It is documented in the annals of Westwood's history that, upon dismissing themselves from a previous church membership, the foreparents of our Westwood Baptist Church, University Center retained their Christian charge and embarked on prompt, deliberate steps toward the establishment of a place for worship. Armed with care and concern for continued spiritual development and the desire to worship the Lord, these Christians banded together as a prayer group and met regularly for prayer and praise services. Houses in the North Nashville community were made available to this prayer band; the group increased in size and the unanimous consensus of the group was to establish a new church.
In 1920, this new found fellowship was organized as the Westwood Baptist Church. Westwood's first designated meeting place for Sunday worship was in a small storefront building located on the corner of the alley which runs between Albion and Alameda Streets, at 26th Avenue, North . Whereas a few more persons were uniting with this new assembly, the group perceived the necessity to call a minister as a regular pastor. They were successful in securing the service of the Reverend James Tunstill, the first pastor of Westwood Baptist Church.
The infant assembly, Westwood, would now move in faith to erect a House for Worship, having received as a donation a lot on Albion Street .
The year 1922 heralded the calling of the second pastor to serve Westwood - the Reverend S. M. Wright. Neighbors and community residents who were not Westwood members contributed regularly to the debts that were being admirably carried by our fledgling congregation. During this time the “Window Project” was popular; it was a program of work whereby each window in the building was paid for by an individual member of the congregation or a friend in the community. Reverend Wright resigned the Westwood pastorate in 1924.
The Reverend Levi Butler served as acting pastor of our church until 1925. In that mentioned year the Reverend J.H. Lawrence became the third pastor of Westwood. During Reverend Lawrence's three-year term of service, the Westwood membership grew from thirty to fifty-seven. Reverend Lawrence 's resignation was accepted on May 27, 1928.
On August 1, 1928, the Reverend Ambrose A. Bennett was called to serve as the pastor of Westwood Baptist Church . He was an East Nashville resident, but the conscientious Reverend Bennett moved his family to North Nashville whereby he might devote all of his time and energies to his new flock. Numerous accomplishments attained during the Bennett pastorate include: the church being cleared of debt and celebrating “Out Of Debt Day” on July 12, 1931; major structural remodeling of the church; construction of additional rooms; expansion by development and teaching of auxiliaries in the church. Rev. Bennett worked tirelessly toward the development of Westwood Church to be a “beacon light” for the upholding of God's Kingdom on earth.
Rev. Oliver Wells and Rev. Alphonsa R. Blake, students at the American Baptist Theological Seminary, became respectively, the fifth and sixth pastors of Westwood. Although serving for brief periods, both made rapid growth in worship and in service before resigning to serve in their native states.
The Reverend George W. Brown became the Shepherd of the Westwood flock on July 28, 1961. A sincere, dedicated gospel preacher, he led the congregation in personal and collective spiritual growth - auxiliaries grew and were challenged to serve more visibly; three lots were purchased in anticipation of future expansion; thirty-eight souls were added to the congregation.
In 1965 the Reverend J. W. Watkins, a former pastor of Mt. Zion Baptist Church on Jefferson Street , became the eighth Westwood pastor. Reverend Watkins worked admirably toward the development of an expanded/new church facility that would accommodate on-coming programs of work. A schematic design for a new church building was secured during this pastorate. The Lord called Reverend Watkins from labor to reward on a Tuesday evening in 1969; he died in active service to our church.
June of 1969 heralded the calling of the Reverend Amos Jones, Jr. to serve as the ninth Westwood Shepherd. Monumental strides were wrought under his leadership. Dr. Jones led the church in the acquisition of property; three lots on Alameda Street and additional properties on Albion Street were purchased. The entire sanctuary was remodeled. New pews were purchased. Christian Education programs were revolutionized, and a comprehensive program for missions was enacted.
Moreover, in 1976 under the leadership of Pastor Jones, to meet the challenge of increasing worship and educational needs, the church decided to build a new edifice, an estimated $.5 million church complex.
The Building Program
The Westwood building program was a result of a 1976 Divine Proclamation and congregational acclamation. It is the culmination and fulfillment of the dreams and hopes of many years.
