Our History
The First Baptist Church of Edgefield, known originally as the Edgefield Village Baptist Church, was constituted in 1823. The Constitution was read and signed by 26 charter members. The first service was held Sunday, April 20, 1823. The first pastor was the Rev. Basil Manly, who served the church until 1826. Dr. William Bullein Johnson came as pastor in 1830. As president of the South Carolina Baptist Convention, he called a meeting in 1845 to consider withdrawing from the General Baptist Convention and forming a new body that was to become the Southern Baptist Convention. He was elected president of that body when it was formed in Augusta, Georgia. Another prominent pastor was Dr. R. G. Lee, one of the most beloved preachers in America. His sermon “Pay Day Someday,” written in Edgefield in 1919, became one of the most famous sermons ever preached. Before his death, he delivered the sermon 1,275 times and over 8,000 people professed faith in Christ in response to it.
In 1888, the original small frame church building was dismantled and a new brick building was erected. Tragedy befell the church on June 25, 1913, when lightning struck the steeple and the church burned to the ground. The present main structure was built when Dr. M. D. Jeffries was pastor. The first service was held in the new building Sunday, September 27, 1914. There have been two major additions to the physical plant. An educational annex was erected in 1948, and a new activities building was dedicated in 1978. In 1993, the church expanded its choir loft and added the large stained-glass window with a life-size figure of Christ. The window is the focal point of the sanctuary, appropriately symbolizing Christ as the focal point of the church. From May 1997 to May 1998, the church completed a major renovation of its buildings. In 1998, the church celebrated its 175th anniversary.
