How old is your church?

Constituted 1798.

204 years old.

[ October 03, 2002, 10:17 AM: Message edited by: Clint Kritzer ]

 

Well let me see, the church I attend was started sometime around April this year (have the exact date at home, after our two pastors at the church I was attending both resigned a group of people from the church went to them and asked them if they would be willing to start a new church with them. They went, prayed and decided to. Thus the start of it.

It's a bit more complecated then that.

Bryan

 

13 years with our Pastor, He's built it up from a financial delinquent church with 9 members to what it is today (about 6,000 per service). Amazing what God can and will do when we do His will.

 

We were established in 1866, with 33 members, the first church in Horse Cave.

 

Licking Baptist Church
History

Licking Church at Hebron was organized in 1807, and joined the Scioto Association the same year. Elder Benjamin Cave was the first pastor.
In 1805 Benjamin Green, a Baptist preacher, commenced preaching at David Beaver's, and a few years later, a society was formed at this place from members that had been attached to the churches of Hog Run and Pleasant Run, and held their meetings at the house of David Beaver. About the year 1815 or 1816 they erected a hewed-log church, with gallery on the sides & one end; this was for some time called Beaver's meeting-house, but was subsequently named Licking Church. This society later erected a good frame church building and there is a well-kept cemetery at the site.
SURNAMES OF MEMBERS:
Atwood, Baker, Beaver, Beech, Beecher, Berry, Dove, Fisher, Geiger, Hardin, Hite, Peters, Phelps, Porter, Ruffner, Smith, Thrivener, Winegarner (very incomplete list due to not having a copy of the records).

Licking Baptist Church is Licking County's (Ohio)
oldest church. I wish I could say largest, but we're getting a average attendance of about 135 on Sunday mornings! Here is the web site I made for LBC.
LBC in Geocities


[ October 03, 2002, 12:46 PM: Message edited by: Jim Ellis ]

 

Well brethren Little Bethany Primitive Baptist Church was founded in 1939 but I always like to think that the church of Jesus Christ was founded 2,000 years ago... Upon this ROCK I will build my church and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it!... Isn't that how old your church really is?... Brother Glen

 

I'll contact Elder Jeff Weaver of the Primitive Baptist and I know he's pastored some old churches... and he loves to bring pictures!... Ask Brother Clint as you are fairly new here... btw... Where are your pictures Pastor Shumer?... Brother Glen

[ October 03, 2002, 06:10 PM: Message edited by: tyndale1946 ]

 

I'll throw in my two cents worth.

The first church I pastored way back in 1979 was Piney Creek Primitive Baptist Church, established in 1825, in what is now Alleghany County, NC.

My second pastorate was at Pond Mountain Primitive Baptist Church in Ashe County, NC, which was a baby having been established in 1881.

My third pastorate was at First Baptist Church of Wilmington Delaware (Old School), which was established in 1785.

I used to fill in on several occasions at Columbia Primitive Baptist Church at Burtonsville, Maryland which was established in 1792.

We are in the process of transferring memberships back south, after living "up North" for 20 years. My wife is still a member of the Old Carroll Primitive Baptist Church at Mount Airy, Maryland which was established in 1857, and still uses the original building complete with slave gallery.

The Primtive Baptist Church just out the road from where we live now is Tumbling Creek, in Washington County, Virginia. This congregation was established in 1786. There is another across the mountain at Chilhowie, Smyth County, Virginia, about 8 miles away. It goes by the name of St. Clair's Bottom, which was established in 1775 and is the oldest church west of the Blue Ridge still in operation, as best I can find out.

The church some of my family established in 1785, North Fork Primitive Baptist Church in Ashe County, NC is still active.

The church that is apparently thinking about calling me as their pastor was established in 1832.

The oldest churches in this part (Southwest) of Virginia are either Primitive Baptist or Presbyterian.

Jeff.

[ October 03, 2002, 08:13 PM: Message edited by: Jeff Weaver ]

 

The church where I grew up was established in 1873 in Rusk Co., Texas. The oldest Baptist church in Texas (though not constituted in Texas) is the Pilgrim Regular Predestinarian Baptist Church meeting near Elkhart, Texas. It was organized in Illinois in 1833 and the church moved en masse to Texas in 1834. This is as far as Baptists go back in Texas. The link above seems to imply that they no longer meet, but I can assure you that they still do, having visited a couple of months ago. CLICK HERE for a picture of a replica of the original log meeting house. The replica stands near the current house of worship, just outside the cemetery grounds.

 

I had quite a time finding it in the archives but here is an older thread started by Brother Glen back in March that has some great images of our various churches on it. Enjoy!

http://www.baptistboard.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=51;t=000466

 

Our Congregation was started as a Bible study group way back in 1977, by Dr. Max Helton, and incorporated in the same year. Since then we gather together in rental facilities beginning in local schools, a Legion building, a Seventh-Day Adventist Church, a day-care center, and now we meet in an Episcopalian church building. The Lords has kept this group of people together all these years, without having our own building. And we have learned along the way that people are more important than buildings. We are threfore certain that when the Lord deems it important for us to have our own building, He will give it to us!

 

First Baptist Church established 1880, oldest SBC church in state of New Mexico

 

Robert Vaughn in a post a long time ago, that I missed, wrote:

Robert

The 1st, structure is Pond Mountain PBC, This structure was built during the depression of materials used in an earlier building of the same congregation, It has been extensively remodeled since that photo was taken. It is a relatively small building, seating only about 100 folks. On special occaions, where more than that might be in attendance, we get the old pews out from under the buliding, set them up on the mountain and have services outdoors.

The 3rd Structure is Tumbling Creek Church. This meeting house was built in 1867 as a Union church, shared by Southern Baptists, Primitive Baptists, Methodists and Episcopalians. All of the non-Primitive Baptist congregations have ceased to exist, so Primitive Baptists have sole title to the building now. This photo was taken in the late 1970s, and the building has been extensively moderized since then, and is in better shape than the photo would indicate. It was a rainy winter day when I took the photo.

From the investigations of the building done when it was moderized, it apparently only had one door in the front, and none in the back. One in the back had to be added for safety code. This building will seat about 300 folks, and looks empty with our usual 30-40.

The second structure, the log meeting house was built in 1822, and is still in use. Not sure how much longer it is going to survive, termites have gotten into it. Termiticide and injected concrete might do the trick, but just don't know about it yet.

As for the double front door thing, there are several of those in this part of the world still standing, some Methodist, some Primitive Baptists, some Regular Baptists. The Southern Baptists, Presbyterians, and Episcopalians have largely replaced their older structures with more modern facilities. Some of the Primitive Baptists, Regulars and Methodists have as well, just more often if you see an old church building it will be one of those three denominations.

Sorry I missed this first time through.

Jeff.

[ October 03, 2002, 11:03 PM: Message edited by: Jeff Weaver ]

 

112

 

Right about 2000 years now