CHURCH HISTORY:
Piney Grove Baptist Church was established in 1892 in a little village across the railroad named Coal Town. The Lord laid on the heart of Mr. Frank Shamel to give the church ½ acre of land. They began cutting pine trees and built a little log church which they named Piney Grove Baptist Church.
The church started with 2 deacons and 8 members. The membership grew rapidly causing the church to move four times. By 1953, the old sanctuary structure was built under the leadership of Rev. J. T. Joyce.
Through the years, Piney Grove Baptist Church has been under the leadership of the following pastors: Rev. J. B. Hairston, E. Graham, J. W. Hawkins, J. L. Mumford, Ishman Hurst, Jr. and Dr. James F. Linville.
In July 1990, Pastor Linville became the eighth Pastor of Piney Grove Baptist Church. There was a need to expand, modernize and accommodate the rapid increase of membership, and to meet the demands for the intellectual, spiritual, and educational requirements of our youth. A handicap ramp was also needed to accommodate our physically challenged members, so that they would be able to continue to worship in the sanctuary. On December 28, 1991, a groundbreaking ceremony was held. The spirit was high as we let God’s will be done. For our new sanctuary was about to become a reality. From 1992 into January 1993, we kept striving for that great march from the old to the new sanctuary. We had a week of rejoicing, and thanking God for steering our copilot, Pastor Linville, the Deacons and the Trustees for their spiritual unity, which led to the completion of our new home. The old sanctuary was dedicated on May 22, 1994 and named in honor of the late Rev. J. T. Joyce as the J. T. Joyce Memorial Fellowship Hall.
Many changes were made in our organizational structure: we now have a computerized system, church constitution and a central financial system to keep accurate account of membership records, finances and various business of the church. At Piney Grove, we have a program for the spiritually and intellectual growth of every member of our church family: Children’s Church, Couples & Singles Ministry, Youth Choir, Junior Usher Ministry along with other standing ministries.
As we press forward, success continues to follow us. We have obtained our 501(c) (3) status from the Internal Revenue Service which opens the door for unlimited opportunities. Membership continues to increase. There have been a number of accomplishments. We have purchased and renovated a Satellite Church and Parsonage located in Kernersville, NC, that now has been sold off, and the purchase of 4 church vans, 1 bus, 1 utility van, the paving of the parking lot, a storage building, a new sound system, video equipment, updated all office equipment and a new phone system installed which includes the PhoneTree message center). We have painted and carpeted the Pastor’s and Secretary’s offices, renovations of the Rev. J. T. Joyce Memorial Fellowship Hall which includes new ceiling and tile at the entrance, new kitchen appliances, paneling of our foyer and bathrooms, and the payoff of our church mortgage in May of 1998 which was not scheduled to be paid off until the year of 2012, to name a few. We have completed a new Family Life Center & Corporate Office with costs of $1.8 million. The new facility consists of new Administrative offices, classrooms, conference rooms, a multi-purpose gymnasium, and a new industrial kitchen. We now own 21 properties (which includes 2 cemeteries ) with a net worth of $1,500,000. With the Family Life Center & Corporate Office added, we now have a net worth of $3,300,000.
We have organized an Outreach Ministry, Outreach Center, Finance Committee, Gideon’s Warriors Ministry, Intercessors Prayer Ministry, Men’s Action Fellowship, a Youth and Young Adult Missionary, giving us an A-1 Missionary Ministry, a Children’s Choir, Young Adult Choir, a Youth Coordinators Ministry, a Prison Ministry, a Senior Praise Team and a Junior Praise Team, a School-Age Summer Program, a School-Age After School Program, a Computer Lab, a Maintenance dept., and a Yard Contractor to lawn and beautify the grounds of the church here in Winston-Salem. Recently, we also added a Security Ministry.
We continue to make special efforts to encourage, motivate and support our youth. We awarded our first Scholarship and Honorarium Program on June 9, 1996, and to date we have awarded 36 Scholarships, 11 Honorariums, a Youth Worker Excellence Award and a Youth Recognition Program Award. God is truly blessing us!
We presently have 10 Associate Ministers, 12 Deacons, and 4 Trustees, 1 Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer, a full-time Executive Secretary, and a Part-time Receptionist, Maintenance Engineer, Part-time Lead Musician, Assistant Musician and Percussionist.
As we continue to move on to higher heights through Gods Grace and Mercy, we look forward to all God’s promises becoming a reality. When you have a dedicated Shepherd and First Lady who believe in and depend on God and who also walks with God, prosperity will always come. For nothing is impossible with God. May we continue to love each other and bind in Christian unity. We thank God for our church family, and for the dedicated board members who have been faithful in their duties. Let us all be mindful that the Lord said:
“If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you.”