In 1956, Foster Road Missionary Baptist Church was started. It began in an old storehouse that was

rented for $10.00 per month. Rev. Bob Phelps was the pastor. 

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In 1957, Thornton Williams, one of the founding members of the church, had a dream of a new location

for the church. Through God’s guidance, Thornton drove down a road in the Gatewood community and

saw the very building that he saw in his dream. It had been a beer joint known as the “White Elephant.”

He rented the building for $25.00 per month and the church relocated and was renamed, Gatewood

Spiritual Baptist Church. After four months, the building and a little over an acre of land was purchased

for $3,500.00. This property is the current location of the church.

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On October 28, 1961, Rev. Lawrence E. Gentry was installed as pastor by unanimous vote.  In 1967,

preparations were made to replace the “White Elephant” building with another structure. A basement

was built and was used for church services for six years. The present sanctuary was built in 1973. Bro.

Gentry remained pastor until March of 1984, when he stepped down as a result of poor health.  He

preached from time to time after this when his health would allow. He went home to be with the Lord in

1990. In 1990, the new fellowship hall was built in memory of Pastor Gentry.

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Upon Pastor Gentry’s retirement, His son, John Gentry became the pastor of the church and remained in that position until 2012, when he retired. In October of 2012, Adrian Moore became the pastor and held the position for 11 years. He left to pursue a calling to missions in Kentucky.

 

At this time, we are seeking God's direction to confirm a new pastor. You may contact William Aherron at 336.707.9521 (leave a message if no answer) for more information or to express interest in filling this position. 

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WHAT WE BELIEVE

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SCRIPTURES:

            We believe that the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are divinely inspired by God and therefore are the very Word of God. We believe they are inerrant and therefore wholly trustworthy. We believe they are of supreme and final authority in faith and life. We believe that the Bible has been sovereignly preserved in English in the King James Version and it is the only translation used by our church. (2 Timothy 3:16 – 17; 2 Peter 1:20 – 21; Psalm 12:7)

 

THE TRINITY:

            We believe that the Godhead exists eternally in three Persons. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit; and these three are one God. (Genesis 1:26; Deuteronomy 6:4, 33:27; John 1:1 – 2; 10:30; Hebrews 9:14)

 

GOD, THE FATHER:

            We believe that God is supreme in his person, eternal in his being, absolute in his attributes, glorious in his perfection.

 

GOD, THE SON:

            We believe that the eternal Son of God became incarnate in the Lord Jesus Christ, conceived by the Holy Spirit; born of the virgin, Mary (Matthew 1:21 – 23; John 1:1, 14, 18; 1 John 5:20); and, in his incarnate body, was both truly God and truly man (1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 2:17 – 18; John 10:30). We believe in his sinless life; his vicarious death for sinners, his bodily resurrection and ascension; and his personal pretribulation, premillennial return. 

 

GOD, THE HOLY SPIRIT:

            We believe the Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity, and that he executes the plan

of God for our conviction and salvation. (John 16:8 – 11) He regenerates and baptizes all believers

into the Body of Christ, which is the Church (1 Corinthians 12:12 – 13). He indwells, enlightens, and

guides the individual believer. (1 Corinthians 6:9; John 16:13).

 

THE FALL OF MAN:

            We believe that man was created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27) but he willingly

sinned. He thereby incurred, not only physical death, but also that spiritual death which is

separation from God. Consequently, all human beings are born with a sinful and depraved nature.

(Psalm 51:5; Romans 3:23, 5:12; 1 Corinthians 15:21 – 22; Ephesians 2:1)

 

SALVATION OF SINNERS:

            We believe that the salvation of sinners is wholly of grace (Ephesians 2:8 – 9), whereby

believers become new creatures in Christ Jesus. (2 Corinthians 5:17) Salvation occurs when God,

the Holy Spirit works in conjunction with the gospel to bring conviction of sin, resulting in the

sinner responding in true repentance and faith in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

(John 1:12 – 13, 6:44, 65; Romans 1:16; Ephesians 2: 8 – 10) Nothing prevents the salvation of the

greatest sinner except his own voluntary refusal to accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. (John 3:18)

 

JUSTIFICATION:

            Justification is God’s gracious and full acquittal, upon principles of righteousness, of all sinners who believe on Christ. Jesus Christ died for our sins as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice for man; and all who believe on him are justified on the single ground of his blood. (Romans 3:24 – 25)

 

ASSURANCE AND FULL SECURITY OF THE BELIEVER:

            We believe that every true believer, born of the Spirit, can have full assurance of salvation and is eternally secure in Christ. (John 1:12 – 13; 10:28; Romans 8:16; Ephesians 1:13; 1 Peter 1:3 – 5; 1 John 5:12 – 13) Our security rests on the finished work of Jesus Christ; as a result, we have assurance.

