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History of the Church
Bethel Baptist Church sits in the countryside of Stafford County , Virginia , approximately six miles east of Fredericksburg . The church's history dates to the late 1800's and its roots can be traced to the lives of five devout Presbyterians from New Jersey. These men had a strong personal interest in the Civil War history of the area and had visited numerous times to see its many battlefields. The New Jersey men first visited in Stafford County to see the old White Oak Church. They found this fragile old building abandoned and in ruinous condition. The men decided to repair the old frame building, put in lamps, organized a Sunday School and bought an organ and hymn books. As White Oak Church was of the Primitive Baptist belief, the circuit preacher disapproved of Sunday Schools and music and said that the organ and hymn books had to be removed from the church.
As a result, the Jerseymen stopped meeting at White Oak Church and decided to organize an entirely new church. The men found strong support in the community and Bethel Baptist Church , first called Jersey Baptist Bethel Church , was organized on August 25, 1889 and met in a small schoolhouse on a local farm. Bethel Baptist was officially organized on October 27, 1890 with eighteen charter members. Sadly, the original church building was completely destroyed by fire on December 9, 1948 . This was a great loss to the members of a little rural church, but they were not to be discouraged and services were held the following Sunday in the White Oak School. The new church was quickly constructed and in less than a year of the fire Bethel held a cornerstone laying service and the new building was officially dedicated on Sunday March 18, 1950 . The church has since expanded to include a west wing (1965) an east wing (1977) and the Bethel Outreach Center (2005).
Bethel Baptist Church is a member of the Baptist General Association of Virginia (BGAV) and is actively involved in the local Fredericksburg Baptist Association. The church accepts the core beliefs and doctrines as expressed in the Baptist Faith and Message (2000). The current membership is approximately 400.