Centennial Bible Church first began as Carmel Community Baptist Church on Easter Sunday 1988. We were a daughter church of Bethesda Baptist Church of Brownsburg, which sent 38 "loaners" to begin a Bible-believing church in the Carmel area. Our purpose was "the evangelism of unbelievers, and the care and nurturing of believers, leading to a maturing, reproducing Christian lifestyle". Within a year, most of the people from Bethesda returned to their home church and only two of the "loaner" families remained. By this time a number of people from the community had become a part of our congregation.
Our first pastor was Jeff Barbieri. On Sunday mornings we met in the cafeteria/auditorium of Carmel Junior High School and we also held mid-week Bible studies in people's homes. With such a small congregation, it took a lot of effort to get ready for worship each Sunday. After meeting with a church consultant and praying for guidance, we decided to seek another intermediate meeting place until the Lord provided a permanent building.
In mid 1992, God answered our prayers and provided a facility in an office park in Carmel that had been previously used by another church. The space was already set up nicely for our needs; we had an auditorium that would seat over 100 people, 5 classrooms, a nursery, two offices and a small kitchen. We were elated to have a place of our own in which to meet; where the chairs could be left in place all week. What a blessing!
In early 1992 we changed our name to Carmel Bible Church. This was done because the emphasis of the New Testament church was the communication of the Bible rather than a particular heritage or denomination, and because we emphasize the exposition of God's Word.In 1996 our founding pastor, Jeff Barbieri, and his family returned to his native area of New Jersey to a new ministry. After seven months of searching, Pastor Jeff Gaskill accepted the opportunity to come to Carmel Bible Church and began his ministry with us in January of 1997.In 1998, we learned a church was being built in a new development in Westfield, a town just north of Carmel. It was a very unique situation because a building was under construction but needed a congregation. Our pastor and elders met with the builder, Paul Estridge Jr., to discuss the possibility of Carmel Bible Church being the congregation he was looking for. Being a committed Christian, he was thrilled to find a Bible-believing church for the beautiful Northeastern style building puposefully placed in the center of the neighborhood. The Lord again directed and graciously provided for our church body by allowing us to secure affordable financing, due in large part to the generosity of the builder. We moved into our present facility in October 1999, and changed our name to Centennial Bible Church. Since that time, our congregation has grown to approximately 220.In January 2004, Pastor Jeff Gaskill and his family accepted the call to another ministry in Michigan. After another search of 8 months, Pastor Kirk Welch accepted our invitation to pastor Centennial Bible Church. CBC is a young, growing church located in the middle of a new residential neighborhood 15 miles north of Indianapolis, Indiana. Inspired by a painting by Thomas Kinkade, a local builder envisioned a Northeastern style community with open lawns, walking paths, a sledding hill, and other amenities with a "small town" feel. We're thankful and excited for the privilege of representing Jesus Christ in this community and surrounding areas and are looking forward to the ways God will lead us in the future.
Our first pastor was Jeff Barbieri. On Sunday mornings we met in the cafeteria/auditorium of Carmel Junior High School and we also held mid-week Bible studies in people's homes. With such a small congregation, it took a lot of effort to get ready for worship each Sunday. After meeting with a church consultant and praying for guidance, we decided to seek another intermediate meeting place until the Lord provided a permanent building.
In mid 1992, God answered our prayers and provided a facility in an office park in Carmel that had been previously used by another church. The space was already set up nicely for our needs; we had an auditorium that would seat over 100 people, 5 classrooms, a nursery, two offices and a small kitchen. We were elated to have a place of our own in which to meet; where the chairs could be left in place all week. What a blessing!
In early 1992 we changed our name to Carmel Bible Church. This was done because the emphasis of the New Testament church was the communication of the Bible rather than a particular heritage or denomination, and because we emphasize the exposition of God's Word.In 1996 our founding pastor, Jeff Barbieri, and his family returned to his native area of New Jersey to a new ministry. After seven months of searching, Pastor Jeff Gaskill accepted the opportunity to come to Carmel Bible Church and began his ministry with us in January of 1997.In 1998, we learned a church was being built in a new development in Westfield, a town just north of Carmel. It was a very unique situation because a building was under construction but needed a congregation. Our pastor and elders met with the builder, Paul Estridge Jr., to discuss the possibility of Carmel Bible Church being the congregation he was looking for. Being a committed Christian, he was thrilled to find a Bible-believing church for the beautiful Northeastern style building puposefully placed in the center of the neighborhood. The Lord again directed and graciously provided for our church body by allowing us to secure affordable financing, due in large part to the generosity of the builder. We moved into our present facility in October 1999, and changed our name to Centennial Bible Church. Since that time, our congregation has grown to approximately 220.In January 2004, Pastor Jeff Gaskill and his family accepted the call to another ministry in Michigan. After another search of 8 months, Pastor Kirk Welch accepted our invitation to pastor Centennial Bible Church. CBC is a young, growing church located in the middle of a new residential neighborhood 15 miles north of Indianapolis, Indiana. Inspired by a painting by Thomas Kinkade, a local builder envisioned a Northeastern style community with open lawns, walking paths, a sledding hill, and other amenities with a "small town" feel. We're thankful and excited for the privilege of representing Jesus Christ in this community and surrounding areas and are looking forward to the ways God will lead us in the future.
