The history of our church
It all started when…
Redemption Church at K-Springs had its beginning around 1902 at the old town of East Saginaw. The town was started in the late 1800’s after Shelby Coal and Iron and Saginaw Lumber Company began a large timber operation in the area. There were two schools and two churches at the time.
A family by the name of Williams moved to the area to find work and they began holding church services out in the open. Some of the residents went to listen and liked the message they heard: "You don't have to join God's church; salvation makes you a member." They decided to begin a church of their own and get this message out to their families and neighbors. Thus, the East Saginaw Church of God was born.
At first the people met in homes, mainly the home of Tom and Louisa Shirley Kendrick. As their number grew, meetings were held in the Morris School House in the center of town. Later they built a building of their own out a road now known as "Trail's End." Around 1927, after timber operations closed down and the town began to disintegrate, the congregation moved to the more heavily populated area of K (for Kendrick) Springs.
They met in the K-Springs School building which was located where the old white church building (pictured above) now stands. They later purchased the building and held services there until about 1936 when they tore it down and erected a new building. Several additions were made on the little frame building before the congregation moved from it to the brick building across the road in 1978. The original brick building is pictured below.
Over the years Redemption has gone through expansions, name changes, various pastoral changes, and more, but the congregation’s passion and commitment to the church, community, and mission field has remained. Several descendants of the early church fathers still worship in the church at K-Springs while others have gone on to become ministers at other places. Now being an unaffiliated, non-denominational church, we continue to grow both numerically and spiritually as older families join with new to continue getting out the message of salvation through Jesus Christ, and that God adds to the church daily those who are being saved. (Acts 2:47).
In the early 2000’s our church name became Chelsea Community Church, affectionately known as “The C’s”.
Our church as it appears today. Services are now held in what was once the gym, while our childens ministry meets in the original sanctuary.
The steeple was removed in the early 2010’s due to water leakage.
The 1936 K-Springs Church building still stands across the road from our current facility.
The church parsonage built in the late 1960’s.