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HELPING people experience a growing knowledge of God and man.
BECOMING a church that ministers unselfishly to people in the community and world in Jesus’ name.
LIVING Christ-like in our daily lives by emphasizing total commitment of life, personality and possessions to the leadership of Christ.
We believe the Holy Bible is the true and divine Word of God. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it,” John 1: 1-5.
We believe that the Godhead eternally exists in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit and these three are one God. “I and the Father are one,” John 10:30. “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth,” John 14: 16-17.
We believe that Jesus Christ, The Lamb of God, born of a virgin was crucified, died and arose from the dead on the third day, ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,” 1 Peter 1:3. “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then He appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles,” 1 Corinthians 15:3-8.
We believe that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God and that through the death and risen power of Christ, all who believe and confess Jesus as Lord can be saved from the penalty and power of sin. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus,” Romans 3: 23-24.
We believe in the personal return of our Lord Jesus Christ to receive to Himself all born again believers. “So Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him,” Hebrews 9:28. “Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen,” – Revelation 1:7.
A second two-story school was later built on the same site used until the 1920s when a large brick school was built across the road. In 1906 Reverend GT Grace became pastor and served until 1921. Mrs. Gresham served as president of the WMU, established in 1886, for thirteen years. The Greshams were much loved. The community of Gresham was named for them and Friendship Cemetery, beside the church, is their resting place.
From 1934 to 1952, the highly respected Dr. BF Allen led Friendship as Pastor, followed by the Reverend Raleigh Powers in 1972. At that time, an additional building was constructed as an educational building and fellowship hall, with most of the work done by the members. During the term of Reverend Bobby Byrd in 1995, new pews and carpeting were added to the sanctuary
Throughout its history, our church has experienced both prosperous and difficult times. One particularly dark time was in the summer of 1998. Without a minister for several months, our attendance was dwindling. On a particular Sunday, we had a grand total of twelve attending service.
During that time we had been inviting guest speakers and one faithful Sunday, a young lay speaker from nearby Little Bethel Baptist Church – a skinny 28-year-old art teacher named Scott Collins accepted our invitation. That day, we were blown away and the invitation was extended to Scott repeatedly. People heard about him and attendance started to grow as more and more came to hear his message. Gifted with an incredible ability to share the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Scott’s love for our Lord and His people resonates into the heart of the hearer.
After several months, Scott Collins accepted our invitation to be Friendship Baptist Church’s minister. By God‘s grace, he said yes, and has continued his faithful service to our Savior and Friendship Baptist Church.
Since then, God has blessed our church tremendously with consistent growth both in membership and our ability to serve to our community. In 2006 a new building was constructed housing a large social hall, modern kitchen, and Pastor study along with other property updates. This endeavor involved a major financial commitment which God has allowed us to meet through the faithfulness of His servants- our members.
As we share in the excitement of the opportunities that God has given us, as well as those that lie ahead to “Build His Kingdom, one life at a time,” we are grateful for the devoted who answered God’s calling over 130 years ago as well as though who continue the mission.
It is said the the number of children within a congregation is a good determinator of the health of a church. We are very blessed with many children who make their presence known on any given Sunday morning, leading to our latest upgrade. A decision was made to invest in the addition of playground equipment that will serve the smallest of our members for generations to come. The project was completed in December 2024.
Our church’s history dates back to the summer of 1876 when meetings were held in a growth of trees and what is now the friendship community of Marion County South Carolina, near the present church site. Many people attended, therefore the people of the area decided to organize a church. The first small frame church was built in 1877 with the school beside it. The first pastor was Reverend R. McDaniel, and early members included the Wall, Davis, Phillips, Mace, Collins, Whaley, James, Gasque, Holden, McDaniel, Exum, and Broadhurst families. Descendants of some of these families are still members today.
Friendship Baptist Church was officially chartered in 1889. A copy of the charter which originally was thought to have been lost was found and now hangs on in our social hall. In the 1890s Mary Elizabeth Phillips donated a plot of land originally belonging to Celia Phillips James for a new church and cemetery combination. The church and school building was completed in 1897. The third and present church building was completed by 1905. Bert Davis built the original pews, which were used until 1995. The 1897 structure was used as a school to the south of the present church.
Scott Collins (1997-current)
Rev. Thomas Welch
Rev. Wilder Bridgeman
Rev. Bobby Byrd (served twice)
Rev. Raleigh Powers
Rev. Richard Shaw
Rev. Bert Johnson
Rev. Eppes
Rev. J. W. O’Cain
Rev. R.O. Hilliard
Rev. Ben Allen (served twice)
Rev. H.C. Haddock
Rev. O.B. Falls
Rev. G.L. Gresham
Rev. A.T. Rogers
Rev W. L. Hayes
Rev. W.A. Humphrey
Rev. M.J. Willoughby
Rev. C.T.Anderson
Rev. L.P. Lyde (served twice)
Rev. R. McDaniel
If you have any questions concerning what it means to be a Christian, or if you would like to know more about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we would love to talk to you.
We welcome the opportunity to pray for you, and to help you in your journey in any way that we can.
