Redeeming Grace Baptist Church, which was formerly housed at Hudgins, recently moved to a historic church building at Harcum.

Redeeming Grace has been renovating what is known by locals as “Old Ebenezer” at the intersection of Indian and Farys Mill roads and began holding services there last month. A special dedication service for its new home, including a meal and history of the former Ebenezer Baptist Church, will be presented Sunday beginning at 10:45 a.m. The public is welcome to attend.

Dusty Dowdy, chairman of the Deacons for Redeeming Grace, said the church began outgrowing its former space in a storefront next to where Donk’s Theater was once located. “There was no place in Mathews big enough to take us,” he said.

However, in the midst of the search, Redeeming Grace was approached by Coastal Community Church, which owned Old Ebenezer for a period of time, to see if church leadership was interested in renting that building.

Instead of renting, both parties agreed it would be in both of their best interests to sell the building to Redeeming Grace through a rent-to-own option at zero percent interest. “We feel great about getting a really good deal on the building,” Dowdy said.

The purchase not only benefits Redeeming Grace, but also Coastal Community, which is using its full equity in the building to help fund its current location just south of Gloucester Court House. “That’s what we call God’s economy,” Dowdy said.

Though Redeeming Grace closed on the building earlier this year, the past months have been used to complete renovations on the building, which was constructed in 1949. Dowdy said the church hadn’t been used very much over recent years and Redeeming Grace ended up installing five new HVAC units, pulling up carpet in the sanctuary and refinished the floors, replacing the pews with chairs, re-painting the entire interior and other improvements.

According to Dowdy, Redeeming Grace had previously purchased land near Dutton in hopes of constructing a church building there. It is going to hold on to that property and have hopes of further expanding there in the future, Dowdy said.

Redeeming Grace’s pastor Van Loomis said it is the mission of the church to preach and teach the Word of God. “We’d love to have people unchurched that are in the area; or even those with previous ties to Old Ebenezer who may be interested, to come out and see what’s happening with the church,” he said. “And through the warm fellowship they will encounter here, we hope they will choose to stay.”

He said the church focuses on expository preaching, which details the meaning of a particular text passage of scripture. He said Redeeming Grace is part of the Reformed Baptist Church which subscribes to the doctrine set forth on the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith.

Loomis said the church encompasses high views of the Word of God and the Sovereignty of God and His Word. He said teachings go along with submitting to the Word of God and letting it be the authority in every aspect of daily life. “We’re not perfect at it,” he added. 

“Our fellowship is so loving,” Loomis said. “We welcome new people in and seek to help one another; and that’s a big blessing.”

The building’s history

Redeeming Grace member and deacon L. Roane Hunt compiled a history of Ebenezer Baptist Church. According to Hunt, Ebenezer was constituted in 1826 and it was at that time that the first church building was erected at the intersection of Farys Mill and Indian roads.

Over the years, Hunt said Ebenezer experienced great blessings from the Lord, and overcame many difficult times of war and other disasters. The original church building was destroyed by a cyclone in 1877, and a wooden church building was soon erected on the site, he said.

Despite its trials, Ebenezer was instrumental in establishing other Baptist churches in nearby communities, including present-day Newington, Petsworth and Bethel.

In 1949, under the leadership of one of its pastors, V.P. Locke, Ebenezer committed to the construction of the building Redeeming Grace now occupies at a cost of $21,000.

In the years that followed, the late Maude Dunston Booker bequeathed her estate to the church, and Ebenezer built a much larger facility in the early 1990s on a new site across the road. However, times and conditions changed and Ebenezer disbanded in 2016, giving away both of its facilities, one to BridgePoint Church and the other to Coastal Community Church.