NORTH CARROLLTON -- This year North Carrollton Baptist Church is celebrating 110 years of praising the Lord with homecoming services and a revival on Sunday, October 22 and will go through Wednesday, October 25. The worship services will include four pastors who were all licensed to the ministry from North Carrollton Baptist Church.
Included in the celebration will be a pictorial slide show of looking back through the Christian history of the church, which is located near the Big Sand Creek in North Carrollton.
The church’s beginnings date back to 1903 when Carrollton Baptist Church agreed to sponsor a mission. In 1907, this mission was organized into North Carrollton Baptist Church.
The first building was built prior to 1914, and when services started they were held twice a month. Bro. L.F. Gregory was called in 1907 to the Carrollton Baptist Church provided that he would be allowed to preach at North Carrollton Baptist Church on the fourth Sunday night of each month.
By 1915, Rev. H.J. McCool was the pastor, and North Carrollton Baptist Church was in the Yazoo Association. Bro. Martin Smith pastored the church from February 1951 to August 1957, and then he was called to Holly Bluff Baptist Church where he pastored for two years.
On July 28, 1957, the North Carrollton Baptist Church began a full-time program. Smith was called back to North Carrollton Baptist Church, where he remained until his retirement on October 15, 1972.
In February 1960, the McNeer brothers granted a contract to build a parsonage for $11,825, and it was completed that year. In 1962, the W. Martin Smith Educational Building was completed, which provided a permanent home for the Sunday School program. This facility is currently used for ministry at the church as it has been through the years since its construction.
In 1938 and again in 1956, there was motions to unite with Carrollton Baptist Church, the motions were defeated both times. However on August 5, 1964, the church gave $240 to build a church on the Carroll and Leflore county line. Proceedings were started to organize Valley Hill Chapel into a church on February 11, 1968.
With a history of outreach in serving our Lord, North Carrollton Baptist Church is currently a member of the Carroll/Montgomery Baptist Association where there is much involvement in many mission projects. During many years in the history of the church, the owner of Simpson Stepp and Lott Lumber Company in North Carrollton, Amiee Stepp, was instrumental in the services in playing the organ.
Through the years there has been much growth in the church which led to further additions to the church. The new sanctuary of the church was dedicated on June 30, 1985, under the leadership of Rev. Gene White, which is the current sanctuary for worship services. The family life center was constructed under the leadership of Rev. Archie Goodwin who was called to North Carrollton Baptist Church as pastor in 1997 and served until 2003. The Scruggs home that was owned by Velma and Robert Earl Scruggs behind the family life center was acquired in recent years and used as the Mission House.
Through the years, North Carrollton Baptist Church has licensed a number of young men to the ministry: Earl Waldrop, Wilton Bennett, Jerry McNeer, Michael Neal, Lanny Haley, Danny Ellis, Eddie Carpenter, and P.J. Weeks. Paula Smith was called from the church in 1986 to serve as a missionary under the Foreign Mission Board.
The current pastor Bro. Keith Ramage was called in August 2016 to NCBC. The music of the church is under the direction of Bro. Wilton Neal who has been serving for over four decades in this capacity, also in many other areas of ministry including a deacon. The minister of students is Bro. Troy Wiltshire who coordinates the ministry of the youth of the church.
On Sunday October 22, homecoming begins with Sunday school at 9:45 a.m., and the morning worship service will follow at 11 a.m. with Bro. Ray Hall delivering the message. There will be a time of fellowship following the morning worship service with lunch at noon in the Family Life Center.
An open house will be from 2 p.m. until 4p.m. at the Mission House located on the church grounds. This will be followed by a historical picture slide show at 4 p.m. in the sanctuary, followed by a singing also in the sanctuary at 5 p.m. The evening worship service message will be delivered by Bro. Hall at 6 p.m.
Revival will go through Wednesday, October 25 at 7 p.m., nightly On Monday, October 23, the message will be by Bro. Eddie Carpenter, who is the pastor of Malmaison Baptist Church; on Tuesday, October 25, the message will be by Bro. Lanny Haley, who is pastor of Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church; and Wednesday, October 25 services will be by Bro. Jerry McNeer, pastor of Hillside Baptist Church.
Everyone is invited to come rejoice and revisit 110 years of praising the Lord at North Carrollton Baptist Church.
