A HISTORY OF BELLS BAPTIST CHURCH
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In 1815 Bells Baptist Church, now located at 1274 Farrington Road, Apex, North Carolina received her charter. Records from the Association Meeting of October 28th, 1815, listed Elders Isaac Hicks and James Bynum as church representatives. The church was first known as Lassiter’s Meeting House; later as Pleasant Grove Baptist Church. The church name was officially changed to Bells Baptist Church when it constructed a building on property donated by Tommy Bell in September 1909.
The Church became affiliated with the Mount Zion Association in 1836, but later became a member of the Yates Baptist Association when the Mount Zion Association divided in 1949.
There are no records available describing the structure called Lassiter’s Meeting House, which was home to the congregation in the early 1800’s. During the 1900’s three buildings were constructed. The first was a wooden building completed in April 1910, later dedicated in June 1911. In 1940, an effort was initiated to raise funds for a larger brick structure. Fund raising was temporarily halted in 1942 when the church voted to divert funds already collected and purchase war bonds to support the war effort. Fund raising resumed in 1944 and the congregation held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new building on September 3, 1945. The wood building was dismantled and rebuilt by a congregation in Pittsboro on a site located on Highway 15/501 north. After removal of the old building and during the construction of the new church, services were held in the Bells School until it was destroyed by fire on August 17, 1949.
Four years after the groundbreaking, the church occupied the new building and services were conducted for the first time on August 21, 1949. On October 2, 1949 the new church building was dedicated and Homecoming Day was observed. During this time Sunday school met each Sunday morning at 10:00 AM with worship services being held the first and third Sunday at 11:00 AM. In October 1955 the church voted to go to full time services.
The church met in special conference on November 18, 1956 and voted to borrow funds to build a parsonage on land adjoining the Church which was acquired from the Chatham County Board of Education in March 1956. The new parsonage was constructed and dedicated on October 7, 1957 when the Pastor moved onto the field for full time service.
As a result of the Federal Government’s plan for the New Hope Dam Project, the Church was faced with the most crucial decision in its long history. Should it disband, remain in the dammed area or relocate? This was a time of profound loss for the church with so many homes being submerged by the newly formed lake, forcing members to move away and split the rest of the church community. Seeking to follow the will of God the church voted on February 2, 1969 to continue as a church by relocating the church building north of where it then stood. At that time the cemetery was moved about one and one-half miles north from its original location to a site on Horton Pond Road. In 2013 the Bells Cemetery underwent a major restoration; the head and foot stones were cleaned, repositioned and new trees were planted. Also, at the time the area of unmarked graves were marked and a stone was laid in their honor.
The current Church is the third constructed on the original site. It was completed and dedicated on Homecoming Day, October 21, 1973. The parsonage was moved just north of the new church on a parcel of land purchased from the Seventh Day Adventist Church. Soon afterwards, the current Fellowship Hall, located behind the parsonage was constructed. In May 2013 the parsonage underwent an extensive renovation before the arrival of our current pastor
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There have been many men who have responded to God’s will to serve as pastors of Bells Baptist Church, and since 1904 the following pastors have served: J. C. Hocutt, J. A. Hackney, W. S. Olive, C. H. Norris, J. M. Arnett, Richard E. Clark, H. C. Sears, George Howard, H. G. Dorsett, W. T. Hurst, E. B. Booker, G. T. Mills, K. E. Bryant, David Poe, Ted Stone, Allen Wadsworth, Billy C. Beaver, Donald McSwain, Aubrey Folk, Paul Alverson, Jr., Dennis Wilson, Henry L. Copeland, Sr., Chuck Miller, Paul Howell, Andrew Pickens, Elmer Joyner, Jack Casey (Interim), Rick Washington, Ron Cumbie (Interim), and the current pastor Michael Owings.
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Throughout the years many members have given loving donations of furniture, stained glass windows, pews, pulpit furnishings, hymnals, Bibles, accessories for the communion table, lamps for the pianos, audio-visual equipment and other items which enhance the beauty of the Church. All of these donations have and will continue to make the worship services more meaningful
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Through the work of Jesus Christ and through hundreds of people the Lord has blessed the ministry of Bells Baptist Church for 200 years. My God Bless this Church for the next 200 years or until the Lord returns for her.
Updated September 2015
History Committee (Judy Lewter, Elizabeth Mason and Glen Holt)
