In 1946, Loy O. Cook, founded and pastored Tabernacle Baptist Church of Springfield, TN. Also, in 1946, Loy and wife, Marie, gave birth to their second child, a son, Bobby. Bobby had an older sister, Faye… 13 months following Bobby’s birth, a third and final child, Beverly was born. The children grew up in Springfield, while mom and dad served the church in Springfield.
Pastor Cook pastored Tabernacle Baptist Church for 26 years (a non-affiliated Baptist congregation); retired…and his son, Bobby followed him as pastor. By that time, ‘Bobby’ who went by ‘Bob’, became pastor of his ‘home church’ in August, 1972, upon graduation from seminary, at the age of 26.
Four years later, in October, 1976, Tabernacle “mothered” a mission congregation in White House, TN, called Tri-County Baptist Church. Bob pastored both congregations for 4 ½ years. In a season of ‘blessing’ (not adversity), Pastor Bob resigned from the mother church and became pastor of the daughter congregation, 15 miles away in White House.
At the mother church, there was no church split…there were not even any families who left the mother church to follow Pastor Bob over to Tri-County. God simply was leading in a new direction of grace and blessing in the life of both congregations and in Bob’s life. At that time, the mother church had an attendance in the 400’s; the daughter church was averaging in the 70’s. “I didn’t realize all God was doing, but I trusted Him and the plans of His heart. I knew assuredly the Lord was ordering my steps,” says Bob.
Tri-County Baptist Church began in a school building (White House Middle School at that time) in October, 1976. In May of 1977, the church miraculously purchased 15 acres of land at I-65 and State Hwy 76. In December 1980, Tri-County moved into their first building on their interstate property…and had both Sunday School and their worship service in the Sunday School wing only. The sanctuary shell was finished some 2 years later for occupancy. It was an exciting time in the life of a new church!
“Before leaving Springfield and resigning Tabernacle Baptist Church, I had begun to find compatibility and fellowship with Southern Baptist pastors and churches. Little did I know that some 10 years later, in 1991, God would lead us to apply for membership with the Nashville Baptist Association to become a Southern Baptist congregation. I could have never led the mother church in that direction without creating great conflict, and ultimately, a congregational divide and split. I began to understand the Lord’s leadership in my life some ten years earlier when He led me to leave the mother church and take the daughter as full-time pastor”, says Bob.
The decades of the 80’s and 90’s for Tri-County were decades of wonderful spiritual growth and numerical increase (Acts 16:5). In 1996, Tri-County did not change it’s legal name from Tri-County Baptist Church, but did adopt a more user-friendly name for its marketing purposes and community identity, The Church at Grace Park.
In 2002, the Lord led Grace Park to start a Christian school, now called Christian Community School. Tri-County Baptist Church/The Church at Grace Park is celebrating 45 years this year, and Christian Community School is celebrating it’s 20-year anniversary.
The commitment of one local church starting a Christian school has been a mammoth undertaking! Nurturing and growing a training center for children to be educated and trained up in the ways of the Lord has cost Grace Park hundreds of thousands of dollars. It has also cost them numerous members and families who do not believe that God calls the local church into the “education business.”
Not all believers interpret the Biblical mandate for children to be trained up in the way of the Lord a a24/7 duty, 365 days a year task…nor do they understand and apply the “teaching part” of the Great Commission as something that is to be done almost daily, not just on Sunday mornings. Pastor Bob says, “I believe it is preferred if our children can be educated aligned with how and why they were created…and recreated in Christ.
God continues to bless The Church at Grace Park. They are now located on 45 acres (God has provided 30 more acres since the initial purchase.) The church, even in its present semi-post-Covid-posture is growing…and every day, they are blessed to minister to 312 students (K-12) and another 225 little preschoolers!
“I’m more excited about furthering the gospel today locally, regionally, and globally than any time in my ministry” says Pastor Bob. Grace Park’s renewed focus for 2021 has been to “look at everyday through the window of the gospel…seeking to become more intentionally, courageously, and graciously gospel-centric in the midst of a secular, morally-decadent culture and broken world. More than ever before, we want to be a “sent church”, seeking to be all that God created us to be and do all that God has called us to do!"
On December 05, the church enjoyed engaging with our Association’s language pastors, providing each of them a joint Christmas meal…and for each family, a Christmas monetary gift. We so much appreciate their love for their Lord and other people…and their pioneer efforts to begin a church for their people in this culture!
"God’s grace and goodness have been abundant for 45 years. We give God glory and offer our thanksgiving to our Lord Jesus Christ…Hallelujah!”
Ethnic pastors and their wives with Breet Boesch, Rusty and Becky Sumrall, Bob and Wanda Cook.
Brett Boesch, International Ministry Strategist for the NBA and Book Cook, pastor of the Church at Grace Park.
This Church Spotlight was originally published in the February 2022 edition of the Baptist Beacon. If you would like for your church to be featured, please call the NBA offices at (615) 259-3034 or email JoAnn Howard.