Crestview Baptist Church, Union, dedicated its new facilities Feb. 12, with former pastor Trenton Connelly as guest speaker.
Others on the program were Bill Harris, director of missions for Union County Baptist Association; Mike Stevens, music director at West Springs Baptist Church and former member; Tommy Knotts, retired director of missions, Aiken Baptist Association; and pastor Gerald Eaves. Approximately 300 attended the service.
Crestview broke ground in October 2004 after the congregation relocated to Furman Fendley Highway.
Though its name and facilities are new, Crestview’s history dates back more than 100 years. In 1897, T.H. Garrett was sent by the State Mission Board to lead a preaching point established by First Baptist Church, Union, in the western part of the town.
That summer, Garrett help organize what was then known as the Second Baptist Church with 60 charter members. The name was changed in 1915 to Westside.
In the early 1990s, the congregation’s membership had grown to more than 1,000, and in 1996 the church purchased 10 acres of land on US 176. Westside sold its former facility in September 2004, and began meeting at a temporary site during construction.
Members voted to change the church’s name to Crestview since its new site is not located on Union’s west side. The first service in its new sanctuary was held Oct. 23, 2005.