To be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ in a community is a laudable aspiration and one church congregations across our wonderful county work hard to do each and every day, spreading the gospel message and, by virtue of the outstretched arms they reach out to help others, putting action behind the words of Christ to go and be fishers of men.

For 275 years, Rowan Baptist Church and its members have been a beacon of hope and help in Sampson County, welcoming all those who have been weary and heavily burdened, as well as friends, families and youngsters — both those from right down the road and from towns and communities near and far — to come and be a part of their family, the family of God.

Tomorrow, ancestors, newcomers, long-time church members and new ones, friends and relatives, community leaders and former pastors, will all join on the church grounds to celebrate one of the longest-established churches in Sampson County. Proudly proclaiming they were “Founded Before Freedom,” the Rowan congregation is providing a special homecoming service, one that pays homage to the rich history of the church and looks to the future and spreading seeds of faith in Sampson and beyond.

It all started back in 1749, when a small band of believers felt the call to establish a church in Sampson County. And, according to a Rowan history written by long-time Sampson Independent columnist Micki Cottle, it was that call and the great leadership of minister Edward Brown that Great Cohera was founded.

From Cottle’s book: “They were a feisty, determined people these early Baptists — strong-willed, outspoken and hungry for freedom from English rule. There is an old saying, “find something you love enough to die for, and then live for it.’ This is precisely what they did. They lived and died for their faith.”

Rowan, Cottle wrote, witnessed the beginning and end of slavery, and has held fast through many major wars. The church survived the birth of a nation, the birth of a state, and endured harsh restrictions, yet through all the upheaval it continues to stand strong today.”

For long-time Sampson residents, names like the Rev. Millard and Katie Johnson, the Rev. Mike and Barbara Shook, Lucille and Dot Carr, Jo and Ralph Robinson, Lucille and Leonard Yancey, Donald and Lillian Pope, Frances and Gus Sutton, Emma Ann and JD Chambers are some of those synonymous with Rowan over the last few decades, people with a love of church, community, family and spreading the gospel. But the list is far longer than the names mentioned here, the roots far deeper than just a handful of individuals.

For one of the things that has always made Rowan stand out has been its spirit of togetherness — a people working as one for the only recognition that truly matters — that Jesus Christ is Lord and wants to be savior for every person.

As robust in outreach as in history, Rowan is known for its missionary work through the Women’s Missionary Union, Baptist on Mission, RAs and GAs. That work has been passed down from generation to generation, with church members answering the call in their own hometown and in states and communities across the nation and globe, responding to the needs wherever those needs might take them.

For over two centuries, the people of Rowan have been faithful to their call to service, their mission to spread the gospel, and they have not wavered in that mission.

As the ancestors of those first faithful, determined Baptists of Great Cohera, those who gather tomorrow to celebrate are doing so with hearts on fire for the Lord and doors wide open to all those who seek the grace that only Christ can give.

While times have changed and church attendance across the nation has waned, the spirit that lives on at Rowan burns just as bright as it did 275 years ago, a spirit that beckons all to come. And the desire to spread the gospel message to a world that desperately needs to hear and receive it, is just as palpable today.

Rowan’s members today still stand strong in their Christian beliefs and their desire to answer the call, and they mirror the strength of the generations who have come before them.

We pray God’s blessing on this great piece of Sampson’s history, and the men, women and children who make up this wonderful congregation. We congratulate them on 275 years of shining God’s light on this community. May it continue to burn just as bright for 275 more years.