AMBASSADOR BAPTIST

Bible Baptist Church, Ennis was started in 1981, by Sonny Russell under the authority of Countryside Baptist Church of Mansfield, Texas. With five charter members, the Church called Sonny Russel to be the first Pastor of BBC located on North Kaufman Street, Ennis, TX.

 

The Church saw nominal growth under Pastor Russell, who found his family facing difficulties which, he believed, required him to step down as Pastor after seven months. Unfortunately, during this time, the leadership was not prepared, and Church records were not maintained properly and, in some cases, not retained at all. 

 

Countryside Baptist Church not willing to let the fledging Church dissolve, asked Royce Vess, Professor of Bible Studies at Trinity Valley Bible College, a Ministry of Countryside Baptist Church, to serve as Interim Pastor. Professor Vess served as Interim Pastor from 1981 to 1983. 

 

In 1983, John Randal Kindler accepted the ‘call’ of the Church and became the new Pastor. Randy, as he was called, was at the time was a student at Pleasant Grove Baptist Temple, Pastor R.D. Wade. Because among the Church records missing, was the Church’s organizational documentation, Dr. Wade and others suggested the Church ‘reorganize.’

 

Bible Baptist Church reorganized in 1983, under the authority of Pleasant Grove Baptist Temple and ‘officially’ called Randy Kindler as Pastor. In the same year, the Church relocated from its North Kaufman facility to a store front on Park Street. The Park Street location served the Church for three years, from 1983-1986.
 

In 1986, the Church Incorporated and acquired the properties at its present location. The Church sold bonds and embarked upon a ‘building program’ in 1987. A second round of bonds was sold as the ‘building program’ grew beyond its original plans. As the demands of the ministry and construction pressures increased, Pastor Kindler resigned as the Pastor of Bible Baptist Church in 1989. 

 

The Church, once again with a dwindling congregation, $350,000 in debt and the building only 30% complete, began the search for a new Pastor. After months of searching, the Church called Gary Dean Webster to the be the Pastor. Brother Gary accepted the call and moved to Ennis with his wife Sharon and their four children. Brother and Ms. Webster were graduates of Baptist Bible College of Springfield, Missouri. Both had been teaching in a Christian School of Hilltop Baptist Church in Leander, Texas just north of Austin.

 

The Church struggled under the heavy debt, paying as much as they could, when they could and trying to finish the building as they moved forward. With the help of Red River Valley Baptist Bible Fellowship and other like fellowships, who helped support Brother Webster financially and even do some of the work on the building, the Church survived longer than many thought it would. However, the inevitable happened and the Bond Company foreclosed on the Church but asked the Church if they would stay in the building rent free until it sold. 

 

The Bond Company obtained an offer for the building, but the buyer could not get the financing and the prospective deal fell through. 

 

During this time, the Church was growing, and GOD brought a man into the Church with banking experience who suggested that the Church buy the property from the Bank. An offer was given to the Bank, who passed it to the Bond Company ad they accepted.

 

Once again, Bible Baptist Church had the properties and with a renewed spirit, the Church continued to grow, the building was finished, and Brother Webster began receiving a salary from the Church. As the Church grew and finances increased, the Church decided to build a parsonage for the Pastor. The Church refinanced in 1999 and work on the parsonage began. Brother Gary and Ms. Sharon moved into the new parsonage in 2000.

 

On February 15th, 2002, GOD called Pastor Gary Webster home by means of a tragic car accident. Ben Hanks, Brother Gary’s son-in-law, who was a graduate of Heartland Baptist Bible College and a member of the Church at that time, served as Interim Pastor until June of 2002.

 

In June 2002, the Church extended a Pastoral Call to Dennis Leroy Webster, Brother Gary Webster’s older brother, which he accepted. Brother Webster and Ms. Lynda Webster are both also graduates of Baptist Bible College in Springfield, Missouri. They moved from the Lufkin area where they had lived for 17 years. While in the Lufkin area, Brother Dennis Webster pastored Bible Baptist Church of Diboll and Pine Forest Baptist Church of Huntington before moving to Ennis.
 

BBC celebrated its’ 35th Anniversary in 2018 based on the date it was reorganized under the authority of Pleasant Grove Baptist Church, today First Baptist Church of Meadowview, Mesquite, TX. The Church has continued following its’ roots over the years established as an Independent, Fundamental, KJV Bible Preaching and Teaching, Faith Promise Mission’s Giving Congregation of New Testament born again Baptized Believers.

