Sand Creek Free Will Baptist Church
History
1891-1943: Sand Creek Free Will Baptist Church
1943-Present: Sand Creek Community Church
Benjamin Randall (1749-1808)
Founder of the Free Will Baptist Religion, born in New Castle, NH in 1749
Converted by the preaching of Rev. George Whitefield, Portsmouth NH in 1770
Founded Free Will Baptist Religion in 1780
Free Will Baptist Religion spreads throughout New England
Unity NH - 1799
Alexandria NH - 18156
Meridian NY - 1810
Cato NY - 1811
Lysander NY - 1817
Ira NY - 1836
Michigan becomes a state in 1837
Thurber, Tolford, Stockwell, and Carpenter families arrive in Michigan
Joshua Thurber buys a section of land in Madison Twp. on the banks of the River Raisin, founding the village of Thurber MI
Madison Number One School is built in Thurber MI in 1850
Martin Stockwell buys a section of land in Dover Twp., founding the hamlet of Dover Center MI
April 22, 1854: ten persons, "who had formally been members of the Free Will Baptist Church in different places and were removed from their bounds met at the Madison Number One School" near Thurber MI to found a new church. The name of the new church is the Dover-Madison Free Will Baptist Church. The new congregation's first minister is L. P. Tompkins.
From 1854-1869, the Dover-Madison Free Will Baptist congregation meets in area homes; schoolhouses in Dover, Madison, and Fairfield Twps. and in such places as Thurber, Cottontown (in the home of Charles Mitchell), South Dover, Dover Center, Warren, Madison, and Baker's Corners (Fairfield).
1862: Dover-Madison Free Will Baptist Church is incorporated
1869: land is purchased in Baker's Corners (Fairfield) to build a church. Building costs: $3500 to build and furnish
1873: Dover-Madison Free Will Baptist Church splits, forming First Free Will Baptist Church of Fairfield Village and Dover Center Free Will Baptist Church
Hamlet of Thurber becomes Sand Creek, Michigan in 1881. Wabash Railway Company opens track from Detroit MI to Peru IN
1887: both Dover Center and Fairfield Free Will Baptist Churches start a missionary movement to found a church in Sand Creek
1888: a large revival meeting is held in Sand Creek numbering more than 200 persons, "several in the audience were baptized in the creek"
Madison Grange #384 gives a bible to "F. B. Church of Sand Creek", August 12, 1888
Between 1888 and 1891, the Dover Center Free Will Baptist Church purchased lot 12 in Sand Creek. Cost is $1.00 from Nelson D. Wilson.
October 19, 1891: Sand Creek Free Will Baptist Church is incorporated
Signers include: J. H. Livesay, D. J. Furman, J. Willet, J. W. Tolford, N. Thurber, and N. D. Wilson
First minister at Sand Creek Free Will Baptist Church is E. O. Dickerson; annual salary: $150.00
Between 1892 and 1910, Sand Creek Free Will Baptist Church shares a minister with Fairfield Free Will Baptist Church.
1910: E. H. Osburn becomes the minister at Sand Creek. The congregation buys a parsonage andlot in the village from Lena Tolford for $300.00. Church records show 54 members and 90 persons attending Sunday School on a regular basis.
On the national front, the Free Will Baptist Congregations join the American Baptist Association in 1911.
By 1920, a congregational split in the Sand Creek Free Will Baptist Church creates the First Orthodox Baptist Church of Sand Creek.
1930-1940: both congregations in Sand Creek remain small
1943: a letter is sent to 100 families in the area surrounding Sand Creek to form a non-denominational church.
Sand Creek Community Church is founded.
1943-1955: Various ministers serve Sand Creek Community Church
1955-1999: Rev. and Mrs. Richard Jorden and family serve Sand Creek Community Church.
2000-2004: Pastor and Mrs. Matthew Gordon and family serve Sand Creek Community Church.
2005-2011: Pastor and Mrs. Brad Heiple and family serve Sand Creek Community Church.
2012-Present: Pastor Jamie Driskill and family serving Sand Creek Community Church.
Information in this short history of Sand Creek Community Church is taken directly from a brochure compiled from notes by Laurie C. (Dickens) Perkins, 1986
Further details will be posted later.