Sandy Run Baptist ChurchFor the first time since a raging fire destroyed their 103-year-old sanctuary early on the first Sunday morning of November 2007, the members of Sandy Run Baptist Church, Hampton, are worshipping somewhere other than in their fellowship hall.
On March 14, pastor Paul Reid and Sandy Run’s members dedicated a new sanctuary and education building. A public open house will be held May 2 for interested community members.
“Words can’t express the feeling of expectation, hope, confidence and renewed faith we have,” said Reid. “There hasn’t been any doubt that God would be faithful, but we are overwhelmed with his graciousness.”
The new sanctuary will seat 289. The education space will include a new choir room. The church grounds will feature a courtyard and a new parking lot.
Organized in 1834, Sandy Run is among the oldest congregations affiliated with Allendale-Hampton Association. The sanctuary that burned two years ago originally had been a wooden structure erected in 1904 and brick-veneered in 1979. A faulty heating system in the attic was suspected as the source of the fire. Only the church’s fellowship hall survived the blaze.
The May 2 open house will begin at 3 p.m. with a brief worship service followed by light refreshments.
For more information: 803-943-1491.