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HisStory
| 4765 Sandy Creek Church Road Liberty NC 27298 |
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HIS Story at Sandy Creek
In 1755 God led a man named Shubal Stearns, and 15 others, to Sandy Creek,
located just outside of what now is known as Liberty, North Carolina.
Stearns and the others with him did not take long to “have church” at Sandy
Creek, as David Benedict is quoted in Church records:
Obelisk now stands in the Church‘s graveyard. This Obelisk (pictured at
lower right) was placed by the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina in
1955 and the plaque on the North side reads:
pictured at right. This building was constructed in 1802 and is now the
property of the Sandy Creek Primitive Baptist Church. Hal Younts, a
member of the Primitive church, has worked faithfully and tirelessly restoring
this building and he is to be commended for preserving a significant part of
HIS Story at Sandy Creek.
This third meeting house was where Sandy Creek was meeting when God
split the branch, as Church records note:
The next meeting house was constructed upon the return of those
representing the “Missionary” side of Sandy Creek and was located close to
the location of Sandy Creek’s current sanctuary.
Due to significant decaying of the fifth building, Sandy Creek’s current
sanctuary was constructed in 1942, utilizing some of the timber from the fifth
building. Two additions were added to the current sanctuary which houses a
library, two restrooms, a small office, a nursery, and five classrooms. This
building is no longer able to meet the current needs of Sandy Creek and a
building committee was formed in 2003 for the purpose of providing adequate
space for worship and education.
In addition to the meeting houses at Sandy Creek, a parsonage was built
directly across the road from the Church in 1971 and a fellowship hall was
constructed in 1995.
The parsonage was built, in large part, due to the generosity of Ms. Ida
Williams, as the plaque at the front door reads, “This parsonage is dedicated as
a memorial to Miss Ida Williams, 1882-1967, who gave herself as well as her
substance in loving devotion to Christ’s service to help make its construction
possible.” Pastor Carl Garner, his wife, Ann, and their children Andy, Joy,
James, and John were the first family to live in the parsonage and it has been
well used since that time.
The fellowship hall replaced the parsonage basement for events such as
fellowship meals, holiday dinners, wedding receptions, and all other church
gatherings. It was constructed while Pastor Terry Hinson was serving at
Sandy Creek and few, if any, would express any regret over the funds spent
to construct this building. Space for large gatherings, a baptistery, a kitchen,
two classrooms, and an office for the pastor are all provided in this building
and it is indeed a true blessing to the body at Sandy Creek.
God obviously ordained the establishment of Sandy Creek Baptist Church
and an attempt to recount all that He has produced in and through this
church would indeed be futile. Denominations of a wide variety under the
umbrella of “Baptist” have sprung forth and churches have been planted in
areas all around the globe that all can trace their roots back to Sandy Creek.
As one of the memorial markers placed by the Baptist History Preservation
Society on Sandy Creek’s property in 2005 reads, “There are thousands of
Baptist churches as the result of the labours of Shubal Stearns and the Sandy
Creek Baptist Church.“ Pastor Jeff Faggart of the Society summed it up this
way, “I believe God has done more through the ministry of this church than
any other church since Pentecost.” God has indeed blessed and sustained the
ministry of Sandy Creek.
Three years after Sandy Creek was established, Stearns organized the Sandy
Creek Association, making it the third Baptist Association in America. Sandy
Creek is considered to be the seed God planted, nurtured and blessed as a fruit-
bearing branch, with fruit such as that Association and the most notable fruit,
the Southern Baptist Convention. Established in 1845, the SBC is one of the
largest protestant denominations in the world today with more than 16
million members, more than 5,000 home missionaries, and more than 5,000
missionaries serving around the globe.
In 1755 God led a man named Shubal Stearns, and 15 others, to Sandy Creek,
located just outside of what now is known as Liberty, North Carolina.
Stearns and the others with him did not take long to “have church” at Sandy
Creek, as David Benedict is quoted in Church records:
- “As soon as they arrived, they built them a little meeting house, and
these 16 persons formed themselves into a church, and chose Shubael
Stearns for their pastor, who had, for his assistants at that time, Daniel
Marshall and Joseph Breed, neither of whom were ordained.”
Obelisk now stands in the Church‘s graveyard. This Obelisk (pictured at
lower right) was placed by the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina in
1955 and the plaque on the North side reads:
- Original Site
Sandy Creek Church
On this site, in November-December 1755, Rev. Shubal Stearns, his
wife, and those with him, seven other families, 16 souls in all, built their
first meeting house, where they administered the Lord’s Supper.
