On December 15, 2015, the membership of Bangor Baptist Church voted to change the name of the church to Crosspoint Church. With an overwhelming 83% voting in the affirmative the church carved a new path for the future. Although remaining a Baptist Church theologically, the leadership believed a name change would open the doors for more people to visit, and experience our church. The church has a rich history, and we trust you will take a moment and read about it.
In September of 1966, a small group of eight to twelve people gathered at the local YWCA to begin what was Bangor Baptist Church. Little did they know what God had in store for them? This small group of faithful believers prayed to do great things for God, and set out to accomplish winning the Bangor area for Christ, and being obedient to His leadership.
In November of 1966, the nucleus moved to Pushaw Road, and occupied the small white church that still stands today. On October 19, 1967, Bangor Baptist was incorporated, and the church was well on its way. As the church began to grow, the membership began to look for space to build a church. In the summertime of 1969, they moved into their newly constructed, brick building that now houses Bangor Christian Schools. There was much excitement as the Holy Spirit began to speak to hearts, and God began filling up the church. With continued growth, a larger building was needed, so the present church facility was built with the congregation holding its first service on April 1, 1973. The people of the church did most of the work, which was quite a feat!
Since 1966, God has done some marvelous things. Bangor Christian Schools opened its doors in the fall of 1970, with its first graduating class in June of 1971. The school started in a building on French Street in Bangor. BCS later moved into the brick building that once housed the church. The school has operated consistently between 280-320 students, and on December 2, 1999, was accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. At that time it was the only Christian school to be accredited by NEASC in the state of Maine. We praise the Lord for allowing our church to start an educational institution to provide a Christian Education for the Bangor community.
God also saw fit to allow Bangor Baptist to start Christian radio in the Bangor area. In 1980, WHCF 88.5 FM was founded as an educational station through Bangor Christian Schools. The station has grown from 10,000 watts to 100,000 watts reaching much of Maine and the Canadian Maritimes. The station remains the anchor for many with a mission to reach the lost, edify the saints, and to inform the people.
In 1997, the Lord led Bangor Baptist to purchase another radio station to reach young people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This 50,000-watt station went on the air in 1998.
The church leadership in 2013 decided to divest the two radio stations, and they are now operated by the Lighthouse Radio Network. Even though the church does not own the radio stations anymore, we partner with them for the furtherance of the gospel.
In the fall of 1985, the ministry went through a time of testing. Through unfortunate circumstances, the church dipped to a grand total of 69 people in attendance. The school dropped to under 100 students, and WHCF became extremely understaffed. This was a time of heartache but also a time when faith was pushed to the limit. There was nowhere to turn but to the Lord.
It was at this time that Dr. Jerry Falwell stepped in as interim pastor of Bangor Baptist Church. Dr. Falwell sent individuals from his organization to help our church get back on its feet.
Bangor Baptist also had a debt of $2.2 million. With a congregation of fewer than 100, humanly speaking, things looked rather bleak! With God's provision, things began to change for the positive. An instructor from Liberty University, Dr. Ken Chapman, came to fill the pulpit one wintry day. During his sermon, Dr. Chapman believed that God had called him to be the next pastor of the church. He and his wife Marie, began officially ministering in 1986. The church began to grow under his leadership, and strengthening financially as well. It is a tribute to a man who would leave sunny Virginia and come to Maine, and take a struggling church at the age of 69! But it was exactly what the church needed at that time. His integrity, hard work, leadership, knowledge of the Bible, dedication, sincerity, and experience was God's gift. Humanly speaking, God used Ken and Marie Chapman and Jerry Falwell to save Bangor Baptist Church. No amount of gratitude will ever be able to be fully expressed to Jerry Falwell and Ken and Marie Chapman, who are now in Heaven.
Richard Rockwell succeeded Dr. Chapman in October of 1988 as the Senior Pastor, and became the fourth pastor. During his tenure, the church continued its course of growth and healing. Richard was a former deacon at Bangor Baptist in the seventies. Following his deaconship he felt called into the ministry and enrolled at Baptist Bible College located in Springfield, Missouri. Upon graduation he started a church in New Limerick, Maine. It was from this ministry that Richard was called to Bangor Baptist Church. He and his wife, Jerral, gave nine years of loyal service to the congregation. Under Richard's leadership, the church became a more inclusive ministry emphasizing its responsibility to the Body of Christ and the local community. We thank the Rockwell's for their years of ministry they shared with us.
In August of 1997, Jerry Mick became the fifth pastor of Bangor Baptist Church. Jerry had been the associate pastor since 1989, when he became senior pastor. He held other ministry positions since January of 1984, when he arrived, such as school teacher, athletic director, principal, superintendent, assistant pastor, associate pastor, and part time announcer on WHCF.
During Jerry’s tenure the ministry was able to become debt free! The church also built a children’s center (UpStreet) and a teen’s center (The Trudy Wilson Thrive Center). Along with these improvements, many upgrades to the physical plant was able to be accomplished.
On September 12, 2021, after 38 years at Bangor Baptist, now Crosspoint, he retired. He now serves as a teaching pastor, and missionary at large for the church, serving through Outreach To Asia Nationals as their volunteer Director of Training.
Tom Brown was voted in to replace Jerry Mick as Senior Pastor on Sunday, June 13, 2021, and became the sixth pastor. He served as senior pastor until 2023 when he resigned. Jerry Mick is currently serving as Senior Pastor.
Pastors of Bangor Baptist/Crosspoint Church
Herman “Buddy” Frankland (Founder) 1966-1985
Jerry Falwell 1985-1986
Ken Chapman 1986-1988
Richard Rockwell 1988-1997
Jerry Mick 1997-2021
Tom Brown 2021 - 2023
Jerry Mick 2023 - Present