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In February 1925, Dallas Billington joined thousands of others in the migration from the South to Akron where he began a ten-year career at the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. However, it was not long before he realized that God had called him to this town for a greater work. In the early 1930's, while assisting in the work of the Furnace Street Mission by serving as an usher, Dallas Billington taught a Sunday School class of boys at the Arlington Street Baptist Church. In his book "God Is Real," Billington wrote, "My first work for the Lord began with a Sunday School class of boys. I would go to the sandlot ball fields and invite boys into my class." During these years Dallas served as a traveling lay evangelist, preaching in churches tents and rented public buildings. In 1932 he began broadcasting a weekly radio program on station WJW. However, it was not long before God inspired Billington to begin a new work. |
In the spring of 1934, Billington was determined to establish a church of his own. Finally, on the first Sunday in June 1934, he was able to rent a portion of the Rimer Grade School and held his first church service. Including the janitor for the school, there were 14 people present at that first service. Attendance doubled the next Sunday and in a month 81 people were in attendance. He continued to preach and build his church.
On Easter Sunday 1935, the Akron Baptist Temple was formally organized with 81 chartered members. As soon as the church was organized, Mr. J. Stanley Bond, a businessman in town and a friend of Billington, was elected to head the Sunday School ministry. At the end of the first year, Bond planned to pass the work of General Sunday School Superintendent to another. However, Billington requested that his friend continue to work in this capacity. It was then that these two men prayed together on the platform of Rimer School and promised each other, "With God's help, we'll build the largest Sunday School in the world."
The church continued to grow and began praying for a building site and a church home. In August 1937, construction on the first building began. This building was dedicated Easter Sunday 1938 and the congregation continued to grow. By 1939, the church and Sunday School had grown so rapidly that attendance was running between 1,600 and 2,000 every Sunday. In August of that year, construction was started on a two-story Sunday School building.
Two months later classes were moved into the new building. By the end of the winter of in 1940 there were more than 2,000 people attending Sunday School regularly at the Akron Baptist Temple. By now both floors of this new Sunday School building were filled. On June 12, 1941 Dallas Billington suffered a severe heart attack. When he returned to speak at the church following his recovery, he stood before the high school class of boys and girls which still met at Rimer School. When the invitation was given, 49 high school boys and girls trusted Christ as their Savior.
At the time of Billington's heart attack, every building, every classroom, every available space was filled to capacity. The church again needed another building or auditorium. However, in December 1941, hope for additional building space would have to wait until the conclusion of World War II. When the war ceased, the Akron Baptist Temple began the third building. Ground breaking took place June 29, 1947 and the building was dedicated the first Sunday in April 1949. By Easter Sunday 1950, the church had grown to a regular attendance of 4,000 every Sunday.
In April 1957, construction began on a fourth building, a much needed Sunday School building. During a Sunday School campaign, there were well over 6,000 in attendance on September 13, 1960. After many years of service, the prayer of Billington and Bond was realized. In 1969, according to an independent study, the Sunday School of the Akron Baptist Temple was declared to be the "World's Largest Sunday School." On November 9, 1969 Dr. Elmer Towns, then editor of Christian Life Magazine, and later to become Dean of the Liberty Baptist Seminary, presented the church with the award.
Bond continued the work in the position of Sunday School Superintendent Emeritus until he went home to be with the Lord on September 1, 1984. Mr. J. Stanley Bond, often referred to as "Mr. Sunday School" served and directed the Sunday School at the Akron Baptist Temple for more than 47 years.
In 1972, God called the founding pastor Dr. Dallas Billington home to heaven. The thousands of people attended his funeral service gave testimony to his life of faithfulness and his commitment to brining people to a relationship with Jesus Christ. His son, Dr. Charles Billington, followed him as the next pastor of the church. Dr. Charles lovingly led the church from 1972 to 1996. In 1996, Dr. Dallas Billington’s grandson Rev. Dallas Billington, accepted the call to pastor the church and served faithfully until his resignation in 2006.
