PHOTO PROVIDED Hundreds of people recently came out to celebrate Big Woods Bible Church’s 40th anniversary. Members gathered to plant a memorial tree for those who have remained faithful to the church over the years.
LOCK HAVEN – The theme this past weekend, Aug. 16-18, was faithfulness as Big Woods Bible Church on S. Hanna Street celebrated its 40th anniversary.
The church kicked off the festivities on Friday (Aug. 16) with a trip to Troy, Pennsylvania, to pray for the area as a possible site for a future church plant. Festivities continued on Saturday with a church-wide potluck and a “variety show” featuring prominent parishioners such as Dr. Art Gray and his wife Linda, Kraig Brady of Frontier Reflections, and Bobby Jo Simcox and her family.
The events culminated in the church’s weekly service on Sunday, August 18.
The church was recognized and honored by Dr. Barry Whitworth, Executive Director/Treasurer of the Baptist Resource Network (BRN) of Pennsylvania/South Jersey, who presented the church with a Southern Baptist State Convention plaque.
Afterwards, Senior Pastor Tim Boger, who has been at Big Woods since 2011, gave his sermon highlighting the history of Big Woods and God’s unwavering faithfulness.
PHOTO PROVIDED: A sign celebrating Big Woods Bible Church’s 40th anniversary hangs above congregants enjoying a celebratory meal.
“Whenever everything seemed insurmountable, the Lord revealed Himself to us – we were a million dollars short of a million dollars we needed, we had no building, we had no money to pay our pastors – and yet with each mountain we took a step of faith and the Lord revealed His faithfulness to us,” Boger said.
After the service, the congregation gathered outside to plant a tree in memory of those who have remained faithful to the gospel in Big Woods over the years. After the tree was well planted, the congregation enjoyed a suckling pig dinner and time together.
Local roots
Big Woods’ roots run deep in the Lock Haven community. The church began when college missionary Jeff Lewis was called from the First Southern Baptist Church in Williamsport to the campus of Lock Haven University (LHU). Lewis started a campus church at LHU in 1983, which eventually led to the establishment of Big Woods Chapel in 1984.
Since then, Big Woods has been called Big Woods Bible Church and gathers for worship at various Lock Haven landmarks.
PHOTO PROVIDED: Senior Pastor Tim Boger is pictured accepting a plaque on behalf of Big Woods Bible Church.
These include the YMCA community room, the old Castanea Elementary School, several local parks, the Parsons Union Building on the LHU campus, and the church building currently used by the House of the Lord Fellowship on W. Main St.
In 2016, Big Woods purchased the former Lock Haven Warehouse and Auto Parts building and surrounding property on S. Hanna St. for a whopping $1.4 million.
“Five banks all said no,” Boger recalls the loan procurement process.
At the time, Big Woods was financially sound enough to pay the $400,000, but the additional million would require another leap of faith. This time from a bank just up the road. “A bank in State College actually just heard about our plan and reached out to us,” Boger said. In true old-fashioned fashion, Big Woods members took 3×5 index cards and wrote down what they could individually contribute to the loan over so many years. For Centre County Bank, those tender, index-card-like pledges were enough.
Now fully renovated, the warehouse is a permanent home for Big Woods and the over 350 Lock Haven area residents who attend each Sunday. Even more remarkable, the building is another sign of God’s faithfulness to Big Woods and the Lock Haven community.
Big Woods has existed for 40 years to serve God and love the people of Lock Haven by meeting their physical, emotional and spiritual needs at every opportunity.
“I believe God has brought these people to us, and their numbers continue to grow,” Boger said. “Love for the people in the community, (along with) building relationships and caring for the community has opened up opportunities for us to serve physically, emotionally and ultimately spiritually.”
Readers can learn more about Big Woods Bible Church and the history of the church by visiting bigwoods.org or emailing [email protected].
