West Fairfield is filled with over 100 years of memories that we are very proud of. Over our 100 plus years, the church has experienced a lot of wonderful things to bring us not only to our current location but establish “Who” and “What” we are today.
Established in 1916 as Oak Grove Baptist Church, our location on Old Kivett Loop Rd in Jamestown began as a single room facility that was moved from Bales Chapel Rd. The facility at that time was one that had no air conditioning, or inside restrooms (which were not added until 1977)! Windows had to be opened during worship services so air could circulate in conjunction with the “fans” that the members waved back and forth. You may have had to deal with an occasional wasp or fly as well.
Over the years, that facility expanded with the addition of classrooms, as well as a Fellowship Hall too. At the turn of the current century, some adjacent land & property was purchased that contained a house and a cinder block building, once used as an automotive repair facility. The block building was renovated to serve as a Youth and Special functions area, and the house was rented.
Although the facility had been expanded and we had an additional one to use, the church was experiencing growth beyond what our facilities could accommodate. Our attention was then focused on building a new Sanctuary on the available land that we owned to meet our growing needs. We were soon saddened in this process after learning that the land would not perk, thereby preventing us from any construction unless city water and sewer services were available. There was no stated timetable from the city for these services. So, just as Oak Grove had done for nearly 90 years before, we turned to The Lord for help with this challenge that left us no available options.
In just a very short time, a phone call came from the City of High Point requesting a meeting with the board of the church. In 1993, the City of High Point had opened a landfill not far from Oak Grove. As you might imagine, having a landfill nearby can bring about a disturbing aroma periodically. Turns out, the city now had a desire to expand that landfill closer to the church. Although the aroma was often unpleasant, the meeting with city officials was an extremely pleasant one! They spoke to us asking if we would entertain an offer for them to purchase our facilities. How about that? This meeting was the first step God was taking to answer our prayers. If the offer was appropriate, and the church agreed to it, Oak Grove would then need to find a new location to move to.
Just six miles away – the former Calvary Church of the Nazarene property was on the market. In its entirety, this location provided a sanctuary & fellowship hall that could accommodate three times our current one, as well a house / parsonage, picnic shelter and day care building. The price, which was over a million dollars to purchase, was more than we could afford though.
God’s second step then took shape. A local couple was searching for a location to open a day care operation. This location had it, but they too had the same challenge of affording the entire lot. So, God connected all of us together so that we could formulate a solution that would allow them to purchase the portion they needed, and us to purchase the portion we did. He is good! In 2005, the entire transaction of selling the former location to the City of High Point, and purchasing the new location was completed.
For nearly a year, with permission from the City of High Point, we rented our former building while we were renovating and upfitting the new location. The lobby area was completely remodeled, a downstairs kitchen / fellowship area added, new carpet, upholstery on the pews and repainted walls throughout were completed. On Sunday May 7, 2006 we officially moved in and held our first worship service at our current location. As part of this relocation we changed our name to West Fairfield Baptist Church. We did this because there is another church named Oak Grove Baptist Church in this city, and we wanted to eliminate any confusion that could arise from there being multiples.
Since moving to this location. the facility has undergone some additional facelifts. The old picnic shelter was demolished and a new one built in 2016 in time for our 100th Anniversary. God has continued to see His plan though for WFBC. Today, the church is debt free, the energy, engagement and excitement of its people is thriving. This is all thanks to Him.
The first pastor, (John Haynes - pastored from 1916-1935) probably had no inclination what the future would hold for Oak Grove. What he did know though was that God, who is awesome, would bless the work of its people and ensure that their dedication and efforts would not be in vain. Since his pastorate, nine other pastors (R.L. Smith 1936-1974, Joseph Lawson 1974-1975, Carroll Stine 1975-1977, Interim Charlie Pearce 1977-1978, Elwood Faircloth 1978-1996, Clifford Sutton 1996-1998, Wayne Taylor 1998-2009, Interim Rodney Hedrick 2010-2013 and current pastor Mark Mosley) have continued that work first begun by the men and women of Oak Grove. God has been faithful for over 100 years and will continue to be.