Our History - Mesilla Park Community Church

Mesilla Park Community Church, originally known as Emmanuel Baptist Church, was founded by six families in the summer of 1933 in a downtown Las Cruces movie theatre. Two years later, the church moved south of Las Cruces to a building in Mesilla Park (which belonged to a Presbyterian Church).

This same building is the current church Youth Fellowship Hall. The property was purchased in 1945 and the church became known as First Baptist Church of Mesilla Park. Being unable to fit the enormous name on a rubber stamp, in 1960 the name of the church was changed again to simply Mesilla Park Baptist Church. In 1999, the church voted to change the name Mesilla Park Community Church - SBC to better reflect her more interdenominational nature. We still are and always have been members of the Southern Baptist Convention, able to contribute to and benefit from the world's largest Christian missionary organization.

Although MPCC has a rich history of effective ministry, in the early 80's and 90's the church was on decline. In January of 1993, the deacons voted to close her down and give the keys to another church in the city. A handful of loyal (a gracious way of saying, "stubborn") people, however, would not give up the fight and decided to embrace change to keep the church alive. In the summer of 1993 with approximately 35-40 adults, no children, and no college students in attendance, the great turnaround and a great miracle began!

Growth was so rapid that in the fall of 1994 it became necessary to add a second worship service and Sunday School. By the spring of 1995, attendance had grown 1000%, with children and college students making up the two largest groups.

IN 2002 plans began to be made for additional seating, classrooms, kitchen and fellowship area (Commons). This was completed in 2004 and since the church has continued to grow. Following the example of the faithful bunch who kept the doors open with sacrifice, change and innovation, the church now has 4 Sunday services. "Cafe Real" is held at 8:30 and coffee and donuts are served around tables and an informal atmosphere. At 5:00 pm the "Video Cafe Real" service features live acoustic worship, food and the message is a video re-broadcast or the morning services. Plans are to expand the "Video Cafe Real" to other parts of the city.

In 2006, the Music Minister, David Cunniff, launched a new network of house churches called "Crossroads Church" to reach people who are uncomfortable in an "institutional church" setting.

Who Gets the Credit?

Not to sound trite or overly pious, but all of the credit for this miraculous turnaround goes to God. It was obvious that He wasn't finished with MPCC. (If you've ever tried to change one Baptist, let alone 35, you know just what a miracle it is!) Also, not enough can be said about those 35 loyal longtime church members, who were unwilling to give up. In order to meet the needs of a new generation, they were willing to change and sacrifice many of the traditions which they grew up with, and were meaningful to them. The change from a denominational name to "Mesilla Park Community Church" demonstrates their continued desire to reach people with the love and truth of Jesus Christ.