Buechel Park Baptist Church stands on Hikes Lane in Louisville's Buechel community, a Baptist congregation whose life stretches back to 1928. It is known for an inclusive welcome, Sunday worship that combines traditional Baptist practice with contemporary elements, and a wide ministry life that includes children, youth, adults, music, missions, preschool, fitness, and meals for neighbors. The same building that hosts worship also opens its fellowship hall and gym to the surrounding community, making the church's mission visible in education, service, and relationships throughout the week.
Sunday Worship on the Church Year
Sunday worship begins at 10:55 a.m. in person and is also available through YouTube. Services are intergenerational and led by both pastors and laypeople, with all invited to participate fully. Buechel Park observes the Church Year, a meaningful yearly rhythm of worship and Scripture study that follows the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and moves the community toward its call to be the church and share the faith.
The music of worship includes hymns, organ, piano, and sometimes guitar or other instruments. A choir, vocal ensembles, a handbell choir, and an orchestra also contribute. Most people would call the style traditional, yet the church intentionally blends contemporary elements so people of different ages and preferences can participate. Ministers often wear robes and stoles in the liturgical color for the day, while the colors on the Lord's Table and pulpit also change with the seasons.
Communion is typically observed on the first Sunday of each month, either as plates are passed or as people come forward for bread and juice. Everyone is welcome at the table. Offerings support ministries and missions; guests are not expected to contribute unless they feel led to do so. One-time and monthly giving is available online. Dress is similarly relaxed and varied, with some people in more formal clothes and others in jeans and T-shirts. Visitors should wear what makes them comfortable.
Visitors enter for worship through the main doors at the front of the building, closest to Hikes Lane, where they are greeted and handed a worship guide. A large parking lot sits in front of the church, with accessible spaces near the main worship entrance and the gym. The education building's offices are on the second floor, reached by a half-flight of stairs or an elevator. The side entrance leads to the courtyard, gym, and fellowship hall. The church office can be reached Monday through Friday at 502-452-9541 or info@bpbaptist.org. Worship guides are available through the church's LinkTree collection.
From a Council in 1928 to Hikes Lane
On March 18, 1928, a council was called to constitute Buechel Baptist Church, and A.C. Chism became its first pastor. Construction began that summer at Six Mile Lane and Bardstown Road, with the first worship service held on Thanksgiving Day. The young church soon bought the neighboring property that housed a store known as a beer joint, then invested the remaining money in War Bonds.
After celebrating 20 years of ministry in the Buechel community in 1948, Buechel Baptist began considering expansion. It purchased land on Hikes Lane in 1953, and the congregation approved the name Buechel Park Baptist Church on December 8, 1954. A recreation building was completed in 1958. The church had already begun looking beyond itself in that period: seven and a half acres were purchased in 1959 to establish Midlane Park Baptist Mission. Midlane Park later served the Buechel community before reuniting with Buechel Park on February 28, 2010.
Through the 1960s and 1970s, the church emphasized personal relationships, counseling, and meeting human needs. In 1967 it took deliberate steps across denominational and racial lines, and membership reached 1,344. The congregation approved women as deacons, with Mazelle Allen beginning in 1976 and Julia Tate in 1977. It also addressed school busing for racial integration as a matter of Christian conscience.
In 1990 Buechel Park became the first church in the area to escrow Cooperative Program funds as the Southern Baptist Convention's identity changed. After a lengthy period of prayerful study, the congregation severed ties with the Southern Baptist Convention in February 2001 and placed its primary affiliation with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and the Kentucky Baptist Fellowship. The decision reflected concerns about the status of women, the priesthood of all believers, and Jesus Christ as scripture's final authority. The 2010 union with Midlane Park brought two congregations together under Buechel Park's charter, while the emphasis on growing, serving, and transforming lives continues to shape the church's shared work.
Children in the Whole Worship Service
Children's programming spans birth through sixth grade, with sixth graders in a transition year that allows them to participate in either children's or youth ministry with guidance from parents and pastors. Rachel Sherron leads the children's and youth ministry with an emphasis on care, safety, developmentally appropriate lessons, and opportunities for children to take part in church life beyond their own classes.
