In the Fall of 1985, the people of Second Baptist Church, West Helena, selected a Mission Committee, consisting of the Pastor, James Guthrie, Members Jerry Jeffrey, Fred Garrison Jr., Alief Reynolds, and Stella Owens, to serve along with the Association Missions Committee. These two committees were to look into the prospects of starting a mission in the West Acres Area. A census was taken which corroborated the need in the area for a church. After much prayer and research of the area, an old fruit and vegetable market on Highway 49, right next to a mobile home park, was secured for a meeting place.
 
To kick off the opening of the mission, which was to called WEST ACRES BAPTIST CHURCH, a tent revival was planned. Johnny Green was the evangelist enlisted to preach and Mike Wooten was in charge of the music. A real advertising saturation campaign was waged. New Testaments and Flyers on every highway and hedge. The first week of May, 1986, the tent revival was conducted. Then on Sunday, May 11, 1986, the first worship service was held in the West Acres Baptist Chapel. The Associational Missionary, Bro. Carl Fawcett, serving as temporary pastor. There were 15 people in attendance, which included families from Second Baptist Church, who volunteered to work at the mission for atleast one year. (The families were those of Fred Garrison Jr., J. T. Morris, Tommy Wade, and James Owens.)
 
The first baptism service was held on June 22, at the mother church, with four converts being baptized.
 
ON the night of Wednesday, July 23, 1986, the West Acres Mission voted, unanimously, to call Bro. Mike Fowler, as pastor. On August 17, he and his family joined the mission by letter from the Immanuel Baptist Church, Wabash, Arkansas.
 
By September, 1986, the mission was in need of more space. A double-wide, mobile chapel was secured from the State Missions Department of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention. This freed up the old building for use as a Sunday school building.
 
After the death of Mr. and Mrs. Jack Traynor, God provided opportunity and the means to purchase their 3/4 Acre lot, right next door! Another mobile building was secured, at minimal cost and a great deal of work, it became a comfortable and adequate meeting place. The cost of the mobile building was $2500, and the lot cost $3000.
 
Efforts were made to purchase the Sunday School Building property. The owner, Mr. Fred Burns, refused to sell. After much prayer and supplication before the Lord, he offered to sell the land for a tremendous price, $38,000, but it was evident that God was at work. When the time was right, a price was agreed upon, $25,5000. The land was purchased with a loan of $12,000 and a Mission Site Grant of $10,000 from the,State Missions Department, a gift of $2,000 from Second Baptist Church, and the remainder from West Acres.
 
God has truly blessed West Acres Chapel! Not only with buildings and property, but with a harvest of souls. There have been 49 baptisms since the mission started. Attendance has grown from 15 on the first Sunday to 116 on May 12, 1991. The community has been served through worship services, Sunday School and Discipleship Training, Vacation Bible School, and Mission activities, including financial help to families in the area, food baskets at Christmas, and visits to shut-ins.
 
In celebration of the five year anniversary, a tent revival was held, along with Second Baptist, with 39 decisions professed.
 
Praise God  for the vision of Second Baptist Church. “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
 
The Challenge to Build Program became a goal for West Acres Baptist Church in September 1991. The program was off to a great start with a banquet on October 20, 1991.
 
In November 1992, our hearts were saddened when Bro. Mike Fowler was called by God to go and do his work as a church Planter. He moved his family to Russellville, Arkansas.
 
We were pastorless for about 3 months. Then on February 21, 1993, the building program had another banquet after the morning service. On this date, Brother Lamar Frizzell came in view of a call and was accepted.
 
July 24, 1994, Brother Lamar resigned from West Acres Baptist Church.
 
After going through a period of hurt and tribulation, the Lord sent to us on July 31, 1994, Brother Al Major and his wife Beth, who came as interim pastor.
 
Now the Challenge to Build Program is no longer a goal, its a reality. December 1994, the old Sunday School Building came down. The slab has been poured, and Praise God!! June 5, 1995, which is less than 3 weeks away, the “Nailbenders for Jesus” will be here to erect our new worship center.
 
Once again our hearts are saddened, for Bro. Al and Mrs. Beth are leaving June 25, going to do God’s work across the ocean. We will miss them very much.
 
With families coming and going, at this time May 1995, our enrollment is 113 with an average of 40 – 45 in attendance.
 
The “Nailbenders” arrived on June 2, 1995, and as scheduled began their work on June 5, Bro. Mike Fowler was here to hammer in the first nail on what once was a dream, a vision, a goal and now a reality of the new sanctuary of West Acres Baptist Church.
 
It was really amazing to see the way those people put that building up in 10 days. While the men worked on the building site, the wives of the nailbenders worked off the building site. They visited our local nursing homes giving them handmade gifts and they visited the Source of Light Ministry. They really enjoyed site-seeing and meeting people here in the Delta.
 
Food was provided from several churches and lunch time for the nailbenders was a feast and they had plenty left for their night time meal. Those churches were Helena First Baptist Church, Clarendon First Baptist Church, Brinkley First Baptist Church, Broadmoar Baptist Church (Brinkley), Lexa Baptist Church, Marianna First Baptist Church, Marvell First Baptist Church, Barton Baptist Church, and West Helena Baptist Church.
 
One of the many moments to be remembered was the day the steeple went up and there were tears of joy.
 
The Nailbenders left June 17, we had made new friends and the Lord called Billy and Sue Helton from this church to go serve as Nailbenders, and they accepted the call.
 
For the following year the members of West Acres Baptist Church worked in the evenings and every Saturday to finish the new building, a lot of long hours and a few tired men, but it happened.
 
August 20, 1995, Bro. Gerald Colvin and his family accepted the call to come and serve as interim pastor.
 
We had our first worship service on June 2, 1996, that was exactly one year to date that the Nailbenders arrived.
 
Bro. Gerald felt the Lord was calling him to go elsewhere, so he resigned and left June 30, 1996.
 
On October 27, 1996, we dedicated this building to the Lord, for he has a purpose for this church to be here in this area at West Acres, and a purpose for the people he chooses to serve in it.