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Location:
Kimberlin Heights is an
old community on the south bank of the French Broad River.
It was founded in 1786. The community takes its name from
Jacob Kimberlin, a soldier of the American Revolution, who settled
here. However, at one time, the community was called Gap Creek.
The old Jacob Kimberlin property is now the present Johnson Bible
College.
In the early 1920s,
certain folk from the community hiked to Johnson Bible College to
attend Sunday School. The teacher most frequently mentioned
then was Helen Fay Stokes, Professor of English at JBC. The
names of some of the very early pioneers of the church were the
DeArmonds, Joneses, Perrys, Fraziers, and Housers.
From this small
beginning, these folk held services at the old Gap Creek School.
Most of the preachers supplying the pulpit were from JBC.
It was at a revival meeting at the old Gap Creek School that the
seed for a church in the Gap Creek Community was sown. The
revival was held by R.D. Scott, a professor at JBC.
The Building:
The present church
site was purchased from the J.P. Nichols family. The foundation
of a portion of the present structure was laid by Harvey Weller.
A frame building was built at a cost of about $500. Part of
this money was raised by giving ice cream socials and dramatic plays.
The church building was dedicated on December 7, 1930.
This original building,
with its pot-bellied stove, slatted pews, and no basement, served
until the late 1940s when a spirit of revival was generated by Floyd
Clark and the late John Ralls. The congregation held a revival
during which time, along with the preaching, new steps were poured
and the building was painted.
Next, a basement was dug by
members of the congregation until solid rock prevented any more
depth. New pews were secured, a new roof was installed and
the congregation continued to grow. The old slatted pews may
still be found in various places around the community.
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Leaders:
Ministers who served
the congregation in the early years are John Dunn, C.K. Thomas,
Floyd Clark, Myron Taylor, Rufus Peer, Cyril Stocke, Veryl Libby,
Dexter Beavers, Grant Miller, and John Ralls.
Following the graduation
of John Ralls from JBC, the church called Laurence Kostik as minister.
As attendance continued its upward spiral, a new basement addition
was connected to the old building in 1958. The building was
insulated and a new oil furnace was put in to replace the old pot-bellied
stove. At the time it was decided to secure a better heating
unit, Brother Kostik remarked, "Old Long Tom must come down."
God continued to bless
the church with more people and once again room was needed.
So, the new basement was topped with an education building of five
nice classrooms, a baptistry, and a choir loft. The existing
auditorium was remodeled at that time to match the new addition.
Brother Kostik enjoyed
a long, fruitful ministry here. He supplemented his income
working for TVA while his wife, Gertie, served as the college secretary
for many years. Larry Kostik resigned in 1968. Mayo
Proctor, also a JBC graduate, was called to take his place.
Mayo Proctor had served congregations in New
Tazewell, Tennessee; Lewis, Iowa; Oak Ridge, Tennessee; and had
returned to JBC to work. With increase attendance, the congregation
was inspired to expand the building. A new 30 x 40 ft. addition
was completed in 1975. It was used for a fellowship hall as
well as for classrooms.
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