Godly Play meets from 9:45 to 10:45 a.m. on Sundays for children ages four through fifth grade. Rooted in Montessori principles and a spiral curriculum, it uses story, religious language, wonder, and play to help children explore faith. During the 10:55 service, children remain welcome in the full worship community. Nursery care is provided for children age three and younger by Nicole Davis and trained volunteers, and a brief Children's Moment often helps younger worshippers connect with the Scripture or theme.
A worship cart in the narthex contains activity guides, children's Bibles and books, art supplies, clipboards, quiet fidget and sensory items, and rotating seasonal materials. Alleluia Kids gathers after worship on most Sundays from noon to 12:30 for children age four and older. The program includes choir, handbells, instruments, drama, and creative worship arts in the music suite, preparing children to help lead the congregation.
Youth Learning, Belonging, and Leading
Ministry for sixth through twelfth graders combines study, belonging, service, and creative expression. Youth Small Group meets from 9:45 to 10:45 a.m. each Sunday in the youth suite, where they study the Bible and discuss life and faith. Sixth graders may choose children's or youth programming during their transition year with support from parents and pastors.
Youth are encouraged to listen, sing, and participate fully in the 10:55 worship service. They sometimes read Scripture, collect the offering, and lead worship. Most Sundays after worship, Youth Creative Arts meets from noon to 12:30 for choir, handbells, ukuleles, drama, and other creative work in the youth or music suite. This ministry gives young people a place to belong, speak honestly about their lives, ask questions about faith, and understand what following Jesus looks like.
Adults Growing Together
Adult Bible study begins at 9:45 a.m. and continues to 10:45 on Sundays in third-floor education rooms. The Berea Class is a coed group for middle-aged adults that emphasizes participation through sharing, prayer, and discussion. It uses the Formation series and focuses on applying gospel principles in the 21st century, with coffee and an intentionally informal, welcoming atmosphere.
The Unity Class is open to people of any age, gender, or marital status, with members ranging from age fifty upward. It uses Smyth & Helwys' Uniform Bible Study series and considers scripture in relation to daily experience. Each year, the class cooks and serves a Sunday dinner for homeless people at Jeff Street at Liberty.
On most Tuesday evenings, adults age 21 and older gather for Sacred Spirits at 7 p.m. at Bon Air Tavern, 2817 Del Rio Pl #2340, Louisville, KY 40220. Conversation moves among culture, God, and everyday living, with Bible study woven into the gathering.
Meals, Fitness, and an Open Building
Parents Day Out Preschool provides childcare and education for children ages two through five on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Nicole Davis has directed the ministry since 2004 after beginning there in 2000. Its goal is high-quality, economical care in a safe, loving environment, with staff seeking to enrich children emotionally, intellectually, spiritually, socially, and physically.
The Senior Nutrition Program serves a nutritious weekday meal from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the fellowship hall for everyone age 60 and older, regardless of income. The Louisville-area program also provides activities and fitness opportunities and delivers meals to most locations Monday through Friday. Participants complete enrollment paperwork so meal counts can be planned, and reservations are required. Volunteers and donations help sustain the program.
Fellowship Fridays bring the church and community together from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on selected Fridays. Meals may be potluck or prepared by the Hospitality Ministry Team, followed by activities such as game nights, talent shows, seasonal festivals, and summer cookouts. The varied gatherings are open to everyone.
The gym and youth suite also support weekly wellness activities. Rock Steady Boxing, a free hour-long program led by a certified instructor, meets Mondays and Wednesdays at 9:30 for people with Parkinson's disease. Forever Young Senior Fitness meets at 10 a.m. both days for moderate movement including form dancing, light weights, elastic bands, chair dancing, parachutes, and walking. It welcomes all ages and costs three dollars per session. Church facilities are also leased to community groups.
Gardens, Kentucky Building Projects, and Morocco
Buechel Park operates three vegetable gardens. Produce is shared with food organizations and neighboring churches that provide community meals, and fresh vegetables are delivered to homebound and senior church members. Garden space is also allocated to nearby residents who want to grow their own food. Suzanne Shepherd coordinates the garden ministry, which joins the congregation's worship and mission life with practical work in the neighborhood.
The church partners with Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Kentucky on Extreme Build, a recurring multiyear effort in impoverished McCreary County in eastern Kentucky. Volunteers work on house projects such as drywall, flooring, painting, and decking, with both experienced tradespeople and newcomers serving on small crews. The partnership reflects Buechel Park's commitment to share resources and labor for long-term community rebuilding.
