Beacon Heights Information

Beacon Heights Congregation was established in December, 1961. There was a lot of excitement and dedication in the beginning of a new congregation, and the vision and opportunity to provide a place of Christian ministry in our neighboring community was exhilarating. Everyone was willing to work and bring sacrifices toward that common goal. We had all been attending the East Alton Congregation on 23rd and RD Mize Road, but it was very crowded. So a group of us started the Beacon Heights Congregation, while another group started the congregation over on RD Mize Road called Walnut Gardens. The Henry Schaeffer family donated a corner lot on Holke Road. It was on a high bluff, and since we wanted to be a light to those around us, we chose the name Beacon Heights. Ultimately the land wasn't large enough, so we purchased land farther to the west on Holke Road. It included 25 acres, and we were very excited about it. The woman put on many fund raisers while the men worked together putting up the building. Fundraisers included BBQ's, bake sales, and quilting. Once there was a bake sale held at the old Blue Ridge Mall, and we were so successful at that, that we kept getting phone calls all day to keep the cinnamon rolls coming! Other congregations were very supportive of our fund raising efforts, and often came to our BBQ dinners. Our congregation worked hard making food, pies, and selling tickets. The Schaeffer brothers also sold some land they had and donated the money to the congregation. We needed a temporary space to meet as we started out, so we met in the basement of East Alton Congregation for a year and a half. During that time, we raised money, and finally built a house to start with. That house later became the stake office for Blue Valley Stake, and is now the office for the Blue Valley Activity Center (BVAC). The main part of this building was put up in one day! It was like an old-fashioned barn-raising. There were many families involved, and we all worked very hard together. The bedrooms were used for ...