Then and Now..........

 

In the years following the Civil War, newly emancipated African Americans met under the branches of an oak tree located on the Outlaw Plantation in the Indian Woods Township of Bertie County, NC.  There they listened to gospel preaching, shared in the singing of spirituals and enjoyed the warmth of Christian fellowship.  That tree stood until 2011 when Hurricane Irene uprooted what was affectionately known as the “Gospel Oak”.  As early as 1876, a group of  worshippers began meeting on the third Sunday of each month in what has been described as “a small upright board building” owned by a local white farmer.  This, the congregation’s first humble house of worship, was known as the “Indian Woods Chapel”.  Reverend Abram Mebane served as the congregation’s first pastor.  Baptist Terpin, Valder Bond, Moses Gilliam, Robbin Smallwood, Cary Speller, and Isaac Bond were listed among the first Deacons and Trustees.

 

 

 

 

On January 1, 1877, the young congregation purchased the Indian Woods Chapel and a small parcel of land on which the building stood and established itself as the Indian Woods Baptist Church.  Reverend Mebane continued to serve until a new minister, Reverend Thaddeus Wilson, was called to pastor the church.  Reverend Wilson preached in the Indian Woods Church building and at the Gospel Oak where members of the community continued to gather for worship.  The third pastor to lead the congregation was Reverend J.J. Thompson, a dynamic preacher who was knows as “Black Horse”—a nickname he proudly gave himself.  Under his leadership, additional land was purchased and the church began its first building program leading to the construction of an eloquent wood   frame  building   with  a  gallery and a potbelly

 

 

 

 

 

In  1949, Reverend John White, Sr. accepted the call of the church on an interim basis.  Through Reverend White’s foresight and guidance, the church called Reverend Charles Melvin Creecy.  Under his pastorate, an incredible story of progress unfolds.  Reverend Creecy wasn’t with the congregation long before he began to stress the need for a larger sanctuary for an ever-increasing membership.  In 1955, ground breaking for the new building began.  The congregation set out with a “pay as you go” plan for funding the church building.  Although progress on the church was slow, Reverend Creecy kept the belief of the people high.  In December 1961, the members met for the last time in the old structure and marched into the new edifice.

 

                                                                Above is only a portion of the History.  Print a Complete Copy  for

                                                                          your Files.  Click the link below to open the page.