Our attendance continued to increase rapidly and soon the 435-seat auditorium was overflowing. The remedy required two worship services, one before and one after Bible school. The obvious need was a larger auditorium.

In 1963, for the sum of $45,000, three acres adjoining our property to the south were purchased. The present auditorium, with a seating capacity of approximately 1,200, was completed on April 6, 1969. An attendance record was set on that date when 800 people were present for the morning service. The old auditorium was soon converted into 10 additional classrooms.

On March 30, 1975, a new attendance record was set when 1,000 people were present for the morning service.

The following ministers have served the Tusculum congregation in the past: Burrell Prince, A.T. Pate, Fred Mosley, Kenneth Beller, Basil Overton, Bill Proctor, Doug Alsup, Tom Esmon, Kenneth W. Franklin, Frank Ford, Fred B. Walker, Johnsie Henderson, David East, John Adams, Rick Shade, John Miller, Scott McDowell, Harvey Hearn, Mike Smith, Kevin Green and Frank Guertin.

Presently serving our congregation are Steve Cummings (pulpit minister), Aaron Sain (creative director), and Rob Touchstone (youth minister).

The congregation was initially served by a group of committees, who were answerable to the men of the congregation at a business meeting until elders were appointed on August 9, 1970. On April 18, 1971, the congregation's first deacons began to serve.

Our congregation began in the spring of 1957. An organizational meeting was planned for May 21, 1957. Leaflets announcing the meeting were distributed to over 500 homes in the Tusculum community and to surrounding congregations. The meeting was held in a vacant drive-in market at 390 Haywood Lane, with 75 people in attendance. The success of this meeting resulted in a decision to establish a new congregation immediately.

The initial worship service was attended by over 120 people, and 42 placed membership. The congregation met in the vacant drive-in market for three weeks and then on June 30, 1957, moved its Sunday morning services to the Tusculum Elementary School building. The evening services were held in a tent on the lot at the corner of Fairlane Drive and Nolensville Road, which the congregation purchased for $10,500.

In 1957 the basement phase of a new building was constructed and the congregation began meeting there on December 15, 1957. The building contained one large room, which served as the auditorium, and seven classrooms, which were built for use as an overflow for the auditorium.

Our growth soon filled these basement areas to capacity and another auditorium, with a seating capacity of about 435 people, was built over the basement. The new auditorium was occupied in April 1960 and the area in the basement was converted into much needed classrooms.

The Bible school growth soon exceeded our classroom space and two Bible class sessions were required, one before and one after the worship service. We were able to return to one Bible class session in February 1963 when a new two-story educational wing, containing 22 classrooms, was completed.