Church History
"Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:..." (Psalm 103:2)
The church was first mentioned in the Tuckaseegee Association minutes in 1848, and a deed for the property on which Jonathan Creek Baptist Church was to be built was executed in November of that year. A log building situated in a beautiful grove of trees was erected, and Pastor John Haynes ministered to a 15 member congregation. Thirty-seven years later in 1885, a new wooden frame church building was constructed on US-19 across from the current Maggie Valley Inn. In 1926, the name of the church was changed from Jonathan Creek Baptist Church to Dellwood Baptist Church.
Our Recent Past
In 1955, Dellwood Baptist Church was required to relocate due to the widening of US-19. The property on which the present church is situated was purchased. Anticipating future needs, additional adjoining property was purchased to accommodate both member and structural growth. On May 24, 1992, the fellowship hall was dedicated, and it was used as both a social gathering hall and temporary sanctuary. During the dedication service, a history of the church was placed inside the cornerstone of the fellowship hall. If the Lord tarries, it will be opened and read in the year 2042. On March 7, 1993, exactly one year after the first service was held in the new fellowship hall, a ground breaking service took place for the construction of the present sanctuary. In October 1993, the congregation celebrated a Homecoming worship service in its new sanctuary.
Our Present
Many new ministries and activities have been added as the church family has grown and as it strives to meet community needs. The Child Enrichment Center (CEC) was organized in September 2009 to meet daycare needs of working parents. The CEC currently serves 75 children, providing high quality child care while consistently maintaining a five-star rating. In May 2012, a four week tent meeting revival took place on church grounds. More than 1000 people attended each night and over 200 people made professions of faith. The year 2014 was a time of expansion for Dellwood Baptist Church. The church became the first satellite campus of the Carolina Theological Seminary, training future leaders of the faith. In addition, the Hands of Hope ministry was organized to meet needs in the community. The church also expanded its Sunday morning worship to two services - 9:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. - with Sunday School moving to 5:30 p.m. Sunday night. Multi-talented musicians, choir, and praise team lead the congregation in worship at both services. Worship Outreach Wednesday (WOW), a full worship service with community outreach, was added on Wednesday nights at 6:30 p.m.
Our Future
In 2015, in a desire to open our hearts and minds to God's future plans for Dellwood Baptist Church, a five day revival was held in the sanctuary, featuring Greg Lentz as the guest speaker. With God's guidance, Dellwood Baptist Church added two new children's ministries to the schedule. On Sunday mornings during the 10:30 a.m. worship service, children may attend Great Big God's Church, and on Wednesday night children may attend Dellwood KidZ. At Dellwood KidZ, children from the congregation and from the community eat a meal, have a lesson, and participate in an activity and music session. A bus ministry was started to reach children in the community who need transportation to attend Dellwood KidZ. Not to be left out, the youth are anticipating the completion of an expansion to the youth facility to accommodate the tremendous growth in their membership numbers. Last, but not least, EndStrong Ministry is the newest ministry at Dellwood Baptist Church. This ministry takes God's prophetic message to the local community and beyond. The EndStrong Ministry will share gospel music and prophesy via television, radio, and speaking engagements, traveling to other churches and communities by invitation. Yearly trips to Israel are organized through the EndStrong Ministry.
From one pastor and 15 members in 1848, to four pastors and 700 members in 2015, God continues to bless Dellwood Baptist Church as He advances His Kingdom.