THE first african baptist church

601 New Street

Beaufort, Sc 29902

First African Baptist is a dynamic church located in Beaufort, SC. Our beliefs are based on the Bible and centered on Jesus Christ. Our mission is very simple: to lead people to honor and glorify Jesus Christ. That means we’re not about money gathering, a building, or some complicated religious system but about helping people from all backgrounds discover the joy that comes from knowing and serving Jesus Christ.

We invite you to join us each Thursday for Bible Study and Prayer and our Sunday School and Formal Worship service each weekend. We know that going to a new church can be intimidating, so we try to do things in a way that makes you feel welcome and not like an outsider. When you come, you can participate or just sit back and observe. You’ll discover a warm atmosphere, practical teaching from God's Word, and friendly people pursuing God together. 

God made a promise in the Bible that if we seek after Him with our whole hearts, we’ll find Him. You are a valued part of God’s creation, and His deep desire is to have a relationship with you. So come and join us as we pursue God together!

Faith

Faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word of God. We do not believe in blind faith, where the use of your minds is prohibited. We believe that our faith in God is based on true and tried proofs provided by God in times past, present, and soon-to-be future. When you come, you can participate by worshiping in your own way or just sit back and observe.

Family

At The First African Baptist Church (FAB), we value the family, where everybody is somebody. We believe the church should be a place for people of all ages. Every Sunday, we offer open corporate worship where children are welcome in our regular services. No service at FAB prohibits any child.

Leadership

We believe in a plurality of Elders. FAB is guided by a leadership team that provides overall direction and watches over the spiritual needs of the church. Our pastor, Alexander McBride, provides sound, practical, biblical teaching at each worship service. He has received theological and pastoral training and is equipped to share God's love with our local community. FAB is blessed to have a leadership team that is truly dedicated to Christ and accomplishing His will.

First African Baptist Church, Beaufort — History Summary

Origins (1862–1868)

The congregation traces to the Union occupation of Beaufort in 1862, when the Beaufort Baptist Church counted 166 white and 3,557 Black members across six Baptist societies (Laurel Bay, Hannibal, Parris Island, Huspa, St. Helena, and Beaufort). After white residents abandoned the occupied city, Black members organized independently.

A "Prayer House" began meeting in 1863, and a federal tax map that year labeled the corner of New and King streets "Baptist Church Colored." On December 6, 1864, 134 communicants withdrew to that Prayer House — the church's present site — and formal ministry began January 1, 1865, under Rev. Arthur Waddell of Georgia, the date the church observes as its founding.

Growth was rapid: 186 baptisms and 412 received by Christian Experience in the first year, and 895 members reported to the Gethsemane Association by 1868. The congregation repurchased its property for $350 in 1867 and completed the land transfer for $300 in January 1868.

The Building

Construction of the current sanctuary began in 1868. Local press noted it as the first church in Beaufort built "in the fashion of Solomon's Temple, without nails," and fully paid for by a Black congregation.

Pulpit built by Richard Grayson for $120; pews by R. G. Holmes in 1874

Bell purchased 1871; the current bronze bell (cast by Clinton H. Meneely, Troy, NY) is dated 1885 and now sits in its own pavilion

1893 hurricane flooded the sanctuary to the pews and tore away the steeple

2017 Hurricane Irma flooded the porch but spared the interior

Pastors

Pastor Years

Arthur Waddell      1863–1894

Paul P. Watson        1896–1908

C. H. Young 1909–1910

C. W. Walker          1911–1915

H. A. Patterson       1916–1917

G. G. Daniels         1918–1920

St. Paul Thompson 1921–1923

J. Alfred Wilson     1924–1931

Rev. Williams         1932

W. W. Worthen       1934–1940

T. C. Mills    1941–1942

J. W. Davis   1943–1945

B. B. Felder 1947–1949

Herbert J. Brooks   1950–1997

Michael Paul Dickerson   1998–2001

Alexander McBride          2002–present

Notable tenures include Waddell's thirty years of service (d. December 1, 1895, buried in the churchyard) and Dr. Herbert J. Brooks, whose forty-seven-plus years brought debt liquidation, the reorganization of wards into "Tribes," extensive facility upgrades, a library, scholarship fund, and Baptist Training Union. He was named Pastor Emeritus in 1997 and died in 2004.

Branch Churches and Notable Members

Old Fort Baptist (Port Royal) and Horse Pond Baptist (Burton) were organized as branch churches in May 1873. Old Fort requested and received independence in August 1933.

Robert Smalls — Civil War hero, congressman, and Reconstruction legislator — was baptized here in 1905 under Rev. Watson. (The document gives two conflicting dates for this: July 5 and February 5.)

Modern Era Under Rev. Alexander McBride (2002–present)

His watchwords: "Above All Else, Sound Doctrine." A three-phase restoration program addressed foundation, roof, and weatherization first, then sanctuary and educational building repairs, then historical restoration. Completed work includes a new sanctuary roof, twice-restabilized foundation, steeple renovation, custom mahogany doors (2017), HVAC replacement, relocation of the bell to a pavilion, and antique restoration of the shutters to their 1800s colors. Roughly a million dollars in grants were secured, two of them written by the pastor.

Organizationally, the era brought new bylaws, Thursday Bible study, a benevolent fund, a revived male chorus, a "Room of Remembrance" archive (dedicated 2019), a website and Facebook livestream, the first Mothers' Board (2013), and the first female trustee, Linda G. Daniels-Jackson (2017). A historical marker was unveiled at New and King Streets on June 16, 2013, and the church received historic preservation honors from the state in 2007.

Recent Years

COVID-19 halted in-person worship for roughly two years beginning in 2020. Membership has declined from 237 (2015) to 210 (2019) to 147 currently, partly through a 2024 roster purge. The 160th anniversary was celebrated January 17, 2025, on the theme "The Cost and Joy of Discipleship."

Following several resignations, current leadership includes Minister MacArthur Washington (Assistant Pastor), Deacon Rodney Singleton (Deacon Chairman), Deacon Solomon Singleton (Vice Chairman), Sister Ja'Nese Davis (Financial Secretary), and Sister Linda Brown (Correspondence Secretary). The Missionary Society was renamed the Eliza M. Washington Missionary Society in October 2024, honoring its first president.

As of 2026…

The First African Baptist Church will undergo more extensive renovations as Pastor Alexander McBride has obtained a one million dollar grant from The National Trust for Historic Preservation…More to come in the name of our LORD Jesus Christ…