Stuarts Draft Baptist Church
125th Anniversary
1894-2019
The Early Years
The original minute book of Stuarts Draft Baptist records that the church first existed as a mission of Laurel Hill. The minute book names T.J. Shipman, C.G. Merryman, and Hugh Godwin as pastors for the mission. The little church in the village, under the leadership of Reverend Corr, was organized on October 1, 1894.
The church was organized with 29 charter members.Cornelius H. Cohron donated the land for the new church site. Carpenters Edmund F. Coffey and Joseph McCray, accompanied by a team of horses and a scoop, carved out a place on the little hillside on Main Street opposite High Street. There they laid the foundation for the little weatherboard chapel that would serve as home to the Stuarts Draft Baptist congregation for the next 67 years. The new church was dedicated on Sunday, June 30, 1895. It was heated by stoves and lighted by kerosene lamps. There was no baptistry, so all baptisms were performed in the South River, winter and summer.
A New Church Building
In the mid 1950's the church experienced tremendous growth. The little chapel was overflowing on Sunday mornings. Four classes were in the Sanctuary, one in the balcony and another in the choir loft. The Men and Young Ladies classes were held at the Firehouse. It had become apparent the church had outgrown the little chapel on Main Street.
A Location and Property Committee was appointed to look into purchasing land for expansion. During the search they were made aware that Simon Yoder had sold some of his farm to a developer. The developer agreed to sell the church 5 acres. On July 13, 1958 the church voted 136-6 to buy the land for $7,500. The next step - build a new house of worship.
Having spent nearly 3/4 of the yearly budget on the land, the church had to wait for a period before they could raise enough money to build. The church did not even start accepting bids until early Spring of 1961. On April 12, 1961, J.B. Wine and Son submitted the low bid of $51,297. The church borrowed $40,000 from the People's Bank of Stuarts Draft to finance the building .
The Groundbreaking ceremony was held on April 30, 1961. The Cornerstone ceremony was held on July 2, 1961. Prior to placing the stone, a metallic box containing significant historical materials was placed in the niche behind it. Dedication services for the new church building were held on November 15, 1961. The new church building was used for the first time to host the Community Thanksgiving Service on November 23, 1961.
In 1980 a Memorial Committee, appointed by the church, proposed building a structure to house the bell that graced the top of the little chapel on Main Street. The church bell, silenced in 1962, was again given a voice, serving as a weekly reminder of the proud heritage of Stuarts Draft Baptist Church. The bell is still rung at the start of each weekly service to this day!