HISTORY
About Our Church
The members of First Baptist Church of Bladenboro strive to be loving, caring, and committed followers of Christ.
We believe deeply in the saving grace of Jesus Christ, the truths revealed in God’s Word, and the power of the Holy Spirit at work among us. We find meaning and purpose in life by seeking the will of God for our lives individually and collectively. The call of Christ leads us to serve one another, our community, and the world with compassion, humility, and love.
We want you to discover the joy that we share when we come together to worship God in spirit and in truth. You will find that we worship a God who loves us just as we are–and also loves us so much that the Lord cannot allow our lives to go unchanged. And this new and changed life we find in God is amazing, exciting, overflowing, and eternal.
Bladenboro First Baptist - Though the years
Current Pastor
2022 - Present
Rev.
Warren
Hill
Meet the PASTOR
Surrendered to Jesus as my Savior and Lord in 1975. Called by our Lord into the Pastoral Ministry in 1994. Married to my wife Deanna for 40 years. We have been blessed with two children and their spouses and two grandchildren. We have served the Lord in many churches over the past 29 years as pastor and transitional pastor. God also blessed us to serve as Director of Missions in the Columbus Baptist Association. We are thankful to be serving as transitional Pastor at FBCB as they prepare for their full time Pastor.
The members of First Baptist Church of Bladenboro strive to be loving, caring, and committed followers of Christ. Anyone and everyone is welcome in our church. Men and women serve in leadership roles in our church—-including the office of deacon. We support the Baptist World Alliance, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of NC, NC Baptist State Convention, and the WMU of NC with our offerings of money, talent, and energy.
Worship is the heart of all we do at FBC. We are pleased to share our worship services and some special services are recorded. A DVD is available upon request. The Sanctuary Choir is a vital part of the ministry of FBC. The excellent organ and choral music are a part of each Sunday worship service and also have offered comfort through song at funeral services. The children’s choir includes first through sixth graders who are being trained to carry on the excellent music tradition. They sing on various Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings.
Our ministries include a knitting group called Closely Knit which meets each Monday morning. They have knitted, prayed over, blessed, and delivered Prayer shawls to over 500 people over the last 15 years. Another ministry of FBC is the Food Pantry which provides food to those in need. Isaiah 6:8 is a group of young women in the church who make arts and crafts to sell and host paint and praise parties. The proceeds help buy school uniforms for children in need at our local primary school.
Our mission groups’ purpose is to share the love of God with the world, near and far, with our focus on giving to others with our donations of time, skills, and money. The Baptist Men of FBC is an active group. The men meet once a month for a meal and a program. The Baptist Men of our church have built dozens of wheelchair ramps for people in Bladen County and have helped with yard work for shut-ins. The Women’s Mission Union also meets once a month for a program and a meal. Throughout the year these women collect and contribute supplies and money for groups such as Families First, an organization to support victims of domestic abuse. Also, contributions are made to a local drug rehabilitation center. Our mission groups helped with the collection of supplies for our neighboring county for the devastation caused by Hurricane Matthew. Some of our ladies helped paint a local church after hurricane damage and some of our men helped in debris removal after the hurricane. Kids in Action is a mission-minded group of children who meet on Wednesday nights to learn about and do mission work. These are children in first through sixth grade. Mission Friends is another group that meets on Wednesdays and are ages 3-PreK. They are learning about loving all God’s people. This group collected stuffed animals and presented them to First Responders to give to children they encounter in crisis situations. The Youth Group grades) meets on Wednesday and Sunday nights. This group has taken several trips to Savannah, Georgia to minister to the homeless. Favorite activities include Fort Caswell Youth Retreats and attending Christian concerts. Members of FBC have participated in national and international mission trips. Teams have been to Belize in Central America five times since 2005. Also, groups have been to Gulfport, Mississippi, and Helena, Arkansas.
First Baptist Church was organized in 1911 and in 1955 the final expansion was completed. This includes the educational building, fellowship hall, and offices. Every other year since 1966 the church has presented a Live Nativity for three nights before Christmas.
The following pastors have served the church:
Warren Hill
2022 - Present
1 Year
Samuel VanSlyke
2019-2022
3 Years
Charles Hester
2017-2019
2 Years
Dr. Bruce A. Young
2003-2016
13 Years
Dr. Russell T. Cherry
1993-2002
10 Years
E. Steven Ayers
1988-1992
4 Years
Harold A. Shirley
1981-1987
6 Years
Roger B. Gilbert
1974-1980
6 Years
Harry E. Poovey
1970-1974
4 Years
Thomas C. Womble
1964-1969
5 Years
John H. McCrimmon
1952-1963
11 Years
Charles P. Burchette
1945-1951
6 Years
Remus James Hall
1931-1944
13 Years
S. N. Watson
1922-1930
8 Years
R. E. Powell
1918-1922
4 Years
Iggie P. Hedgepeth
1911-1918
7 Years
Church Founded, October 9, 1911
1912 – Sanctuary & Eight Sunday School Rooms Completed
1928 – Educational Building Added
1931 – FBC founded the Bladen Baptist Association WMU with a meeting at the church.
1955 – Final Expansion Completed
Every other year since 1966, the church has presented a Live Nativity for three nights before Christmas.
2004 – The Church adopted a policy of taking a mission trip every other year. Since then, Belize 5 times, rural Helena, Arkansas once, and Gulfport, Mississippi.
2011 – Church Celebrated 100 Years
“And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
Matthew 16:18
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First Baptist Church
History October 9, 1911 – October 9, 2011
The First Baptist Church of Bladenboro, a branch of Galeed Baptist Church, was conceived in the hearts and minds of loyal Bladenboro Baptists a year or two before its organizational founding. A Sunday School was conducted in the old school building for quite a while before the church was chartered. The school building was located at the present site of the First Baptist Church parsonage.
The Reverend I. P. Hedgepeth, along with the Reverend Snowden Hester and Amsey A. Hilburn, perfected the vision for a new church by founding First Baptist Church on October 8, 1911.
Of the sixty-five charter members (31 male and 34 female), fifty came from Galeed Baptist Church. The remaining fifteen founding members joined by transfer of their letters from other neighboring churches.
On October 11, 1911, the newly organized church stepped out on faith by voting to build a brick sanctuary, and $7,441.50 was donated or pledged to the project. On that same day, the children of Monroe Singletary deeded a plot of land on the corner of Main and Bladen Streets for the purpose of erecting a church building on the same.
Reverend I. P. Hedgepeth served as the first pastor of the congregation. He preached on the second Saturday and Sunday of each month for a compensation ranging from $158 a year for the first year to $400 a month in 1918.
In 1912 the church sanctuary along with eight Sunday School classrooms were completed at a cost of $15,000. This amount was paid in full and the building was dedicated with appropriate worship services. A significant step forward for the church was the founding of a Woman’s Missionary Society in April 1912.
FBC