History of RFBC
The Rainbow Forest Baptist Mission was organized in 1965 with the aid and support of the Roanoke Valley Missionary and Social Union and South Roanoke Baptist Church.
Services were held in the Rainbow Forest Recreation Building across the lake. The Mission was constituted “Rainbow Forest Baptist Church” on April 11, 1967 with 39 charter members. A contract was signed by the Church Trustees on June 12, 1968 to construct the original church building for the amount of $30,859.
The congregation moved into the new church building in late December, 1968. In 1977, with over 175 members, an expansion program was completed which increased the size of the sanctuary and added 10 new Sunday school classrooms at a cost of $75,000.
During the summer of 1985, Rainbow Forest Baptist Church began a building campaign to raise the excess of four times their yearly $100,000 budget. On September 7, 1986 the congregation moved into their new 500 seat Worship Center.
On April 2, 1990, a fire that started in the basement blackened the entire Worship Center. That summer was spent worshiping in a tent in the parking lot while the Worship Center was reconstructed.
In 1991, Rainbow Forest Baptist Church sponsored the city-wide Bailey Smith Crusade held at Victory Stadium.
Phase II of the building project was completed in August of 1994, with the addition of a multi-purpose building. The lower section is being used for a nursery, preschool and children, and the upper level is being used as a gym, fellowship hall and activity building.
In November 1997, after the connection of the worship center and the multi-purpose building and completion of our new information center and foyer, we began using our gym for two Sunday morning worship services each week. In October 1998, Rainbow Forest Baptist Church purchased 57 acres of land for future building purposes.
In October 2007, the new Student Life Center was completed.