About SBMBC
St. Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church Mission
To proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to the lost; to provide a place of worship for members and all who know and desire to know Jesus Christ as Savior; to teach and preach the word of God; to baptize believers into the body of Christ; to assist widows, orphans and other needy individuals; and to encourage Christian living.
To be mission minded, both at home and abroad, and to continue the religious education of our membership in Christian doctrine.
St. Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church History
The St. Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church was organized by Rev. Ben Thomas about the year 1874. The first meeting place was believed to be a brush harbor. The first building was on land owned by Chares Booth. One of the first members of the church was Rev. Jeff Dunlop. He was born in 1885. He joined the church at the age of 12, and a building had been built by that time. This building was later torn down and the property was sold to Henry Jerles and Charlie Green.
First Church
On October 10, 1910, the St. Bethlehem Baptist Church trustees, Brothers Jeff Johnson, Spencer Coleman, and Billie Warfield secured land to build another church building. That land was owned by Mr. E. F. Ligon. According to records of deeds, the land was located on Dunlop Road at the corner of the Sam Rayburn place and the Slaughter estate. Dunlop Road is the name given on the land deeds for the land purchased in 1910 and 1957. This is presently Bellamy Lane. The lot contained a half acre of land more or less. A church was built on this land sometime in 1911, by Rev. Thomas and the son-in-law of Mr. John Slaughter. This building burned November 7, 1976.
Members in front of old Church
Rev. Ben Thomas was pastor of St. Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church for many years. He baptized most of the older generation of the church. He was called “Father Thomas” by many of the people because of his age and the love the people had for him. When his health failed, Rev. Thomas was made honorary pastor and was given a love offering for the faithful service he had rendered. His picture still hangs in the dining hall of our building.
The present church building was built under the leadership of Rev. Alvin Oldham in 1964. The land had already been purchased from the heirs of Rosanna Gill. The land was located beginning at Hoskins corner on the south margin of the Dunlop Road and ran along Dunlop Road where it intersected with Rossview Road. According to a survey made April 27, 1957, this tract contained 12 acres of land more or less. The trustees on the deed were Brothers Alex Hoosier, Shelby Hoosier, And Jeff Johnson, Jr. The mortgage on the new building was paid in full in September of 1967, in the amount of $14,000. This was made possible in great part because the church owned enough property to sale several lots, and this money was used to pay off the note. Later a dining room and kitchen were added. The names listed on the cornerstone are Brothers Herman E. Johnson, Jimmie Bourne, Allen Watkins, Sam Marable, Matt Clardy, Henry Hoskins, Jr., and Jeff Johnson, Jr. the last “cornerstone” member to pass on to meet the Lord was Brother Jimmie Bourne at the age of 93 on June 26, 2004.
Church Marker
In 1974 Rev. James R. Miller encouraged the church to go to weekly worship services, instead of twice a month.
Under the leadership of Rev. Merritt Lewis, Jr., many improvements were made to our building to ensure a more comfortable worship environment such as partitions for Sunday School classrooms, parking lot expansion, handicap ramp, and cushions for pews.
On March 25, 2007 Pastor Lewis retired after 32 years of faithful service to our congregation. Rev. Frederick E, Daniels, Sr., was elected on March 7, 2007 as pastor. On April 22, 2007, the St. Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church installed their 14th pastor, Rev. Frederick E. Daniels, Sr. In 2008 the front of the church was remolded. The vestibule, men’s and women’s restrooms were extended and new glass doors installed at the front entrance.
Church Remodled
The following ministers have served as pastor of the St. Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church: Rev. Ben Thomas, Rev. T. W. Parish, Rev. John Fuller, Rev. Willie Pettus, Rev. Henry Davis, Rev. P. K. Harvey, Rev. W. M. Henderson, Rev. Howard Garrett, Rev. Holmes, Rev. Charles Word, Rev. Alvin Oldham, Rev. James R. Miller, Rev. Merritt Lewis, Jr., and presently serving Rev. Frederick E. Daniels, Sr.
Revised: September 2016