GALILEE BAPTIST CHURCH

 

Galilee Baptist Church began as a tent service
conducted by the Rev. Claudie Dial, Rev. Wade Locklear and Rev. Britton Maynor
on Highway 211 in 1950.  During the
winter of 1950 the services were conducted at the home of Elarce Oxendine.  Later that year services moved to an old
pack-house at the home of Jethro Locklear. 
The old pack-house was the location of church services until 1951.  In early 1951 with the purchase and moving of
the old Rennert School House for $100.00, Galilee Baptist Church was
established at its present location.

 

The first service was on June 10, 1951.  Rev. Barto Locklear delivered the first
message.   Rev. Sanford Locklear led in
prayer and a song entitled “The Old Country Church”.  Luke Cummings, J.R. Locklear and Elarve
Oxendine were the first deacons.  Fodia
Bell Chavis was the first secretary. 
Delphia Locklear was first treasurer and clerk and Jethro Locklear was
the first Sunday School Superintendent.

 

Galilee applied for admission to the Burnt Swamp
Baptist Association at its annual meeting in 1951, and was accepted for
membership in 1952.  Since 1951, through
the guidance of our Heavenly Father, 
Galilee has grown from a membership of approximately 28 to a membership
of 226 and from an old renovated school building at the cost of $1500.00 to a
facility of worship worth $600,000.  Over
the years there have been five additions to the original building at the cost
of $598,500.

 

Pastors who have served Galilee include:

 

                        Rev.
Sanford Locklear            1951-52

                        Rev.
Zimmie Chavis               1952-54

                        Rev.
Joseph Oxendine                        1954-56

                        Rev.
Purcell Locklear              1956-57

                        Rev.
Glassie Locklear             1957-58

                        Rev.
Wade Locklear               1958-59

                        Rev.
Isiah Locklear                 1959-79

                        Rev.
Donald Bullard               1979-92

                        Rev.
Horace Strickland           1992-94

                        Rev.
Ricky Deese                   1995-2000

 

Galilee provides each member a full range of
programs as part of the Southern Baptist Convention for growing in the service
to our Lord and Savior.  A special
ministry of our church that has been a blessing to our congregation is the Deaf
Ministry.  In 988 Marlie and Patricia
Locklear adopted a four-year old boy named Jebdia (Jeb), who was deaf.  Mrs. Locklear worked at Sandhills Children
Center where Jeb was attending at the time. 
The center is a school for special children, and Mrs. Locklear, along
with Lucille and Denise Jacobs, began to learn sign language with the help of
the staff at the center.  Little did Mrs.
Locklear know God had planned for her when she decided to go to Sandhills Children
Center to work.

 

The next few months were very frustrating for Mrs.
Locklear, but thorough prayer, persistence and the presence of God; Mrs.
Locklear turned that frustration into a ministry that blessed many.  She continued to learn sign language with the
help of books and video’s, but being able to sign and being able to interpret
were totally different.  Because of her
desire for her son and other deaf person who desired to learn about God and His
Son, Mrs. Locklear sought sources that could help her achieve her goal.   One of these sources Rev.  Jerry Potter of the N.C. Southern Baptist
Convention.  Rev. Potter, realizing that
Mrs. Locklear wanted to learn quickly, told her the story of the oak tree.  The oak tree begins with a seed but grows
tall and strong. 

 

Mr. Potter felt that God was calling Mrs. Locklear
into the ministry of interpreting for the deaf and wanted her to know that it
did not happen over night.  Mr. Potter
guided her in beginning signing classes at Galilee and informed her about the
Southern Baptist Conference for the deaf at Caraway.  It was there she met Ms. Sally Dixon who is
an interpreter and teacher at the Morganton School for the Deaf.  With the help of Mr. Potter and Ms. Dixon,
and Mrs. Locklear’s faith in God, the deaf Ministry has steadily grown at
Galilee.  There is an interpreter for
each service at Galilee, a Sunday School Class for the Deaf, approximately 20
deaf who attend Galilee, and a signing class with 5 interpreters.