Gill Grove Baptist Church was organized September 22, 1843. It was born out of a series of revival services preached by Pastor Samuel Taylor. Twelve conversions from the meeting made up the majority of the new church’s membership, and there were seventeen members when the church was organized. Pastor Taylor became the first pastor of Gill Grove Baptist Church and served for 31 years. Under his leadership the church grew, and by 1865 the church had 127 members. The first Sunday School classes started in 1868.
In 1844, William Francis Gill, a prosperous Methodist planter, gave a parcel of land, and the first building was built in 1852. In 1884 the building was remodeled, and later an entrance, wings on either side, and electric lights were added. Today the original church building is used for our Junior Church each Sunday.
In April of 1974, the church had 38 members on its roll. During that month, John Brothers (Pastor Bio below) was called to serve as part-time pastor until May, 1976, when he was called as Gill Grove’s first full-time pastor. Through the grace of God, under Pastor Brothers’ leadership and through the efforts of its great and loving people, in seven years the church grew to 612 members. On Sunday, September 25, 1983, the church celebrated its 140th anniversary with 558 present in Sunday School, the largest attendance in the history of Gill Grove.
Family Life Center
Church Auditorium
In 1979, the church purchased 5.5 additional acres of land for the construction of a new church auditorium. The congregation moved into the building in October 4, 1981. In 1996, the church purchased 31 more acres to bring the total acreage to just under 40 acres. in 2006, construction was completed on the Family Life Center which houses offices, classrooms, a kitchen, and gymnasium.
PASTOR JOHN BROTHERS BIO
PASTOR FROM 1973 TO 2020
Pastor John Brothers was born in Virginia Beach, Virginia in 1943. He and his wife, Nita, were married for 57 years and had four children and thirteen grandchildren. On October 29, 1966, Pastor Brothers and his wife both received Christ as their personal Savior at the showing of a Christian film. On that Saturday night, they got in on God’s family plan. Because of that life-changing evening, Pastor Brothers had a great desire to reach entire families with the Gospel of Christ.
In November 1966, Pastor Brothers was drafted into the U.S. Armed Forces. While stationed in Killeen, Texas, he grew in the Lord under the preaching of Pastor Floyd Franks at Memorial Baptist Church there. After completing his military service, he was employed by the Treasury Department, US Customs, until he was called to preach the Gospel in 1973. He was ordained in 1974, and in 1977 he graduated from Liberty Baptist College as a Pastoral Major. While attending college, he became the part-time Pastor of Gill Grove Baptist Church, which then had services only on Sunday mornings. He soon added the Sunday evening, and later the Wednesday evening services, and in May 1976, he was called to be Gill Grove’s first full-time Pastor.
He served as Pastor faithfully for over 46 years until he went home to Heaven on January 6, 2020.
