First Service - Sunday, November 18, 1956. The congregation was formed from a nucleus of 18 adult members from the Boulevard Church of Christ in Charleston. These 18 adults lived in the St. Albans - Nitro Area. They met in the church building at the corner of Church and B Streets which was purchased from St. Andrew Methodist Church. Clinton Looney, minister of Boulevard Church of Christ, served both churches.

First Fulltime Minister – January 1957 Norman Ward.

Relocation – 1976. The original property was sold to the Urban Renewal Authority for the Loop Development Project. Gateway relocated just one-half block and built a new sanctuary and educational wing at 422 B Street.

Building The Facility – 1983. Having grown to a church of nearly 200 under the leadership of minister Gene White and the eldership, the congregation saw the need for expansion and built a 40 X 64 two-story addition to the front of the facility. This addition included two levels. Downstairs, there was a fellowship room for groups of 100 or less, and a fully-functional kitchen. Upstairs, there were three classrooms.

A New Generation - August 1996. David Stauffer and his wife Jennifer came to Gateway along with two of their three beautiful daughters: Jordan and Taylor.  Cortney was born in ‘98. Average attendance, which had previously been as high as 230 under Minister Gene White, was down to under 150. David provided vision and leadership and worked with the eldership to put in place a plan to make Gateway a healthy growing church.

Building The Ministry Staff – 1997. In August, Dan Cooper moved from the eldership to the ministry staff to focus on outreach and evangelism. In November, Candy Payne became secretary to the Sr. minister. Jason Thomas also joined the staff as our Student Minister.  Average attendance 170.

Continuing To Build The Facility - 1999. Having grown to well over 200, the church once again faced the need for additional space. A 9,000 square feet Family Life Center was built complete with a gymnasium, fully-equipped work-out room, a large youth room, a large classroom, two restrooms and shower rooms, a loft area, and a stage. The Family Life Center was completed and became functional in November. Average attendance 221.

And More Building – 2000. The decision was made to remodel the entrance area to make it larger and more attractive and add three large classrooms over the fellowship room. This was completed and became functional in February.  Average attendance 259.

The Year Of Evangelism – 2001. Year one of a five-year plan saw Dan Cooper Champion the Evangelistic efforts of the church. Average attendance 321.

The Year Of Worship – 2002. The second year of our five-year plan we welcomed Bryan Hutson to the fulltime ministry staff. On Easter Sunday, we had our first worship service accompanied by a live praise band—the B Street Band was born. Bettie Hilbert began working as a secretary in October.  Average attendance 360.

The Year Of Encouragement – 2003. Year three of our five-year plan brought many blessings and some tough challenges. A chaplain in the army national guard, Sr. minister, David Stauffer was called upon to service our country in Iraq. In preparation for this challenge, God saw fit to grow Gateway’s ministry staff. Dan Cooper joined the fulltime staff in January, Tracy Tooley joined our staff as our Involvement minister in August, Candy Payne took on the Children’s minister’s role, Beth Reynolds accepted the Youth minister’s role as a volunteer, and Jeff Ranson joined the staff as our part-time Discipleship minister. Tracy set the foundation for active, growing small groups that we now call Gateway Life Groups. Average attendance 402.

The Year Of Edification – 2004. During this fourth year of our five-year plan, we continue to lift our Sr. minister David Stauffer up in prayer, and God continues to bless the work at Gateway. Our goal is to bring the people of Gateway deeper in their walk with Jesus Christ. Jeff Ranson was able to join the ministry staff fulltime, and Dan, Tracy and Jeff handled most of the speaking responsibilities. We also welcomed Steve Harley as our fulltime Student minister in August. Average attendance 502.

The Year Of Equipping – 2005. This Year witnessed the return of our senior minister from his tour of duty in Iraq, supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.  By God’s amazing grace, the church grew by over 100 attendees during his absence.  Easter service at the St. Albans High School saw just under 1,000 in attendance.  Bryan Huston left the ministry staff to return to a life of southern gospel music on the road.  Jeff Bush joined our staff part-time to co-lead the worship ministry along with tracy.  We launched a capital campaign to fund the future expansion of our facilities to accommodate our continued growth.  Over 1 million dollars was pledged over the next 3 years.  Average attendance 550.