First Baptist Church, Rutherfordton, NC

06/25/2026

In celebration of our 175th anniversary, we've been sharing "this moment in history" each week in worship! Here is one we've shared in recent weeks:

The following facts were taken from the Church Minutes of First Baptist Church of Rutherfordton in its early years of existence:

On October 25, 1879, the church voted to pay one of its members five dollars as remuneration for services as sexton for the year (a sexton is an older term for custodian).

The monthly contribution for State and Foreign missions for May 1880 amounted to $5.75.

On January 22, 1881, the church adopted a memorial asking the Legislature of North Carolina to pass at its current session a law prohibiting the sale of intoxicating liquors within 3 miles of the church.

On May 14, 1882, one of the men of the church confessed to the congregation that he had been guilty of raffling for which he was sorry and asked the forgiveness of the church.

The pastor’s salary for the year 1882 was $250.

In church conference on June 25, 1892, a man made an appeal for payment of the
pastor’s salary and another man answered, “We would do better if the pastor would quit his scolding!”

A number of times over a period from 1880-1918 the congregation declined to pass a motion to have services every Sunday in the month.

On January 7, 1923, it was voted that all members of the church who were able to pay for its support and did not do so, unless sufficient reason was given, would be excluded from the membership.

And in 1923, the church installed its first telephone.

We thank God that He has been with His church and kept it strong through all the ever-shifting changes that each year brings. It was a completely different world during our church’s first 75 years of existence. There have been drastic changes in culture, the value of the dollar, and the understanding of what is right in the eyes of God. May we continue to be adaptable but righteous in the days and years to come.

06/24/2026

Senior adults are invited to dinner on Wednesday, July 1 at 5pm in the Fellowship Hall! We'll be enjoying our favorite 4th of July spread - burgers, hot dogs, watermelon, and homemade ice cream. Sign-up by Sunday!

06/23/2026

SAVE 👏 THE 👏 DATE 👏

(Tickets available now! Scan the QR code or stop by the church office!)

06/22/2026

Children are invited to a trip to the Catawba Science Museum on Thursday! Cost is $25/person, which includes the museum, transportation, and lunch. Their adults are welcome, too! Register by contacting Donna today!

06/19/2026

Our Senior Adults had a lot of fun this week going to the Beacon Drive-In in Spartanburg SC! We took the new church van and loved the ride. The Beacon experience was new to several of us but also a trip down memory lane for others. All in all, by the end of the trip our bellies were full, new friends were made and we certainly laughed a lot!

06/18/2026

In celebration of our 175th anniversary, we've been sharing "this moment in history" each week in worship! Here is one we've shared in recent weeks:

The first four pastors of First Baptist Church Rutherfordton served as pastor for only one year each. Little is known about them. We have a photo of our first pastor, J. M. Webb, who served as pastor from 1851-1852, but we have no photos of the next three pastors.

However, from 1857 to current day, our church has been blessed with pastors who have served our church for many years. In fact, since 1857 we have had 14 pastors with an average of service here in our church of 12 years each.

Our church’s 5th and 6th pastors began a pastoral legacy from the Justice family,
becoming a shining light to our church’s history. T.B. Justice (our 5th pastor) and his son, C.B. Justice (our 6th pastor) served the church as pastor in total for 52 years. As recorded in our historical information a J.M. Justice became the church’s first Sunday School Superintendent in 1868. J.M. and C.B. were distantly related as they shared a great-grandfather.

We have been given from the Justice family several historical items from our church’s early years. Among those items is this silver communion set that is engraved with R.B.C. for Rutherfordton Baptist Church, old Bible study books, sermon notes, and photos, all from the late 1800’s. All these items are treasured, and most are placed in our large historical cabinet, which is also an historical item as it came from a downtown Rutherfordton store many years ago.

You may ask how the Justice family came to give us these priceless treasures of our history. T.B. Justice was John Blanton’s Great-Great Grandfather on his mother’s side, making C.B. Justice John’s Great-Grandfather. These items were passed down through generations and eventually became the property of John Blanton. John then bequeathed them to us.

We thank God for the legacies that are a part of our church. How blessed this church has been for long-serving pastors who have loved and served us through the ages, and for the precious gifts of our past that we now own, giving us a link to our history.

06/15/2026

In celebration of our 175th anniversary, we've been sharing "this moment in history" each week in worship! Here is one we've shared in recent weeks:

One of our most notable church members from our church’s early years was Hattie Alda Grayson. She was the daughter of Alfred and Adeline Grayson who were in leadership positions at First Baptist Church for many years.

Born in 1893, Alda grew up, accepted Christ as her Savior, learned about missions and felt the call to missions in our church.

In 1921 at the age of 28, Alda was appointed as a Southern Baptist missionary to
China, just 9 years after the famous Lottie Moon left China due to famine and her failing health. Alda has often been referred to as the “Second Lottie Moon to China.”

In China, Alda served as superintendent of nurses, operating room nurse and instructor of nursing students. She was transferred to Laiyang, China where she was responsible for all mission work in the area, including directing a school.

She spent World War 2 in the United States and then returned to China to work nearly 2 years in Tsingtao before leaving a few months ahead of the Communist takeover. Since China was no longer open to her, she spent her remaining years in Maui, Hawaii at Kahului Baptist Church where she concentrated her energy on Pukalani Mission. She saw the mission organized as a church before she retired in 1960.

Alda never married or had children. So, when she passed, she bequeathed all her
worldly goods to this church. Her portrait temporarily hangs in our 175th anniversary history room located behind the sanctuary and across the hall from the conference room entrance. Snapshots of her life are safely cared for in a cabinet also located temporarily in our history room.

We thank God for those who have been called from this church into ministry!

Pictured below are Alda, her father Alfred, and her mother Adeline.

06/15/2026

06/15/2026

And more!