Our Church History

How it all started...

On April 28, 1974, twenty-one members from Murrells Inlet Baptist Church and the First Baptist Church of Surfside Beach met to discuss the organization of a mission in Garden City Beach. By May 8, Murrells Inlet Baptist Church had decided to sponsor the Garden City Baptist Missions, and on May 15 the first service was held in the home of Mr. & Mrs. John Mizelle. A small building on the west side of Highway 17, near the present church, became the first official meeting place and services began on June 16. By the end of the service, 31 people had joined by letter and one by profession of faith. A business meeting was held immediately after the service to elect Sunday School and Training Union directors, teachers, a youth leader, secretary, treasurer, moderator, and Wednesday night coordinator. 
The mission constituted on January 1, 1975 with 71 members. Rev. Burton Haseldon was called as part-time pastor. Dr. Denley C. Caughman was the first full-time pastor, his first Sunday being January 2, 1977. The parsonage was ready for his family in May of 1978.
The church continued to grow and was at 343 members by January of 1984. In October, a new educational building for youth was completed across the street. A new educational and fellowship building, attached to the present building, was completed in April of 1987. By 1991, there were 413 resident members and the ground-breaking for a new worship center was started on March 17. A consecration and dedication service for the new sanctuary was held on February 2, 1992.

The next few years saw many changes in personnel, membership, policies, goals, etc. Our lives and church history changed drastically on June 28, 2009 after a devastating fire destroyed most of our building. The offices moved across Yaupon Avenue to the first floor of the Youth Building. Neighboring churches were very accommodating. It was hard, but God is faithful, and we didn’t miss a beat. Rededication of the sanctuary was held on January 16, 2011 with a celebratory luncheon after the morning worship service. Lots of work and patience was required from our entire church family, but it has all been worth it. We are happy to have things back the way they were before the fire, and in some cases, even better!  

For more of the church’s history, view the PDF file Historical Heritage