“God has his hand on this place” — First Baptist Church of Gaston celebrates its 200th anniversary

GASTON, SC (WOLO) — First Baptist Church of Gaston is celebrating its 200th anniversary — and members are hoping you’ll be a part of their special services.

Pastor Brady Henderson says the church got its start in 1824 with just 21 people — most of them local sharecroppers and farmers, now buried at the church’s cemetery.

In the past three and half years since Henderson took the helm, the church has grown to see nearly 300 in attendance each week.

“When I came here, I casted the vision with three simple words. Gather. Grow. Go. And the church really latched onto that,” he says.

At 25-years-old, Henderson believes he may be the youngest Southern Baptist pastor in the Midlands and perhaps the state, beginning his time in the pulpit at just 21-years-old.

“And so in the last 3.5 years, my four year anniversary will be in February, we have seen 155 people come and join our church. The awesome thing about that is 84 of those are baptisms. And that’s huge, that means that over 55% of those that have joined our church in the last three years have accepted Christ as their personal Lord and Savior and have followed through with believer’s baptism,” he says.

But Henderson gives all the credit for the church’s growth to God, saying, “It’s all him, I want everybody to know that. This church has grown because of God. Not because of Brady Henderson or anyone else. But because God has his hand on this place.”

He continued by pointing out a verse in the Bible and saying, “In 1st Chronicles Chapter 16 Verse 12, it says remember the wondrous works that he has done. His miracles and the judgements he uttered, and so I think it’s important to remember that God has done all of this.”

To honor its history, the church currently has many of its historical items on display including old photos, and a 137-year-old pulpit — Henderson pointing out that pastors seemed to be much shorter back then.

A tent revival is also being held each night this week at seven. And everyone, he says, is welcome.

“We practice expository preaching, and that means whatever the Bible says we take it out and give it to our people. That’s what I think has made it different here because we don’t get lost in all the politics and games and all the little things, we stick to God’s word. His inherent, infallible, and inspired word. And we preach it, we teach it, and we try to live it,” says Henderson.

Mock-up plans for their new “Field of Dreams” as Henderson calls it — a new multipurpose facility and gymnasium that will be built just across the street — will be unveiled on Sunday, August 25th.