The construction project went through several phases. The first phase was the remodeling of the old church building to conform to the new building designed by Bro. James R. Larkin, a member and trustee of Westwood. This phase was begun in the summer of 1980 and took six months to complete. The work was performed by primarily the men, women and children of the church under the direction of Bro. Larkin. On the first Sunday in January 1981, the pastor and members of the church marched from Washington Junior High School , its home for six months, to the newly remodeled church building.
It was one year and a half before the second phase was begun. In May of 1982, a contract was let to Freeman and Smith Construction Company to contractors to do the plumbing, electrical, heating and cooling and other kinds of work. The shell of the second phase (i.e., the sanctuary, vestibule, sidewalk chapel) was completed before insufficient funds caused an abrupt halt to construction in September of 1982. The inability to negotiate a loan with the church's bank left the congregation no alternative but to let the building stand incomplete until funds for completion could be secured. In December of 1982, another miracle of God happened to the building program: a financial institution in our community came forth offering the needed finance to complete the project. Construction began in February, 1983 and was completed in August.
The new building has features of beauty and historic importance. The modern structure of Athens Antique brick houses the Bennett Educational complex, the east wing or the old church building incorporated into the new. Highlighting the brick-walled sanctuary is a circular feature which begins at the entrance and is most obvious when one looks at the opening of the baptistery. The circular feature is symbolic of eternity which is symbolic of God and of our never-ending relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
The Present Pastor
On December 1, 1987, Rev. Barton Elliott Harris, who resided in Boston, Massachusetts as pastor of Bethel Baptist Church and principal of St. Francis de Sales School returned to Nashville to become our tenth and present pastor. Pastor Harris was reared, baptized, licensed, ordained, and married in Westwood.
Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the pastor's leadership, the church is invigorated and is growing numerically, financially, and spiritually. Westwood has increased its membership; revitalized its Bible Study and Prayer Service; enhanced the Sunday School's activities and attendance; expanded the Youth Ministry to include a Youth Bible Study, the Honor Roll, and a tutorial program; broaden the ministry of the three church clubs (Good Neighbors Club, Progressive Club and the Westwood Willing Workers (3-W Club) to provide spiritual support and Christian fellowship to all new members; established a Divorce Support Group; initiated a Prison Ministry; re-emphasized church-wide evangelism whereby each member is responsible for leading at least one soul to Christ; and added new church ministries including the Beautification Ministry, Christian Advocates for Education Ministry (CAFE), Christians In Deliverance Ministry, Dance Ministry, Drama Ministry, Fit For Life Ministry, Media Ministry, Men Ministry, Prayer Ministry, Publication Ministry, Puppet Ministry, Singles Ministry, Women Ministry and Young Adult Ministry.
Under Pastor Harris leadership, Westwood has become a major landowner in the North Nashville community. Since 1987, our church has purchased twenty different properties and currently rents twenty-two units inclusive of individual houses, duplexes, and one bedroom to two bedroom apartments.
THE PASTORS OF WESTWOOD
REV. JAMES TUNSTILL 1920-1922 REV. S. M. WRIGHT 1922-1924 REV. LEVI BUTLER (acting pastor) 1924-1925 REV. J. H. LAWRENCE 1925-1928 REV. AMBROSE A. BENNETT 1928-1956 REV. W. O. WELLS 1957-1959 REV. ALPHONSO R. BLAKE 1959-1960 REV. GEORGE W. BROWN 1961-1965 REV. J. W. WATKINS 1965-1969 REV. AMOS JONES, JR. 1969-1986 REV. BARTON ELLIOTT HARRIS 1987- PRESENT
It is documented in the annals of Westwood's history that, upon dismissing themselves from a previous church membership, the foreparents of our Westwood Baptist Church, University Center retained their Christian charge and embarked on prompt, deliberate steps toward the establishment of a place for worship. Armed with care and concern for continued spiritual development and the desire to worship the Lord, these Christians banded together as a prayer group and met regularly for prayer and praise services. Houses in the North Nashville community were made available to this prayer band; the group increased in size and the unanimous consensus of the group was to establish a new church.