana City town site. Pastor Jeff Hume worked with Pastor Howeth as Youth Pastor; under his leadership the youth went on several mission trips around the country, and to Canada.

A ribbon cutting/dedication ceremony was held September 18, 1994 for the new sanctuary that had been built. Many people that helped build parts of the church from all over the United States wrote letters telling of their participation, and some were even able to attend the ceremony. The church was growing rapidly at this time. Pastor Dave is the only pastor, of record, at CFRBC that was faced with the challenge of leading the church with an acute case of Chicken Pox! Pastor Howeth was called by the Treasure State Baptist Association to be Director of Missions in December 1996. He has recently (spring of 2007) moved on to answer a call in Colorado with there Baptist Association.

The following two years the church continued without a pastor. During this time the membership and the search committee prayed constantly and reviewed many applications for the position of Pastor at the church. Pastors from all over the state preached Sunday morning services.

Reverend Berthold Gotlieb (B.G.) Stumberg, III accepted the call to pastor Canyon Ferry Road Baptist Church. He, his wife Lynn, and five children arrived in August of 1998 to begin their service to the church. Under the leadership of Pastor Stumberg, the church has continued to grow. The church now has two morning services and Sunday school classes are regularly attended. A new educational addition was completed adding 18 new Sunday school rooms, and the grounds were fully landscaped.

The church continues to grow. Its members who, along with the Pastor, have a heart to reach their community for Christ. Pastor Stumberg's desire is, "To Reach the Helena Valley for Christ." The church continues to reach out to the community with the help of many. In the summer they touch children for Christ through Backyard Bible Clubs, and Vacation Bible School. The church has a dynamic Sunday School and Choir, Men and Women's Ministry, Discipleship Classes, Mission team, Judgement House, and an AWANA program.

Pastor B.G. brought with him the vision of doing "Judgement House." The church has now completed three presentations, and looks forward to continuing this ministry as long as it is viable. Judgement House is a guided tour drama that has greatly affected all Helena area visitors, as well as those that have traveled from all over the state to see it, over 900 in attendance in the fall of 2002.

Pastor Kelly Marshall and his wife, Micah, and children came to Helena from Wake Forest, NC. in the summer of 2006. Pastor Kelly has brought a new vitality and wealth of energy and wisdom to the fellowship. His heart is for the family, with strengths in mentoring and counseling.

The summer of 2000, 350 mission builders from around the nation came to Canyon Ferry Road to assist in building the new educational wing. Their willingness to come and serve caused Canyon Ferry to form its own Mission Builders. The first mission builder trip was to Avon Park, Florida, which had sent several crews to help CFRBC over the years. Since then, each year there have been winter and summer building mission trips that traveled to Butte, Montana, and Logan, Utah to assist churches in their building projects. Membership has increased 9000% since the mission was started. Canyon Ferry Road Baptist Church is and continues to be a beacon for the Helena Valley and surrounding area.

The following have served as Pastors at Canyon Ferry Road Baptist Church since it's founding:

Reverend Billy Ferguson, founder November 30, 1980 - July 18, 1984 Pastor Larry Cochran, September 30, 1984 - May 14, 1987 Pastor Sammy Chilsolm, August 16, 1987 - December 3, 1989 Pastor Dave Howeth, March 1990 - December 1996 "Exalt the Savior, Equip the Saints and Evangelize the Sinner"

Pastor Jeff Hume, Youth Pastor

Pastor B.G. Stumberg, III August 1998 to present "Reaching the Helena Valley for Christ"

Pastor Dan Green, Youth Pastor July 2001 to 2005 Pastor Kelly Marshall, current Associate Pastor, serving Education and Youth Pastor Mark Fitzwater, church planter - Montana City Mission Project April 1992 Rev. Luny Hill also helped pastor during the first few years.

Church site dedicated in July 1982 with construction of a permanent building

1984 - New sanctuary constructed, more classrooms and the kitchen enlarged

1991 - 1110 sq ft was added onto the church - completed summer 1992

1992 - The Fellowship hall and more Sunday school rooms were added to the church, further remodeling completed by Easter of 1993

September 18, 1994 - Ribbon cutting/dedication ceremony for the new sanctuary and addition     

June 2000 - New educational wing was built with 18 new classrooms, adding a total of 10,000 sq. feet to the existing building.

May 2004- Remodel of the kitchen, Fellowship Hall and nursery brought the middle of the church up to date and enhanced the usage tremendously.

Sep 2006- The Pastors Office was redone.

Canyon Ferry Road Baptist Church has been the "mother church" of three mission churches.

The Wolf Creek Mission Church, with Pastor Rob Jackson; and South Hills Baptist Church, Pastor Tony Holcom; serving them previously, was Pastor Duane Thompson. Most recently North Hills (Big Sky Baptist Fellowship) was begun with Pastor Darren Hales.

MISSION STATEMENT

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Devoted to God~ Discipled to be Christ Like~ Determined to reach our world for Christ