Church
History
The family of faith known as Ridge Road Baptist Church
first met to pray on September 22, 1954 in a small white
house on a wooded lot not far from Meredith College. That
house, affectionately known as "the Hut," has been moved
around the property several times. However, it still stands
and is the gathering place for a men's Sunday School Class.
The congregation met for Sunday School and worship services
at Meredith College until completion of a permanent meeting
house while the Hut remained the weekday meeting place,
kitchen and office for the young church.
Following completion of Ridge Road Church's first sanctuary
in 1962, educational space for children, youth, and adults
was added throughout the next decade. In October of 1983, a
larger sanctuary was dedicated to serve the worshipping
needs of the growing church. The 1990s have seen the
worship setting enriched by the addition of handbells, an
Ahlborn-Galanti pipe combination organ and most recently by
a VanBergen carillon system.
As Baptists, we at Ridge Road affirm foundational
principles of our tradition. We believe the Bible to be our
authority in matters of faith and lifestyle. Individuals
have the privilege to interpret the Bible in light of their
relationship to God, and such interpretation should be
carried out within a greater community of faith. This
community of faith, the church, is a free, self-governing
body of believers. We observe two ordinances: baptism of
believers by immersion and the Lord's Supper. While we
believe immersion to be the mode of baptism described in
the New Testament, we acknowledge those who have been
baptized by other means and accept them into our family as
associate members. All persons who claim Jesus Christ as
Savior are invited to share table fellowship with us during
the Lord's Supper. As free and faithful Baptists, we affirm
God offers both men and women gifts to serve in pastoral
and lay ministries. Cooperation with others is the most
effective way of fulfilling our mission, and so we are
affiliated with the
Raleigh Baptist
Association,
the
North Carolina Baptist State
Convention,
and the
Cooperative Baptist
Fellowship.
As Ridge Road enters the new millennium, it builds on
forty-five years of missions and service and hopes to
continue faithfully serving both locally and globally.
Most recently, the church has entered into a
"Partnership of Hope" with Center Baptist Church of
Sampson County, N.C. Center Church's buildings were
completely devastated by the floods during and following
Hurricane Floyd in September, 1999. Ridge Road Church,
along with several other North Carolina churches, has
committed to partnering with Center Church until they
may reenter their own sanctuary for worship. That goal
is still some time away, but our ongoing ministry
includes offering frequent prayer, financial support,
and work groups to rebuild this small church. Ridge Road
Church has found a great deal of new life in the
communion of our shared labors with Center Church.
Ridge
Road is a vibrant congregation of over four hundred members
whose shared purpose is to proclaim the Good News of Jesus
Christ, nurture believers, and provide a ministry of care
and support to all. We do this in thoughtful Bible study,
by reverent worship, in diligent prayer, and through
faithful service of other churches and our community. We
hope you'll browse through the following pages and learn
more about opportunities we offer for Christian growth and
service. We invite you to visit us and to become a part of
a family of faith that continues to touch lives, share
faith, and offer hope.