Across the Atlantic, Buechel Park supports a sister church in Oujda, Morocco, through the Eglise Evangelique au Maroc, a fellowship of legally recognized Protestant churches in Morocco. The relationship includes a sponsored pastoral intern and ongoing communication through letters, email, recordings, Facebook, gifts, and visits. The partnership sustains mutual prayer, conversation, practical support, and shared understanding across cultures.
An Inclusive Baptist Faith in Action
At its center is a fellowship of baptized believers united in a common commitment to the God revealed in Jesus Christ. Buechel Park describes itself as an inclusive community of faith, rooted in Jesus Christ's love, growing, serving, and transforming lives. Its mission has four connected dimensions: worshiping God as a community and preaching the Gospel, serving as active witnesses to salvation in Christ, caring for spiritual and physical needs inside and outside the church, and empowering disciples through diverse ministry so they can serve as priests to one another and build the fellowship of God's family.
The congregation's Baptist identity includes the priesthood of all believers, freedom before God, and direct access to God. It affirms diversity of gifts, backgrounds, ages, race, ethnicity, nationality, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, marital status, ability, education, economic circumstances, and opinion. These differences do not define the limits of participation. The church seeks unity in Christian love greater than those differences, gives equal voice to members, and resists concentrating power in any one person or group.
Because it understands forgiveness as a central response to God's love, Buechel Park calls people to be open and forgiving toward others both inside and outside the church. It places human needs above the importance of things and seeks to be instruments of the Spirit of God for the salvation of all rather than judges and condemners of the world. At the same time, the church joyfully works with other Baptists, other Christian denominations, and interfaith partners in service to the Kingdom of God.
The church's mission image is a tree in seasonal color. Its roots represent the love of Jesus Christ from which Bible study and mission work grow. The trunk is both one and three, pointing to the Triune God and to the three movements of growing, serving, and transforming lives. Bright leaves represent the diversity of God's children and the welcome extended to people of every religious, cultural, and family background. Purple recalls redemption during Lent, while green marks renewal in ordinary time.
Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Kentucky are the congregation's Baptist fellowship relationships. Buechel Park also works with the Association of Welcoming & Affirming Baptists, Baptist Women in Ministry, the Baptist World Alliance, and the Baptist Joint Committee. These relationships support welcome, women in ministry, global Baptist connection, religious freedom, mission, and partnership across Christian traditions.
Pastor Sara Turpin and a Team for Formation and Music
Rev. Sara Clarke Turpin has served Buechel Park since 2013, first as associate pastor and since 2022 as senior pastor. She earned her Master of Divinity from the Baptist Seminary of Kentucky and also studied religion and business administration at Georgetown College. Her work centers on involving people of all ages in the stories of God and the church's shared mission.
Rachel Sherron joined in 2023 as associate pastor for children and youth. She holds a Master of Divinity from the McAfee School of Theology at Mercer University and has worked in children's and youth ministry in Kentucky, Atlanta, Knoxville, and St. Simons Island. Her approach makes room for everyone and encourages young people to ask big questions and exercise their imagination.
Dr. John W. Campbell, minister for music and worship since 2022, has served as a choir member, handbell ringer, percussionist, pianist, organist, director, and music coordinator. He earned a Doctor of Musical Arts from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and previously directed college choirs for 25 years, including 12 at Georgetown College. He also lived for two years in Malawi as a Missionary Journeyman.
Nicole Davis has served in Parents Day Out since 2000 and as its director since 2004, with training in early childhood education and a Kentucky Early Childhood Director's Credential. Shelley Henson began as organist in 2018 and became music associate the next year; she provides service music, rehearses with the choir and other ensembles, and leads the handbell choir.
A Church Rooted in Louisville's Buechel Community
Together, these ministries make Buechel Park Baptist Church a congregation whose identity is lived as much in the gym, garden, preschool, classrooms, and neighborhood as in the sanctuary. Sunday worship remains the center at 10:55 a.m., joined by a full rhythm of learning, music, service, and relationships. Its mission statement is simple and expansive: an inclusive community of faith, rooted in Jesus Christ's love, growing, serving, and transforming lives in Louisville and beyond.