The First Baptist Church of Madison, originally called Madison Missionary Baptist Church, is a historic

Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

church located in downtown

Madison, North Carolina Madison is a town located in Rockingham County, North Carolina. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the town had a total population of 2,132. Madison is part of the Piedmont Triad, Greensboro-High Point Metropolitan Statistical Area of ...

. The congregation of the church is

Missionary Baptist The Missionary Baptist church is a Christian denomination that emerged in the American South during the late 19th century. Missionary Baptists separated from the Southern Baptist Convention due to theological differences. Missionary Baptists ...

, and under the jurisdiction of the

Cooperative Baptist Fellowship The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF) is a Baptist Christian denomination in United States, established after the conservative resurgence within the Southern Baptist Convention. It is affiliated with the Baptist World Alliance, and headquarte ...

. The church, built in 1850, served both the white planter and the black enslaved populations of Madison during the

Antebellum era The ''Antebellum'' South era (from ) was a period in the history of the Southern United States that extended from the conclusion of the War of 1812 to the start of the American Civil War in 1861. This era was marked by the prevalent practi ...

History

The congregation of First Baptist was founded on November 6, 1841. On June 28, 1849, two half-acre plots were purchased in

Rockingham County, North Carolina Rockingham County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 91,096. Its county seat is Wentworth, North Carolina, Wentworth. The county ...

, and another plot purchased on February 13, 1851, for the use of a church. Original documents of the Church were destroyed in a fire, but it is believed the building was completed in 1850. The original building was renovated in 1955. The church, built during the

Antebellum period The ''Antebellum'' South era (from ) was a period in the history of the Southern United States that extended from the conclusion of the War of 1812 to the start of the American Civil War in 1861. This era was marked by the prevalent practi ...

, provided a gallery seating for slaves who attended religious services with their plantation masters, many of whom were tobacco planters. The slave gallery was removed in the 1890s. Following

primitive baptist Primitive Baptists – also known as Regular Baptists, Old School Baptists, Foot Washing Baptists, or, derisively, Hard Shell Baptists – are conservative Baptists adhering to a degree of Calvinist beliefs who coalesced out of the contr ...

tradition, preaching was held every fourth Saturday and Sunday of the month instead of weekly. The congregation performed baptisms in the

Dan River Dan River may refer to: * Dan River (Virginia) * Dan River (China) * Dan River (Middle East) Other * Little Dan River * Browns Dan River * Dan Hole River See also * Dan (disambiguation) Dan or DAN may refer to: People * Dan (name), inc ...

. Silver goblets, silver plates, and a silver pitcher were used for Communion services from 1891 to 1919, which were later purchased by the Ladies Missionary Society. The church was a member of Beulah Association for fifty years before joining the Pilot Mountain Association in 1891. It remained a member of that association until the Dan Valley Missionary Baptist Association was formed in 1947. Lewis Hall Shuck, the Church's pastor from 1860-1863, was born in

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

, the son of Jehu Lewis Shuck and Henrietta Hall Shuck, the first American woman to go to China as a missionary.

Notable parishioners

J. P. Carter James Pratt Carter (August 20, 1915 – December 19, 2000) was an American military officer, politician and educator. During his career in the United States Army, he served in World War II and the Korean War, retiring from the army in 1958 with t ...

, American politician and military officer, served on the Board of Deacons *

Linda Carter Brinson Linda Sue Carter Brinson (born June 25, 1948) is an American writer, journalist, and editor. She was the first woman assistant national editor at ''The Baltimore Sun'' and the first woman editorial page editor at the ''Winston-Salem Journal''. ...

, American editor and writer, served as Chairwoman of the Board of Deacons

References

{{reflist Baptist churches in North Carolina Churches completed in 1850 Churches in Rockingham County, North Carolina Religious organizations established in 1841 1841 establishments in North Carolina