 

Landmark Independent Baptist Church held its’ first service in January 2002. In early 2000, GOD began to work in Dr. Don Smith’s heart, after he received his Doctorate Degree in Business from Louisiana Baptist University, Shreveport, Louisiana, to ‘step out’ from his position as Assistant Pastor, Brook Hollow Baptist Church, and Administrator of Brook Hollow Christian Academy to become a Pastor.
 

After a year of searching, it became clear, GOD wanted Dr. Smith to go to Corsicana and start a Church. Over the next year, the Smiths located a 100-Year-Old Landmark Storefront Building in the ‘old’ downtown section of Corsicana. Within few months, Brook Hollow Baptist Church, DeSoto, TX, Dr. Russell Jones, Pastor;  the Smith’s ‘Mother Church’ raised the down payment of $10,000 on building and with help from BHBC began passing out flyers, tracts, going door to door inviting people to a ‘New Church with an Old Message’, putting ‘ads’ in the newspaper and inviting those interested in seeing a ‘new Church’ about to start, to come have coffee on select nights to learn about the ‘new Church’. 

 

The Church began the 1st Sunday of 2002 in a former ‘wallpaper shop’, holding their ‘Organizational Service’ the following year on their 1st Anniversary with 28 charter members. In the Spring of 2006, Dr. Smith stepped aside as Pastor and the Church called his son Brother D. Marc Smith as Pastor, the Church sold their 100-year-old building, purchased property on the West side of town with two acres and three metal buildings formerly used as garages expanding the Ministry of LIBC. Brother Marc and wife, Sharla had moved to the Corsicana area in the beginning to help with the start of the Church and becoming part of the original charter membership. 

 

Dr. Smith now Pastor Emeritus began a Ministry of helping struggling Churches, being called to be Pastor of the last Church he and Ms. Pat were helping. After much Prayer, the Smiths believing it to be GOD’s Will accept the call and Pastored Garrett Baptist Church until September 2012, when after training his Associate, he stepped aside once again and allowed the Church to call Brother Keith Bates as Pastor, allowing for the beginning of Dr. Smiths’ new Ministry as a BEAMS Missionary. 

 

Brother Marc continued with the LIBC Ministry taking the three metal buildings, located in a row on the property of their new location, and taking out a loan, connecting the three separate buildings together to construct a single rectangular building. He renovated the first section as the auditorium, installed a steeple, and renovated the second section adding restrooms, nursery, Prophets Chamber, foyer, and the Church began to grow. After several years, the age of the two rear sections much older than the first section, began to deteriorate faster than the funds for further renovation could be raised!

 

Brother Marc began searching options to either, relocate, purchase land, and build or take out another loan and finish renovation of the two rear sections. GOD closed the doors on each option identified repeatedly as the search continued. The time is now 2017!

 

In a BEAMS Revival at Landmark Baptist Church, GOD ‘planted a seed’ in the hearts of two Pastors and a Missionary to Pray and Seek the Possibility of merging two Churches together. At the close of that meeting in a conversation between Pastor Marc Smith and Pastor Dennis Webster, unknown to Brother Webster at the time, the LORD gave Brother Marc a burden to Pray about a merger between the two Churches. 

 

While the Churches were in different cities, they were only 16 miles apart by freeway. After Prayer and discussion with Dr. Don Smith, Pastor Emeritus, Brother Marc arranged to meet with Brother Dennis Webster and discuss the possibility of merging their two Churches. After the first meeting it was agreed to simply ‘Pray’ for GOD’s Direction for the future. 

 

Over the next year several meetings would take place and after much continued Prayer and agreeing to even ‘wait for a period of additional months to see what the LORD might do,’ it was agreed to seek the two Church Congregation’s opinions and Prayers. This was done on the same Sunday simultaneously and both Congregations agreed.
 

On EASTER Sunday, April 1st, 2018, Bible Baptist Church, and Landmark Independent Baptist Church merged as one, renaming the Church, Ambassador Baptist Church, Ennis, TX. After several months, the property owned by LIBC was sold and the existing mortgage of BBC was paid off in full. The legal formalities were complete dissolving the two now former Churches and establishing the new Church, ABC in BBC’s building. 

 

As of this writing GOD continues to work, but now in the ‘heart’ of two Churches that have become one!