Anyone know what the story is on this church?
I'm specifically asking about the history of it, what it was before the current church that's in it. It's on a huge parcel of land, and has a large 2 or 3 story building attached to it, and a separate vehicle garage building on the main grounds. Plus the sports building across from the animal shelter.

What was it before? And why don't they use that large building as a school or something? it seems like it's mostly vacant / unused.

It seems to have a good sized congregation but it doesn't look anywhere near fully utilized.

ChuckFarley Wrote:
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> Anyone know what the story is on this church?
> I'm specifically asking about the history of it,
> what it was before the current church that's in
> it. It's on a huge parcel of land, and has a large
> 2 or 3 story building attached to it, and a
> separate vehicle garage building on the main
> grounds. Plus the sports building across from the
> animal shelter.
>
> What was it before? And why don't they use that
> large building as a school or something? it seems
> like it's mostly vacant / unused.
>
> It seems to have a good sized congregation but it
> doesn't look anywhere near fully utilized.


Google

It used to be Bethlehem baptist church. Hardcore, fire and brimstone. I went there as a kid, and those people scared the hell out of me. Some were nice, but I remember some of the helpers in the kids church were cruel. Didnt know it changed till I saw the post then googled

There was a church school there too.

It was formerly the Bethlehem Baptist Christian Academy, grades K-12. They made us wear ties to school every day, sign an oath that we wouldn't listen to "rock" music, go to the movies, look at nudie mags, drink alcohol or do drugs. HA! What a bunch of half-witted fucking morons. Us "public schoolers" brought a fresh sense of crazy for those zealots.

There were two basic types of students. Those who had been there since kindergarten, and those that were sent there after they fucked up in public school. I was the latter, and let me tell you, what a hay-day I had with those simpletons.

Those girls were fresh, frisky and ripe for the picking...and the dumbass dudes that were raised there had no idea what to do with them.

I recall them telling us that KISS stood for Knights In Satan's Service. And 'brother' Smallwood (wonder how he got that name) liked to catch kids not paying attention and would sneak behind you and lift your chair quickly till your head about touched the ceiling. He loved fucking with 8-9 year olds. He was the youth enforcer. If that church was my only church experience, I might be into devil worship. That place was fucked

I went there as a kid back in the 70's, but just to the summer nights thing cause they would pick us up in a big school bus from my apartment complex in Annandale and at the end of the night we got snow cones. I bailed on the indoctrination and just walked around until it got close to time to go. Then I went to the bus and sat on there like 15 minutes. But yeah, it was a real fire and brimstone kind of place. I'm not even Baptist, I just went for the free snow cones. Kids hopped on the bus that went around the neighborhood and went by themselves to this place miles from home.

Such a change in the neighborhood now. West Ox Road was a 2-lane dark scary place at night surrounded by woods on both sides, besides the school bus lot that's still there. One end was Lee Highway with the small schoolhouse and Super 29 Drive-In. The other end was route 50. Nothing you see these days between the two was there. Now I live in an apartment on West Ox within walking distance of the church. I probably looked at my future apartment's location many times out the window, not knowing I would one day live there.

Yeah, the buses. A lot of parents would send their kids on the buses and not go themselves. I went in the 70's too. They'd bribe you to bring friends and reward you and your friend with bags of candy. I wonder who pocketed the money when they sold it. Or did something happen to where they got sued and had to sell it.
One thing I remember is they had an old time wrestler named gorgeous George come and preach. He packed the house. Found out years later that gorgeous George died before I was born. Were they taken? Or in on the take? That place was weird. I think now about how full of shit they were.

It's actually a typo. Instead of Loud On Purpose it should say Loudoun Purpose.

They had a fleet of buses. More than you'd see at a big school like lb or Robinson in the day