1974

Establishment of Gethsemane Baptist Temple

  • September 18, 1974: 25 people met at the home of Joe and Janice Hensley, discussing the establishment of a fundamental, Bible-believing church in Long Beach.

  • December 12, 1974: Larry Webb was called as the pastor of the newly chartered church.

  • November 18, 1974: Gethsemane Baptist Temple was incorporated as a non-profit organization.

1975

Growth and Early Moves

  • April 1975: Gethsemane moved to its first rented building at 4148 Norse Way, Long Beac

  • July 1975: The church expanded and rented a second location at 4410 Greenmeadow, Long Beach.

  • Staff Expansion & Outreach: Larry Ortega was added as the music director. The church established its first annual budget and began supporting 12 missionaries.

1977

Property Acquisition and Leadership Changes

  • November 1977: A business meeting was held to purchase a building at 15363 Orange Avenue, Paramount.

  • December 1978: Jim Black was called as pastor. The Spanish Ministry was also initiated during this time.

1980

Christian School Started

  • March 5, 1980: The church voted to start a Christian school.

  • September 1980: The school opened with 60 students (K4 through 5th grade). The first senior class graduated on 1988.

1988

Acquisition of Current Location

  • January 6, 1988: The church purchased the current building at 6095 Orange Avenue, Long Beach.

  • Easter Sunday 1988: The congregation held its first service in the new facility.

1994

Pastor & Mrs Smith

Pastor Transition and Leadership Change

  • February 1994: Pastor Jim Black announced his resignation. Frank Collins served as interim pastor for three months.

  • September 11, 1994: Matt Echols was voted pastor and served until February 1995.

  • February 1995: Dr. David Smith was voted in as pastor.

1995

Growth in Ministry and Missions

  • Under Pastor Smith, Gethsemane supported over 100 missionaries, tripling the church’s giving to missions.

2009

Pastor & Mrs Murphy

Fruitful Leadership and Service

  • November 15, 2009: The 35th anniversary of the church and Pastor Smith’s last Sunday before stepping down.

  • November 22, 2009: David Murphy began serving as pastor. He and his family served faithfully, contributing to the church growth.

2016

Current Leadership

  • September 2016: Pastor Murphy stepped down to take a position at a church in Illinois.

  • September 18, 2016: Ely Reynolds became the pastor, having previously served as the youth Pastor for 10 years.