Our Church History

This is a brief summary of our Church history.

On December 11, 1842, seven Baptist women and a few men met to organize what they called a Baptist Conference. On that same day, as a declaration of their principles, the Articles of Faith and Covenant were adopted and the Conference proposed to seek recognition as a Baptist Church. The Conference was unanimously recognized as a Baptist Church on December 29, 1842. A special service was immediately planned to be held at the Court House at "candle-lighting" to mark this memorable event as the church's official beginning. It was the custom in these formative years for church meetings to he held in private residences as well as in the Courtrooms at the Court House. There is no record of the construction date of the first brick building that housed the church, but written references reveal that a ceremony was held in the new church in October, 1851.

The church continued to grow and have services until January 19, 1862, when the great Civil War took its toll on the lives of the people and we find no record of any church meetings from 1862 to 1865. Church services resumed and the congregation continued to grow, and in 1898 there was discussion of a new church building. A building committee was formed and the members agreed the new structure should be built on the same location as the old, “leaving twelve feet of ground all around the church.” In eighteen months the members began worshiping in the new sanctuary.

In 1951-1952, a large two-story brick building was erected for use as an educational center on a lot adjacent to the church where the old pastorium had previously been located.

In November, 1955, a large old fifteen room brick house which joined the new church property, now First Avenue, Southwest, was purchased and used for additional Sunday School Classrooms for several years. It was demolished in 1967 and it is on this lot that the present new sanctuary is built.

In 1973, the treasured old church building with is fine stained glass windows and unique circular pews was partially destroyed by fire. Prior to this, however, the congregation had felt the need of a new and larger sanctuary to be built in the near future and the extensive fire damage prompted immediate action. It was decided that the stained glass windows from the old church should be used in the architecture and design of the new sanctuary because of their beauty and durability, and the fact that many of the windows were given as memorials when the former church was built in 1898. The new church was completed in November 1975.

On September 8, 1985, an additional Sunday School space and a new fellowship hall on the west side of the sanctuary was completed.

During its long years of dedicated service to God, the church has supported both foreign and home missions. The church assisted in organizing Sunday School classes for the people on Keith Springs Mountain in the 1940s (which later formed into an established church), and in 1970 sponsored and assisted in the organization and planning of the Riva Lake Baptist Church. This tradition of local missionary work continues to this day with events including organizing food trucks and sharing the gospel with our community during the annual High on the Hog Festival.

The church has a long, rich history of commitment to its community and to honoring God. And we continue our mission to this day to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ.