Goldvein’s Grove Baptist honored on 200th anniversary

A long-standing community fixture in Goldvein was honored for it’s longevity and contributions to local society this week when it received a proclamation from the Fauquier County Board of Supervisors celebrating Grove Baptist Church’s 200th anniversary.

Supervisor Chairman Ray Graham presented the proclamation, along with words of thanks and encouragement, to the church Dec. 4.

“I have a lot of positive feelings when it comes to these kinds of things, because it talks to you about the community itself and the fact that for 200 years, folks have been supporting this location in Goldvein as a place to gather and to worship,” Graham said.

He estimated that 100 people showed up to hear the proclamation, which Graham presented during the first few minutes of the morning service.

“It shows you the kind of community gathering place it is and how much they like it and how much they like each other,” he said.

The proclamation was received by pastor Ron Roach, who came to the church with his wife, Carolyn, in 1986 during what he describes as one of the lowest moments in the congregation’s history.

After finishing Bible college, Roach saw a listing in the newspaper indicating a pastoral vacancy at the Goldvein church and called to inquire about the position.

“There were probably 15 people here, including the kids, when I came,” he said.“But there were seven major folks that were really stable here and kept the church together ... I called them my magnificent seven.”

For Roach, called to the ministry at 35, the position was a serious decision.

“This was not a stepping stone for me,” he said.“I told them I wanted to build this church.”

Now, 25 years later, Roach looks back over a history of growth and relative stability, where 80 to 90 people show up on a “good Sunday.”

While most of the congregation is drawn from the local population, a few people come from as far away as Woodbridge and Spotsylvania County to attend services.

“I’ve tried to teach the people to be a loving church,” he said. “We try to be friendly and accept everybody.”

He believes the longevity of the church is largely due to the vision of the gospel and a commitment to the local community carried on from generation to generation beginning with its 55 founding members in 1811.

“It’s a rare commodity to have been here so long, but we still preach the gospel,” he said. “My philosophy is to preach the gospel, love the people, and they will come.”

Since it’s founding, the church has witnessed not only the changes of age and architectural additions, but also some of the defining events of American history.

During the Civil War, meetings were sporadic, as travel through the South became difficult and many men were away fighting.

A historical report prepared for the church’s anniversary indicates it was occupied by Union soldiers during the war, whose care of the building during that time all but required the basic rebuilding of the structure after the war’s conclusion.

At one point a spy was nearly hanged from the old oak tree standing on the church grounds. A cross carved from the same tree now hangs above the pulpit in the church.

“When I got here, they had wood stoves and every Sunday someone would come over and start the fire and get the church warm before we all came,” said Jimmie Lou Bell, one of Roach’s “magnificent seven.”

Bell, who moved to Goldvein from Georgia in 1945 after marrying her late husband Lester, has seen many changes overtake the small church.

In addition to watching outhouses replaced by bathrooms and wood stoves transitioned to oil and gas and then later to electric heat, Bell has also witnessed the dismantling of a segregated balcony and the slow return of the building’s natural color from beneath early whitewashing.

“They put me to work as soon as I got here,” said Bell, with a laugh, remembering the years she taught Sunday School until 1980. “It’s a nice little church.”

When a church superintendent recommended closing the church prior to Roach’s arrival, she said members couldn’t do it.

“I think it’s been the Lord’s hand guiding us,” she said.

“The people have been loyal and they’ve had a vision for this church, that it could be a lighthouse to the world in this community right here in southern Fauquier County,” Roach said. “Even though we’ve had our hard times, people have given not only their time and talents but also their treasure to keep the lights on and the pastor paid.”

He believes the key to unlocking the next 100 years in the church’s history is simply to continue the church’s vision and mission.

“We’ve been here to serve the people,” he said. “Our members caught the vision of God’s word to get the gospel out and they know that vision can’t be accomplished unless the doors of the church stay open as a place where people can come and fellowship and keeping that vision alive is what it’s going to take for this church to continue.”