 

A GOSPEL CHURCH:

            We believe that every believer is called to a holy life of service, practicing New Testament principles; and should belong to a Bible – believing local church for fellowship; observances of the ordinances of Christ; and furtherance of the gospel to every person in the world (Acts 2:41 – 47). Its scriptural officers are pastors and deacons (1 Timothy 3:1 – 13)

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SECOND COMING OF CHRIST:

            We believe in the imminent return of the Lord at such time the saved shall meet him in the air (the Rapture) (1 Thessalonians 4:13 – 18). This shall be followed by the seven years of tribulation; then the second coming of Christ, (visible to all) after which He shall rule and reign on earth for one thousand years (the Millennial Reign). (Matthew 24:21, 29, 30; 25:31; Acts 1:11; 1 Thessalonians 5:1 – 10; Revelation 19:11 – 16)

 

HEAVEN AND HELL:

            We believe in the eternal conscious blessedness of the saved in Heaven, and the eternal conscious punishment of the lost in Hell.

 

RELIGIOUS LIBERTY:

             God alone is Lord of the conscience, and he has left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men which are contrary to his Word or not contained in it. Church and state should be separate. The state owes to the church protection and full freedom in the pursuit of its spiritual ends. In providing for such freedom, no ecclesiastical group or denomination should be favored by the state more than others. Civil government being ordained of God, it is the duty of Christians to render loyal obedience thereto in all things not contrary to the revealed will of God. The church should not resort to the civil power to carry on its work. The gospel of Christ contemplates spiritual means alone for the pursuit of its ends. The state has no right to impose taxes for the support of any form of religion. A free church in a free state is the Christian ideal, and this implies the right of free and unhindered access to God on the part of all men, and the right to form and propagate opinions in the sphere of religion without interference by the civil power. (Matthew 22:17 – 21; Romans 13:1 – 7; 1 Peter 2:17)

 

SOCIAL SERVICE:

            Every Christian is under obligation to seek to make the will of Christ predominant in his own life and in human society; to oppose in the spirit of Christ every form of greed, selfishness and vice; to provide for the orphaned, the aged, the helpless and the sick; to seek to bring industry, government and society, as Christians should be ready to work with all men of good will in any good cause, always being careful to act in the spirit of love without compromising their loyalty to Christ and his truth. All means and methods used in social service for the betterment of society and the establishment of righteousness among men must finally depend on the regeneration of the individual by the saving grace of God in Christ Jesus.  

 

THE LORD’S DAY:

            Sunday, the first day of the week, is the Lord’s day. It is a Christian institution for regular observance, commemorating the resurrection of Christ from the dead. It should be employed in exercises of worship and spiritual devotion, both public and private. (Matthew 28:1 – 6; Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:1 – 2)  

 

CHURCH ORDINANCES

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BAPTISM:

            Christian baptism is the immersion (Matthew 3:16) of the believer (Acts 2:41) in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The act, though one of obedience to Christ, has no redemptive value (Titus 3:5), but is a symbol of our faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior (Matthew 28:19; Romans 6:3 – 7). It is a prerequisite to the privileges of joining our local church, and the partaking of the Lord’s Supper. 

 

THE LORD'S SUPPER:

            The members of the church, by the use of bread and the fruit of the vine, commemorate the Lord’s death until he comes again, in obedience to Christ’s commandment (Luke 22:19 – 20). We do not believe that the bread actually becomes the body of Jesus, nor do we believe that the juice actually becomes his blood. We observe the Lord’s Supper to help keep us aware of how Jesus Christ gave himself as a sacrifice for us. (1 Corinthians 11:23 – 26)

 

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