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Bellevue Baptist was founded in 1903 by Central Baptist Church as a mission church on the outskirts of Memphis. With a small $1,000 gift from member Fannie Jobe, Pastor Thomas Potts led the congregation to build a one-room stone chapel at the corner of Bellevue and Erskine Avenues. The first service was held on July 12, 1903 with Bellevue's first pastor, Henry Hurt. Thirty-two founding members signed the official charter on August 9, 1903. The church completed a 3,000 seat building in 1952, which was one of the first air-conditioned churches in Memphis. Bellevue became one of the largest Southern Baptist churches in the United States in the 1950s with more than 9,000 members. The church relocated to its current building (2000 Appling Road), which seats 7,000 in the main sanctuary, on a {{convert|377|acre|adj=on}} campus in Cordova, a [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]] [[suburb]], in 1989. Bellevue is ranked 80th in the largest and fasting growing churches in America by LifeWay Research for Outreach Magazine.<ref name="Belleue ranked 80th">Allen, Bob."Bellevue ranked 80th in Fastest Growing Protestant Churches"(October 7, 2009),''Baptist & Reflector''.</ref> The attendance has been up to 6,567.<ref name="Belleue ranked 80th" />
The church's location near [[Interstate 40]] is marked by a display of three crosses. A ceremony held to dedicate and light the crosses took place on New Year’sYear's Eve, 1999. As the clock ticked down the final moments of the millennium, the Bellevue family worshipped at the foot of the cross. At the stroke of midnight, the crosses were illuminated. They are visible from several miles away. The center cross is {{convert|150|ft}} tall, flanked by two {{convert|120|ft|adj=on}} crosses.<ref name="HV">[https://web.archive.org/web/20040204131335/http://www.bellevue.org/templates/cusbellevue1103/details.asp?id=1360&PID=5130 Bellevue Baptist Church's History and Vision] from bellevue.org</ref>
[[Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary]] is located on {{convert|51|acre}} across the street from Bellevue ({{convert|35|acre}} were donated by Bellevue). However, Mid-America operates independently from Bellevue. Nevertheless, the Seminary has maintained a close relationship with the congregation ever since it moved to Memphis in 1976; former Bellevue pastor [[Adrian Rogers]] was an influential figure at MABTS.
==Missions==
Since 1903 Bellevue has been active in local and foreign missions. Pastor Robert G. Lee preached in [[Japan]] and [[Korea]] in 1955.<ref name="By His Grace" /> Through the Southern Baptist Mission Board in 1962, Pastor Ramsey Pollard led Bellevue in being the first church to adopt a Cuban refugee family and help establish them in America. Pastor Adrian Rogers led missions crusades in Brazil (1990) and Romania (1992) with many church members participating. In 1999 the church began a missions emphasis in [[Central America]], with the goal of planting churches.<ref name="By His Grace" /> Bellevue continues to send out mission teams all over the world each year, spending $5.5 million, one-fourth of its $22 million annual budget on missions. In 2007 a missions team from Bellevue’sBellevue's women’swomen's ministry led a conference in [[Hyderabad, India]].<ref name="Bellevue missions">[http://www.commercialappeal.com/archives/ "Bellevue Baptist Goes on Global Mission"], Aaronson, Trevor (November 25, 2007). "Bellevue Baptist Goes on Global Mission", ''The Commercial Appeal''</ref> Bellevue has also planted churches in [[Honduras]], [[Uruguay]] and [[Nicaragua]]. Bellevue teams have also worked in [[Seattle, WA]]; [[Vancouver|Vancouver, BC]]; and the [[Dakotas]].
==Controversy==
==Music and theater==
The Bellevue’sBellevue's Girls Quartet, formed in 1928, sang at conferences and denominational meetings across the South. Bellevue’sBellevue's drama ministry, organized in 1951, was the first drama ministry in the Southern Baptist Convention. The ground floor of the 1952 sanctuary was designed for Christian theatre presentations like “The Robe” (1957, 1959) and “Ben Hur” (1961).<ref name="By His Grace" /> In 1948, Bellevue called Thomas P. Lane to build a comprehensive music program for children through adults.<ref name="Lane">[http://www.commercialappeal.com Lane Served Under Three Pastors], Author N/A (June 13, 2979), "Rogers Choice Called Honor by Associates", ''The Commercial Appeal''.</ref> He was the first full-time minister of music in the [[Southern Baptist Convention]], and when he retired 38 years later, he had the longest tenure of any Southern Baptist Convention minister of music.<ref name="Lane" /> For more than three decades he directed the student nurse choir at Baptist Memorial Hospital known as the Nightingales. Lane served with three Bellevue pastors who were each elected Southern Baptist Convention president: Robert G. Lee, Ramsey Pollard, and Adrian Rogers.<ref name="Lane" /> For the community they presented 38 consecutive performances of Handel's ''Messiah'', as well as other classical works like ''The Seven Last Words of Christ'' and Mendelssohn's ''Elijah''. Lane was awarded the Southern Baptist Convention’sConvention's Church Music Award for Outstanding Service, and in 1986 he was named Bellevue’sBellevue's Minister of Music Emeritus.<ref name="By His Grace" />
Rogers served with two ministers of music: Thomas P. Lane and James D. Whitmire. After working together as pastor and minister of music at First Baptist Church in [[Merritt Island, Florida]], Rogers and Whitmire reunited at Bellevue in 1975.<ref name="church musician">Mclellan-Jones, Betty (July 2000), ''Church Musician Today''.</ref> Whitmire was minister of youth music until Lane’sLane's retirement in 1986. In December 2005 when he retired as senior minister of music, 5,000 adults and children were enrolled in Bellevue’sBellevue's vocal and instrumental programs. Whitmire premiered The Singing Christmas Tree in 1976, with a record attendance of high 56,000.<ref name="church musician" /> An Easter program, Living Pictures, was introduced in 1981, evolving into The Memphis Passion Play on the church’schurch's expanded stage in the Cordova worship center in 1990.<ref name="Life's Passion">[http://www.commercialappeal.com/archives/ Life's Passion], Sparks, Jon W.(March 19, 2005). "Life's Passion",''The Commercial Appeal''.</ref> In 1984, Whitmire began an annual patriotic program, Celebrate America! Under his direction, Bellevue’sBellevue's choirs sang at seven annual meetings of the Southern Baptist Convention. Whitmire also served as SBC Music Director in 1997 and 2006.<ref name="celebrate america">"2006 SBC Annual Meeting Schedule", Florida Baptist Witness, May 9, 2006.</ref>
Mark Blair succeeded Whitmire as Minister of Music in 2006 and has greatly expanded the musical program by creating the [https://www.bellevue.org/spa School of Performing Arts] (SPA) and the Bellevue Orchestra.