“It is a mother church, nay a grandmother, and great grandmother. All
the Separate Baptists sprang hence, not only eastward towards the sea,
but westward towards the great river Mississippi, but northward to
Virginia and southward to South Carolina and Georgia. The Word
went forth from this sion, and great was the company of them who
published it, in so much that her converts were as drops of morning
dew.”
pictured at right. This building was constructed in 1802 and is now the
property of the Sandy Creek Primitive Baptist Church. Hal Younts, a
member of the Primitive church, has worked faithfully and tirelessly restoring
this building and he is to be commended for preserving a significant part of
HIS Story at Sandy Creek.
This third meeting house was where Sandy Creek was meeting when God
split the branch, as Church records note:
- In 1830, a protest arose by some of the members of Sandy Creek
congregation concerning the support of missions and the new
institutions being formed by the newly organized Baptist State
Convention, causing a split in the church. The members who were
opposed to the missionary movement of the Convention continued to
hold services at the original site, and adopted the name of Sandy Creek
Primitive Church . . .
- The members who desired to support the missions program and the
Sunday School ministry of the Baptist State Convention sought out a
new location. They settled near a school known as Shady Grove and
continued to be known as Sandy Creek Baptist Church. Then in 1905,
some of the descendants of those who had left, under the leadership of
W.H. Eller returned to the original location, and once again established
worship services. The name of the group who had left in 1830 then
became known as Shady Grove Baptist Church.
The next meeting house was constructed upon the return of those
representing the “Missionary” side of Sandy Creek and was located close to
the location of Sandy Creek’s current sanctuary.
Due to significant decaying of the fifth building, Sandy Creek’s current
sanctuary was constructed in 1942, utilizing some of the timber from the fifth
building. Two additions were added to the current sanctuary which houses a
library, two restrooms, a small office, a nursery, and five classrooms. This
building is no longer able to meet the current needs of Sandy Creek and a
building committee was formed in 2003 for the purpose of providing adequate
space for worship and education.
In addition to the meeting houses at Sandy Creek, a parsonage was built
directly across the road from the Church in 1971 and a fellowship hall was
constructed in 1995.
The parsonage was built, in large part, due to the generosity of Ms. Ida
Williams, as the plaque at the front door reads, “This parsonage is dedicated as
a memorial to Miss Ida Williams, 1882-1967, who gave herself as well as her
substance in loving devotion to Christ’s service to help make its construction
possible.” Pastor Carl Garner, his wife, Ann, and their children Andy, Joy,
James, and John were the first family to live in the parsonage and it has been
well used since that time.
The fellowship hall replaced the parsonage basement for events such as
fellowship meals, holiday dinners, wedding receptions, and all other church
gatherings. It was constructed while Pastor Terry Hinson was serving at
Sandy Creek and few, if any, would express any regret over the funds spent
to construct this building. Space for large gatherings, a baptistery, a kitchen,
two classrooms, and an office for the pastor are all provided in this building
and it is indeed a true blessing to the body at Sandy Creek.
God obviously ordained the establishment of Sandy Creek Baptist Church
and an attempt to recount all that He has produced in and through this
church would indeed be futile. Denominations of a wide variety under the
umbrella of “Baptist” have sprung forth and churches have been planted in
areas all around the globe that all can trace their roots back to Sandy Creek.
As one of the memorial markers placed by the Baptist History Preservation
Society on Sandy Creek’s property in 2005 reads, “There are thousands of
Baptist churches as the result of the labours of Shubal Stearns and the Sandy
Creek Baptist Church.“ Pastor Jeff Faggart of the Society summed it up this
way, “I believe God has done more through the ministry of this church than
any other church since Pentecost.” God has indeed blessed and sustained the
ministry of Sandy Creek.
Three years after Sandy Creek was established, Stearns organized the Sandy
Creek Association, making it the third Baptist Association in America. Sandy
Creek is considered to be the seed God planted, nurtured and blessed as a fruit-
bearing branch, with fruit such as that Association and the most notable fruit,
the Southern Baptist Convention. Established in 1845, the SBC is one of the
largest protestant denominations in the world today with more than 16
million members, more than 5,000 home missionaries, and more than 5,000
missionaries serving around the globe.
| One of two markers placed at Sandy Creek by the Baptist History Preservation Society in 2005. These markers are engraved with the history of: Sandy Creek Church Sandy Creek Association Shubal Stearns, and Separate Baptists. |
| Obelisk which marks the location of the original meeting house at Sandy Creek |
| Third meeting house at Sandy Creek, circa 1802 |