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MADISON — Since its inception 170 years ago, First Baptist Church of Madison has “always re-emerged from periods of challenge with new focus and zeal for sharing the gospel with our neighbors,” said the Rev. Charles McGathy, pastor.

On Nov. 6, the congregation will celebrate that anniversary and the 50th anniversary of its radio ministry.

Through the years, First Baptist helped organize many local churches: First Baptist Greensboro, First Baptist of Mayodan, Dan Valley Baptist Church, Comer’s Chapel; Deep Springs Baptist Church, Ellisboro Baptist Church and Grace Baptist Church.

The church was founded as Madison Missionary Baptist Church in Madison in 1841, 26 years after the town was established.

The earliest church meetings were held at the camp meeting grounds, which had been in use since the 1700s for camp meetings and revivals, not far from the home place of Joshua Wall.

After a few years, the meetings were shifted to the Baughn Schoolhouse, later the Beulah Academy.

The congregation shared the log schoolhouse with the Methodist and Presbyterian congregations, established shortly after the Baptists. The school house was at the east end of what today is Academy Street.

The first sanctuary was on Franklin Street, where traveling shows once performed, McGathy said.

The church acquired the land in 1849, adding to that in 1851. The third lot was given to the church for $1. The only stipulation by donor Thomas Smith was that “any building placed on the land should be free for use not only by Baptists, but by Presbyterians and Methodists.”

“From the very beginning, this has been church for the entire community,” McGathy said.

The first sanctuary had two front doors — one for women and one for men. A rail was nailed to the top of the middle pews to separate the men and women.

A gallery for slaves at the back of the church was accessed by a back door and stairway. In 1860, Madison Missionary Baptist Church called Lewis H. Shuck as its pastor.

“To say that he came from a missionary-minded Baptist background is an understatement,” McGathy said. Lewis was born to Baptist missionaries in Singapore. His mother was the first American female missionary to China.

During the three years he was pastor, Shuck lost his wife and child. Both are buried in the church cemetery.

After the Civil War, the sanctuary was extensively renovated, including relocating the church bell from a tree to a bell tower.

The first service in the existing sanctuary was held on Oct. 10, 1954.

“Keeping in mind that the initial project was proposed and approved in 1938, it took 16 years from conception to completion,” McGathy said.

The original sanctuary, which served the congregation for 105 years, was torn down. All that survive are the church bell and two wooden pegs.

The name change also occurred in the 1950s.

In 1961, the Sunday morning worship service began radio broadcasts.

The first director of music and education, Jacky Davis, was called in March 1970.

“Under his leadership, the youth flourished and grew to be the most active youth group in the area,” McGarthy said.

During the 1970s and into the 1980s, the church had an active youth group and fielded a softball team. Church activities included Girls in Action and Royal Ambassadors, youth choir, family nights, hand bells, mission study groups; senior trips; Habitat for Humanity projects; and other mission-minded projects.

But in the mid-1980s and through the next 20 years, the mills, a vital part of the local economy, began to close, McGarthy said. “This meant a loss of many church members over the years as families moved away or children who had graduated high school moved out of the area to pursue higher education or employment.”

In 1981, the church renovated the sanctuary, and in 1991, the church dedicated the J.C. and Eliza Brown Building on its 150th anniversary.

The first female deacon, Doris Schultz, was elected to serve in 1992.

The Rev. Larry Bennett was pastor from 1975 until his retirement in 2006. His was the longest ministry of any pastor at First Baptist Church.

First Baptist called the Rev. Marcia McQueen, the daughter of a retired Southern Baptist minister, as interim pastor.

Although the church was sharply criticized by other Southern Baptist Convention churches in the area for calling a woman, the congregation at First Baptist embraced McQueen.

She now serves as chaplain of Morehead Hospital in Eden and is a member of the church.

The challenges were daunting when McGathy, a Navy chaplain for 22 years, arrived in 2006.

The church had an aging congregation and facilities, no children’s Sunday School, and a youth program comprised of three soon-to-graduate seniors.

“The history of the people called First Baptist Church of Madison is a story of hope and survival, of a people with a strong identity and a desire to increase the Kingdom of God through her efforts,” McGathy said.

“We have been a missional church from our inception, but our challenges today will require creativity, intelligence, and hard work if we are to continue ministry well into the 21st century.”

McGathy has compiled a history of the church, “First Baptist Church of Madison, North Carolina (1841-2011) A Message to a Missional People.” It also includes historical information about Madison and Mayodan. Church historian Lloyd Baird gathered much of the information.

The booklet will be available at the celebration and also can be obtained by calling 207-2055.

Reidsville native Ann Fish has lived in Eden since 1979. Contact her at annsomersfish@yahoo.com.