==Broadcasting==
On January 5, 1958, Bellevue became the first church in the world to broadcast worship services using its own television equipment.<ref name="broadcast news">Author N/A (August 1958). "Bellevue Baptist Church Televises Sunday Services",''RCA Broadcast News'', Volume 102.</ref> Under Pollard’sPollard's leadership the church continued broadcasting services, upgrading to color cameras and equipment in 1970. Rather than sell it, the congregation voted to donate the original black and white television cameras and equipment to missions. Bellevue continues to broadcast services locally.
==Crosses on Interstate 40==
Three large crosses, visible from [[Interstate 40]], mark the church’schurch's location. The center cross is {{convert|150|ft}} high with two flanking crosses at {{convert|120|ft}}. The crosses are engineered to withstand {{convert|70|mph|adj=on}} winds and are constructed of four pieces of structural steel and angle iron painted white.<ref name="crosses on website">[http://www.bellevue.org/pages/page.asp?page_id=64300 Bellevue Crosses], Bellevue Baptist Church Website.</ref> The landmark crosses were dedicated at a special ceremony with choir, orchestra, and hundreds of church members at midnight on New Year’sYear's Eve, 1999.<ref name="By His Grace" /> In September 2008 the three crosses became the central image in the church logo.<ref name="crosses on website" />
==Bellevue Loves Memphis==
In 2007 Gaines initiated a church-wide, ongoing volunteer ministry to Memphis and the community. On September 28, 2009, the State of Tennessee House of Representatives issued a proclamation recognizing Bellevue as an institution that has demonstrated “unflagging capacity for love, dedication of spirit, and faith in God” and for enriching the lives of people in their community.<ref name="Bellevue Loves Memphis">[http://bellevue.org/uploads/blm_proclamation09_lg.jpg Bellevue Loves Memphis Proclamation], Williams, Kurt; Cooper, Barbara (September 28, 2009). State of Tennessee, House of Representative Proclamation .</ref> The proclamation cited pastor Gaines’ for leading the way in showing "Jesus' love to the City of Memphis by meeting practical needs of residents" and for "embracing Bellevue Loves Memphis as a way of life."<ref name="Bellevue Loves Memphis" /> The document mentioned the church’schurch's sponsor of a Christian Mobile Dental Clinic that provides free dental care to the underprivileged, and the church’schurch's funding of The Vue, a ministry for college students located near the University of Memphis and accessible to students of other local colleges and universities.<ref name="Bellevue Loves Memphis" /> The proclamation noted that on six workdays, 5,300 volunteers have contributed between 30,000-35,000 hours through yard work, painting, construction, and more to benefit 40 schools, two post-secondary schools, 44 churches, 55 family homes, 14 parks, nine city/government buildings, 16 hospitals, 47 ministries, and ten Memphis City School football fields.<ref name="Bellevue Loves Memphis" /> The proclamation also noted that Bellevue Loves Memphis provided every city fire station with a copy of the movie “Fireproof,” assisted with the City of Memphis cleanup, and assisted with ten block parties.<ref name="Bellevue Loves Memphis" /> The document also recognized the church for hosting the Tennessee Technology Center’sCenter's 2008-2009 graduation.<ref name="Bellevue Loves Memphis" /> In 2009, Pastor Gaines was awarded the Open Door Award for his leadership with Bellevue Loves Memphis. The annual award is presented by the April 4th Foundation of Memphis.<ref name="April 4th Foundation">[http://april4thfoundation.org/main/index.php April 4th Foundation], April 4th Foundation Website .</ref> From 2008 to 2013, the church opened its doors to city and county schools for holding their commencement exercises. An annual Fourth of July celebration, Starlight Spectacular, also draws thousands from the community.
==References==
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