Historic Church Coming Back To Life

    In service to the Cassia community since the 1880s, the Cassia Baptist Church had all but closed in recent years. With just one person turning up on Sundays to sit outside during the worship hour, it appeared the historic building’s future could be in doubt. However, there has been a rebirth at the little country church, which today is enjoying the beginnings of what is hoped to be a lasting revival.
    “We had 56 people for Easter,” said church pastor Mark Douglas on Saturday while giving a tour of the facility. Douglas, along with his son Josh, serve as volunteer ministers to a congregation that is finding its way back to the little church down a dirt road in east Lake County.
    Douglas, who works in the area as a detective for the Lake County Sheriff's Office, is also a minister, a calling that has seen him serve stints as a chaplain in the sheriff's office as well as pastor at Bay Street Baptist Church. He became involved with Cassia last July, when he was contacted by a co-worker in the sheriff's office that said the church could use him.
    “The church had gone down to one man who had gone to church here his whole life.” That man was Jerry Gnann, who Douglas said maintained the church grounds as best he could. On Sunday, Gnann would come to the church during its historic worship time.
    “He would come on Sunday and just sit. He had come to the church his whole life. It’s all he knew.”
    It’s told that Jerry’s nephew, Frankie Gnann, decided the church should reopen, and got the donations needed to get the power turned back on. After hearing about the need, Douglas sought out Gnann.
    “I went and saw Frankie,” Douglas recalls. “I offered to be a supply pastor, and we started in August 2021. We had eight people.”
    The Gnanns, and some of Douglas's co-workers at the sheriff's office made up most of that crowd, but over the next months the effort grew. Rooms were cleaned, more volunteers came on board, donations for a new piano and other needs were made, and today, the little church is rising from nearly abandoned to a growing house of worship, with what Douglas describes as a 'simple' worship service.
    "There is a lot of vision, goals, and dreams," Douglas says when asked about the church's future. While the church features its original doors, some original pews, a Civil War-era Bible, and original pulpit, those 'in good shape' items pale in comparison to the facility needs that spread across three buildings. The sanctuary needs rotten wood repaired, a new roof, and paint. Its floor is sagging in places. The fellowship hall has water damage. In all, it has been estimated the church needs around $150,000 to cure all of the facility's ills.
    Already, upgrades have been made to children’s spaces. Douglas says future projects will be handled one step at a time as finances allow, as the church has declined to take on any loans to speed the project. What isn’t waiting is the desire for the church to make a positive impact in Cassia once again.
    "We're hoping this church will be a positive catalyst for the community," Douglas says. Food programs, healthy lifestyle projects, youth activities, and more are just some of the ideas. "Like anywhere, there is a lot of need here."
    The congregation meets on Sundays, at 11 a.m. at 36944 Cassia Church Road, off SR 44 in Cassia. If you would like to learn more, or maybe make a donation to the rehabilitation of this historic church, visit www.cassiabaptistchurch.com to learn more.