A little more than 200 years ago, Edward Garrett II built a log cabin school near the Laurens County community of Gray Court in which to educate his 16 children. The cabin would also serve for a number of years as a meeting house for religious instruction for area residents, until his wife Ann – after his death in 1794 – set aside an acre of land in 1806 for the construction of a church building. Though services had been held for about 10 years, that date now marks the beginning of Warrior Creek Baptist Church.
Warrior Creek Baptist Church, Gray CourtOn July 23, members gathered to celebrate Warrior Creek’s bicentennial, with Carlisle Driggers, executive director-treasurer of the South Carolina Baptist Convention, as guest speaker. After the morning service, they opened a time capsule that had been embedded into a church wall in 1952, when the current sanctuary was dedicated. A catered dinner, singing, games and other celebration events were also held that day.
For many years, the fledgling congregation was an “arm” of Upper Duncan Creek Church (now Langston), and preachers traveled great distances on horseback or by wagon to Warrior Creek to hold services. A nearby spring was used for baptisms, typically in August, following the “protracted” meetings.
When the church was officially established in 1810, it had about 115 members, and later grew to around 350.
In 1834, about eight acres were purchased from William Garrett, the son of Edward, and the current church facilities and its cemetery now stand on that land. During its history, the congregation has had at least four buildings.
Church records are incomplete, but a listing from all known sources names about 2,600 people as having been members at Warrior Creek. Rusty Stockman is the current pastor, and the church’s total membership is approximately 275.