Our History -
A story of imagination & Faith
On April 14, 2018, we celebrated our fifty-fifth anniversary! We are proud of our heritage and look forward to God's continued work in and through our church. Here is a brief telling of our story thus far.
The expansion committee of the Roanoke Valley Missionary and Social Union began to explore the need for a new church in the Green Valley area in 1958. In 1959, Howard Sigmon bought the property we now own.
Anyone who saw the small band of nine people who attended our first prayer meeting on February 18, 1960, with 18 inches of snow on the ground, would have had to have a great deal of imagination and faith to envision the church we have now become. But those people who began with prayer meetings had both imagination and faith. By October 1960, we had called our first full time pastor, Emery Elmore. A year later, with $1,000 from the budget, we began our first building fund. One year later, we had our second pastor, Jere Allen.
Imagination and faith carried Colonial Avenue to new heights. Easter Sunday, April 14, 1963, marked our transition from a mission to a church. By November, our first sanctuary and educational building were completed.
Imagination and faith became the hallmark of our next pastor, a young Branan Thompson who came to us on the last day of 1968. For the next twenty-nine years, Branan led this church to sustained growth and a loving heart. During those 29 years, we expanded our staff. David Dockery was called as our first associate pastor, and their joint ministry led to even more growth. Our once spacious sanctuary began to feel cramped.
It was a step of faith to plan our current sanctuary, finished in 1985. On the day we first worshiped here, it was hard to imagine we would ever need more space. But a progression of imaginative, winsome, faithful associates like John Adams, Jim Baucom, and Laney Mofield, joined Branan and we continued to grow, to the point where we once again had to build - adding classrooms, meeting rooms and offices.
When Branan announced his retirement after 29 years of ministry, it was hard to imagine Colonial Avenue without him. But a year of self-study, faith, and yes, imagination showed us new possibilities for ministry, both inside our church family and beyond our walls. The calling of Dr. Jeff Scott in September 1998, put leadership to those dreams.
The following year saw many opportunities for imagination and faith. We expanded our staff, hiring Jan Bryant as director of music ministries, Debbie Scott as director of children and senior adult ministries, and Melissa Scott as minister of youth and education. On March 11, 1999, we improved our current building and acquired the house next door to use for our missions. It was more than a building program - it was a chance to apply our faith and imagination to God's work.
After 12 years of being Colonial Avenue's senior pastor, Jeff Scott resigned in August 2010 to follow God's calling to another church. In January 2011, Rev. John Boyles was called as intentional interim pastor to lead our church through a process which helped clarify the vision and mission God has for us. Dr. Quentin Madden, accepted the call to CABC in 2013 and served through March 2020. Under Dr. Madden's leadership, we heard the call to accept our mission: to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Rev. Melissa Scott led us through a time of transition (during a pandemic) and was called to be our pastor in November of 2020.
We look forward to the future with imagination and faith!
The expansion committee of the Roanoke Valley Missionary and Social Union began to explore the need for a new church in the Green Valley area in 1958. In 1959, Howard Sigmon bought the property we now own.
Anyone who saw the small band of nine people who attended our first prayer meeting on February 18, 1960, with 18 inches of snow on the ground, would have had to have a great deal of imagination and faith to envision the church we have now become. But those people who began with prayer meetings had both imagination and faith. By October 1960, we had called our first full time pastor, Emery Elmore. A year later, with $1,000 from the budget, we began our first building fund. One year later, we had our second pastor, Jere Allen.
Imagination and faith carried Colonial Avenue to new heights. Easter Sunday, April 14, 1963, marked our transition from a mission to a church. By November, our first sanctuary and educational building were completed.
Imagination and faith became the hallmark of our next pastor, a young Branan Thompson who came to us on the last day of 1968. For the next twenty-nine years, Branan led this church to sustained growth and a loving heart. During those 29 years, we expanded our staff. David Dockery was called as our first associate pastor, and their joint ministry led to even more growth. Our once spacious sanctuary began to feel cramped.
It was a step of faith to plan our current sanctuary, finished in 1985. On the day we first worshiped here, it was hard to imagine we would ever need more space. But a progression of imaginative, winsome, faithful associates like John Adams, Jim Baucom, and Laney Mofield, joined Branan and we continued to grow, to the point where we once again had to build - adding classrooms, meeting rooms and offices.
When Branan announced his retirement after 29 years of ministry, it was hard to imagine Colonial Avenue without him. But a year of self-study, faith, and yes, imagination showed us new possibilities for ministry, both inside our church family and beyond our walls. The calling of Dr. Jeff Scott in September 1998, put leadership to those dreams.
The following year saw many opportunities for imagination and faith. We expanded our staff, hiring Jan Bryant as director of music ministries, Debbie Scott as director of children and senior adult ministries, and Melissa Scott as minister of youth and education. On March 11, 1999, we improved our current building and acquired the house next door to use for our missions. It was more than a building program - it was a chance to apply our faith and imagination to God's work.
After 12 years of being Colonial Avenue's senior pastor, Jeff Scott resigned in August 2010 to follow God's calling to another church. In January 2011, Rev. John Boyles was called as intentional interim pastor to lead our church through a process which helped clarify the vision and mission God has for us. Dr. Quentin Madden, accepted the call to CABC in 2013 and served through March 2020. Under Dr. Madden's leadership, we heard the call to accept our mission: to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Rev. Melissa Scott led us through a time of transition (during a pandemic) and was called to be our pastor in November of 2020.
We look forward to the future with imagination and faith!