Antioch Baptist Church

Antioch Baptist

( Little Fudge Creek, Ona, WV )
Pastor -- Bill Davis

    A small group of christians from Susannah Baptist Church met in 1896 for the purpose of starting a new church in the community of Fudge Creek so that it would be nearer for the people attending in that area.   After several meetings in the homes a meeting was set for the purpose of organizing a church.
    The charter members of the Antioch Missionary Baptist Church were Brother Manual McCallister and wife Mary, Brother Hez Mayes, John Sanders, J. E. Beckett, Phoeba Stanley, Mary Sanders, Fannie Clark, Julia Myers and Mary N. Beckett.   Rev. J. W. Weaver was elected moderator and W. B. Hicks as secretary of the temporary organization.
    Tom Dundas gave a parcel of land to build a new church, and Rev. J. W. Weaver was elected to be the first pastor.   Since then there have been twenty-eight men who have pastored the church.   The church remained on Fudge Creek till 1966, when it was decided that parking and upkeep of the building was getting to be too much.   The church then voted to buy a piece of property from Jake Cremeans on Little Fudge Creek.   Ground was broken in July of 1965 for the new church and work proceeded with mostly volunteer labor from the church community.   The first service was held in the new sanctuary on Easter Sunday morning in 1966, with Pastor Evan Newman.
    With the growth of the church, space was needed for Sunday School rooms, so in 1974 ground was broken and was dedicated in February of 1974.   Then the church had added a full time pastor and felt it would be better if he lived in the community. so in 1977 the church built a beautiful parsonage.   In March, 1979, it was decided to build a fellowship building for church activities.   This was paid off in November of 1983.   In 1982 the church purchased property next to the church which serves as more parking area.