Travels in Baptist History 23- Sandy Creek Baptist Church by Jim Curran
Jim Curran Admin 04/30/21 (1) Facebook
Travels in Baptist History 23- Sandy Creek Baptist Church
The mother church of most of the Baptist churches in the South and many others. “On November 22, 1755, Stearns and his party moved further south to Sandy Creek, in Guilford County, North Carolina to build a new church. This party consisted of eight men and their wives, mostly relatives of Stearns. Stearns pastored at Sandy Creek until his death. From there, Separate Baptists spread in the South. The church quickly grew from 16 members to 606.[3] Church members moved to other areas and started other churches.The Sandy Creek Association was formed in 1758. Morgan Edwards, a Baptist minister who visited Sandy Creek the year after Stearns’ death, recorded that, “in 17 years, [Sandy Creek] has spread its branches westward as far as the great river Mississippi; southward as far as Georgia; eastward to the sea and Chesopeck [sic] Bay; and northward to the waters of the Pottowmack [sic]; it, in 17 years, is become mother, grandmother, and great grandmother to 42 churches, from which sprang 125 ministers.” Based on the testimony of those who remembered him, Edwards described Stearns as fervent and charismatic preacher who was capable of inspiring the most powerful emotions in his congregation.” The building here dates from 1802. The original building burned was located in the corner by the cemetery and its site is shown by a monument. A new building was quickly built in the woods but that did not last long. This one replaced one that was located in the woods across the street that blew down in a windstorm. It is located between the Missionary and the Primitive Baptist Churches (The church split over this issue)Having laid a little bit of the groundwork of the Separate Baptists we will start into the War of the Regulation on Monday. After we lay the groundwork this series will post on the days when events happened on their 250th anniversary.
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