InTouch with Southern Kentucky February 2020 | Page 7

SUBMITTED PHOTO
South Maple Baptist can trace its extraordinary beginnings to 1799 at Somerset’s former Sinking Creek
Church.
Later, it would generate Somerset’s
First Baptist Church. It is considered
the mother church of South Maple
Baptist.
The formal beginnings of South
Maple Baptist date to 1867 as the
First Baptist Church Colored. Ini-
tially, members would meet in an
old cowshed before later obtaining
a lot on Maple Street and building a
church for worship.
“Some of our seniors who are fix-
tures in the church talk to me about
how much the history means to
them,” Franklin says. “They’ve seen
how far it has come, and how we
have grown spiritually and in num-
bers over time.”
During its memorable history,
South Maple Baptist would need
numerous renovations or new
constructions. These include a 1913
storm wreckage and a 1930 fire just
F ebruary 2020
hours after a church social.
Remarkably, the church installed a
pipe organ after the 1930 fire resto-
ration. It was quite an accomplish-
ment for the members in both an era
and an area with limited income.
South Maple Baptist’s most recent
revitalization was in 2001 after the
congregation tragically learned of
major structural damage to their
original sanctuary. It served as their
place of worship for over 130 years.
The result included having to erect
a new sanctuary at its current locale
on South Maple Street. “They had
to demolish our old church,” says
Beulah Gaines “That was heartbreak-
ing because of its historical signifi-
cance.”
“But we have had to move on,”
she continues. “Our church is really
growing now, and we have a lot of
new members.”
“We know
it wasn’t just
us. It was God
sustaining it
for us to do
extraordinary
things.”
Yusef Franklin
I n T ouch with S outhern K entucky • 7