In the winter of 1898/99, Sumner Abraham Ives moved his family from Thompson, CT to Pinebluff, NC where he became the first Baptist minister at age 59, following a family tradition of founding new churches from the early days in CT. His son Judson later wrote a history of the church he founded. He said they were attracted by advertisements on the growth of Pinebluff by the Seaboard Air Line Railroad (see following section on Pinebluff and the area).
Soon after they arrived, church services were held in private homes, with the first services in the home of L. S. Packard. In the first report of the new church on March 4, 1900, S. A. Ives, his wife and two older sons were listed as four of the original eight church members. The other four members were the Rev. R. M. Hilburn and his family. Lucy C., F. A., and F. F. They were listed as from the Zion Baptist Church in Bladen Co. NC. The first church building was erected in 1903 and called the First Baptist Church. On Dec. 1, 1900, the church appointed Mrs. Alice Dunbar Ives as the first delegate to the Baptist convention which was held in Raleigh, NC.
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