ABOUT US
MISSION - VISION - HISTORY
THE MISSION
The mission of Sandy Grove Baptist Church is to bring individuals into a saving and redemptive relationship as disciples of Jesus Christ. We are a spirit centered and Bible believing body whose only foundation is the word of God. We fulfill our ministry as we edify, evangelize, exalt, forgive and reconcile. As we strive towards perfection by Christ’s example, we encourage and empower others to carry out the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20) and Great Commandment (Mark 12:28-34) as agents of healing and wholeness in a wounded and fragmented world.
THE VISION
We are being empowered by God to build a kingdom community that will tabernacle the spiritual, physical, educational, and social needs of this band of believers and the community it impacts.
A Brief Church History
Six score and three years ago (1873), a band of Black Christians came together to start a Christian church, somewhere near the remote town of Lumberton, North Carolina. The earlier tradition was that Blacks could worship in the “white” churches. Therefore, upon request from the Black worshipers of the First Baptist Church, Walnut Street, permission was granted to organize their own church.
A plot of land was purchased about 1.5 miles south of the Lumber River, which later became the present site of Sandy Grove Baptist Church. Some of the known founders were Sandy and Rachel Smith, Eric and Florence Cobb, Pierce Powell and Emanuel Fulmore. It is believed that the Smiths, especially Sandy, and Pierce Powell were in early leadership roles of the church. The church was named Sandy Grove Baptist Church and has continued to maintain its identity. The members claim the motherhood of Black Baptists in Robeson County, North Carolina. All of the existing churches of the same faith, in the city, later grew from our church, Sandy Grove Baptist Church.
Through the 135 years of Christian struggle, eighteen pastors have led this great church as a team effort toward a better religious experience and enterprise. Our former pastors were: Rev. A.A. Thompson, Rev. E.M. Thompson, Rev. W.C. Pope, Rev. Simeon Dockery, Rev. W.D.L. Pope, Rev. J.D. Harrell, Rev. H.D. Moore, Rev. H.O. Rhoe, Rev. H.A. Smith, Rev. J.H. Clanton, Rev. W.D. Burton, Rev. P.H. Warren, Rev. O.K. Lawson, Rev. R. L. Davis, Rev. S.A. Locks, Rev. J.F. Kelly, Rev. O.E. Pelham and Rev. T. Shedrick Byrd. Our current pastor is Rev. Kelvin L. Barnes.
Sandy Grove Baptist Church is an affiliate of the following organizations: Robeson County Missionary Union, Woman’s Baptist Home and Foreign Missionary Union, Lumber River Baptist Association, General Baptist State Convention, Woman’s Baptist Home & Foreign Missionary Convention of NC, the Progressive National Convention, Inc., and the Lott Carey Convention.
Sandy Grove is a part of the universal struggle of all Christian Churches. With a steadily growing membership our church seeks to address the needs of its members, its community, and the needs of the state in the light of God’s word.
