Our Heritage

 

Second Baptist Church had its beginning in a prayer meeting conducted in the home of E.C. Tennant on Fourth Street in Hamlet, North Carolina in March 1934. This home later became the parsonage. In 1935, the church was officially organized as a Christian Church by Reverend H.V. Cox of Ramscur, North Carolina.

The first Sunday School was also started in this home with twenty  members. Later, classes was were organized and Sunday School was moved to Fayetteville Street School on Sunday afternoons. The First Methodist Church of Hamlet provided the first literature and helped with the teaching. As it grew larger, a decision was made to build a place of worship. During the year 1935,  a church building was erected on a lot given by Mrs. John Henderson specifically for this purpose. Once a month, Reverened Cox would come and preach. This continued until his resignation.

The church voted in 1939 to become a Missionary Baptist Church under the sponsorship of the First Baptist Church in Rockingham. In the spring of 1948, four rooms were added to the back of the church building and space was utilized on the first floor for a pastor's study and church office. The church was called East Hamlet Church until April 1949, when the name was changed to Second Baptist Church.

In 1954, five lots were purchased adjoining the church property. There were two houses on these lots which were used for Sunday School and Training Union classrooms.

On Sunday, March 31, 1957, ground was broken for an educational building. A two story brick building was compleated in October 1957 at a cost of approximately $55,000.00. Dedication services and open house were held December 1, 1957. Each department had its own assembly room and individual classrooms. This building still stands today as part of our Sunday School classrooms, day school classes and church offices. At the time it was built, a kitchen was also included. The parsonage was built in 1961 and our current pastor, Chris Hawks and his family reside in it today. At times in the past the parsonage was even used for youth Sunday School classes. Work began on our sanctuary in April, 1963 and dedication services were held on January 19, 1964.

In 1967, Second Baptist again reached a crossroad in need and growth. Sunday School space was very limited, kitchen utilities were extremely poor, and a new vision for our church had arisen. Reverend Scott Turner led the church in a vision to create a Christian preschool and daycare. Space was critical and the only option was again to build. The church began a three-year commitment program called "Together We Build" to raise funds for the new building that would become the Turner Building. In 1990, ground breaking was broken and construction began with funds raised through the commitments. At a cost of $500,000.00 the current building was finished. The capital fundraiser gathered about a third of the total costs with the remainder being paid off through a 15- year mortgage. (The loan was paid off early.)

In the fall of 1998, Second Baptist Day School opened its doors with an initial enrollment of 29 three and four year olds learning through a Christian educational curriculum. At that time, there were four staff members with Jean Stricklin at the helm as the director, cook and cleaning staff. There began an immediate waiting list that prompted the school to add two more three and four year old classes. The waiting list grew and the school grew, adding kindergarten through fifth grade with an enrollment ranging from 154-175 students and 17 staff members. The waiting lists still exist and children are turned away from experiencing a Christian based education each year. Mr. Turner states that his vision of this program has been far surpassed by its success and God's blessings.

Today Second Baptist Church is reaping God's bounties with a renewed spirit and growth under the leadership of our pastor, Chris Hawks. He and his wife, Heather and sons, Luke and Samuel are blessings in our church"s life. With a current enrollment of 386 resident members, Second Baptist supports and participates in a vast number of ministries inside and outside of the church. God has led our church down a winding road of spiritual and physical growth that continues to this day. We have been at this same threshold before and, time and time again have risen to meet and conquer our challenges, ever mindful of the call of Jesus Christ in our church and community! How exciting it is to have such needs and how exciting it is to unveil what lies`ahead? We, like Nehemiah"s followers, need to say, "Arise and build!"