Who We Are

Our History

This brief history of CBC was compiled with the help of Mary Lowrey, a charter member.

Chelsea Bible Church was born in the heart of its first Pastor, Dick Martin, in the fall of 1988. Pastor Martin was serving as director of Grace Independent Mission, a missionary arm of the Independent Fundamental Churches of America (IFCA). The primary function of the mission was planting Bible Churches. This position required Pastor Martin to travel through Southeastern states - but in the providence of God, he bought a home and settled in the Alabaster area.

During a visit to Israel, Pastor Martin was studying material he had brought with him regarding the planting of new churches when God spoke clearly to his heart about the need for a Bible Church in his home town area. Upon his return, he contacted several families and soon began a home Bible study. As interest grew and others began to attend, the Lord provided an opportunity for the group to meet in office space on Highway 31 in Alabaster.

Immediately, the Bible study adopted a statement of faith and philosophy of ministry. Articles of Incorporation were filed under the name Grace Community Church. From the beginning, the Lord gave the members of this church special love for Israel and the Jewish people. He has blessed the congregation with many wonderful Jewish friends for whom the church is very grateful.

God was also at work in the heart of a young student at Southeastern Bible College by the name of Nathan Ingram. He went to one of his professors at SEBC with the request that he find a church where he could serve on a volunteer basis. His professor recommended Grace Community Church. Nathan began to serve there in many capacities including music and pulpit ministry. It was the privilege of Grace Community Church to ordain Nathan to ministry after his graduation from SEBC as he prepared to answer God's calling to pastor a Bible Church in Louisiana where he served for five years.

In 1998, our loving heavenly Father provided an opportunity that would allow the church to move to Chelsea and meet in facilities that were to be donated by the Simmsville Bible Church. After much prayer, the leadership decided that God was indeed directing the move. Many of the members of the former Simmsville Bible Church joined the church family of Grace Community Church as the move was made.

In May 1999, Nathan Ingram returned from Louisiana to serve on staff at Southeastern Bible College. He also again began to serve as Assistant Pastor at Grace Community Church.

In February 2000, Pastor Martin sensed the Lord was moving him to retire as Pastor of Grace Community Church.  After several months serving as Interim, Pastor Nathan felt the Lord was leading him to become Pastor of the church.  The elders and congregation agreed and officially placed him in the position in August 2000.

In January 2001, after much discussion and prayer, it was decided that the name Grace Community Church should be changed to Chelsea Bible Church to better reflect its identity and location.

In May 2004, Pastor Nathan sensed the calling of God to join the staff at Shades Mountain Bible Church in Birmingham. The church was blessed by the interim teaching ministry of Dr. Jason Snyder, who also served as the Chair of the Department of Biblical Studies at Southeastern Bible College.

In an unlikely work of providence, the Lord called Pastor Nathan to return to Chelsea Bible Church in October of 2005. Energized with a renewed vision, Chelsea Bible Church continues to grow and reach more lives with the love of Christ. Plans are currently in process to relocate the church building to allow for future growth and ministry.