History - Maple Creek Missionary Baptist Church

OUR HISTORY

Maple Creek Missionary Baptist Church may now be recognized as a historical landmark in the Greer Community, but this community church started with just a creek, a maple tree, and a two-horse wagon.

According to the church’s historical records, Maple Creek was founded in 1887 when Rev. W.B Chainey and David Holtzclaw were looking for a place to hold worship services for their African-American congregation. They settled on a place by a creek and sawed down a maple tree to make a pulpit. Chainey and Holtzclaw then borrowed a two-horse wagon and used the body of the wagon upside down for pews. “Maple Creek” seemed like an obvious name for the small church.

The congregation knew that it couldn’t continue to meet at the banks of the creek and soon moved to a barn shelter, and then to an old house.

Amid economic hardships God allowed this Under Shepherd, Rev. Chainey, and his congregation to secure funds to purchase the site of the first sanctuary located on Pelham Street. It was purchased from a firm that repossessed it from an A.M.E. Church. This purchase was made on April 20,1891. Brother David Holtzclaw, J.S. Sullivan, and D.S. Sullivan served as Trustees during this transaction.

In 1968, the church purchased property for a cemetery.

The church started to experience growing pains, so in July of 1972, the church broke ground for its current building, (609 S. Main Street), which houses a large sanctuary, fellowship hall, offices, and classrooms.

Unity has always been the philosophy of our church family based on the truth of the Bible. On October 9, 1952, the Board of Deacons recommended that the portion of John 12: 21 “Sir, we would see Jesus,” be placed above the pulpit. In 1973, Deacon B.S. Robertson was appointed by the church to see that the same verse go over the pulpit in the new sanctuary.

By 1986, the church had paid off its mortgage, and purchased two new vans to replace the buses that had previously been used to serve the congregation and community. Since then, the church has paved its parking lot, added an audio/visual system, installed stained-glass windows, purchased an outdoor bulletin board, and landscaped its property.

The old sanctuary building was used for a time as a recreation and education building, but when Rev. Earl Simmons came to lead the church three years ago, he and the congregation agreed that it was time to demolish the original sanctuary, and construct a children’s play area with a family picnic site that could, also, be used by the community.

In 1981, Rev. C.R. Lewis, Sr. took over as pastor and served over 26 years. After Rev. Lewis retired, the church was without a pastor for over two years. After evaluating over 190 applications, Rev. Simmons was chosen as pastor of Maple Creek Missionary Baptist Church.

“I was pastor of Mount Olives United Missionary Baptist Church in Washington, DC at the time,” said Simmons. “but they invited me down, and I saw that it was a great church, a very orderly church, and a very structured church. The people are so compassionate to others.”

Rev. Simmons moved to Greer with his wife, Sonia, in November of 2009 as Under Shepherd of the Maple Creek Missionary Baptist Church congregation. Since Rev. Simmons has become pastor, the church continues to grow. He has established a multicultural 501(c)3 ministry to create and develop programs for the community.

“We want to offer education, job training, and parenting [support for the community],” said Rev. Simmons. “We are, also, looking to build a Family Life Center on our property.”

The church is devoted to helping the community by feeding the hungry, participating in a clothing outreach program, providing harvest baskets at Thanksgiving to hand out door-to- door, and ministering physically and spiritually to prisoners. Maple Creek has also partnered with other churches in the area including the twenty-eight churches of the Enoree River Baptist Association, the I.M.A. of Greer and Vicinity, Praise Cathedral, Taylors First Baptist, Faith Temple, Mayfield Chapel, New Faith, Greater Hopewell, Moores Chapel, and New Trinity to hold special community events.

“My vision is to bridge the social, racial, ethnic, economic, cultural and religious gap that so often divides us as a people” said Simmons. “Denomination isn’t an issue. There is one God, one Scripture, one baptism, and one Holy Spirit.”

Rev. Simmons also wants his church to continue to develop a heart for missions. “Currently, we support missions through the National Baptist Convention of the USA,” said Simmons. “But we are seeking one day to have a missionary from Maple Creek to answer the call to minister the gospel in foreign countries.”

The church is also committed to its youth, led by Sister Shirley Kelley, Youth Director; and Evangelist Iva Jean Rice, Youth Minister. Our youth take educational trips, attend youth conferences, participate in summer Vacation Bible Study, and assist with community events. They also participate in the church through dance ministry, youth choir, oratorical contests, drama, ushering, audio/visual ministry, and the church website.

“I want our church to have an effective ministry that meets the needs of the community,” said Simmons. “I do not want to be limited by walls, but willing to go wherever and whenever God calls and commissions us. I want us to be a viable, vibrant partner in promoting family and economic growth in the city of Greer.”

For a church that has stood with Greer, almost since the town was founded, Maple Creek continues to strive because it focuses on “family values, faith, and fellowship,” according to Simmons. “There is a strong relationship here with Christ and the community; one that promotes good, sound Christian living.”

We are grateful and proud of our glorious heritage. We therefore, pause at the dawn of a new day to pay tribute to those who, by their dedicated lives and deeds, have paved the way for this great monument which stands today as a living symbol of their love, faith, wisdom, courage, loyalty, and perseverance.

The faithful souls who have bequeathed to us this great heritage were led by great and noble ministers. These ministers were:

Pastor: Rev. Earl D. Simmons, Sr.

OUR PRESENT MINISTERIAL STAFF

Rev. Earl D. Simmons – Pastor

Rev. Mary L. Durham – Assistant Pastor

Min. Sonia Simmons – Associate Minister

Rev. Stephanie Mayfield – Associate Minister

Rev. Maryland Durham – Associate Minister

Rev. Iva Jean Rice – Associate Minister

Min. Denise Long – Associate Minister

Min. Ricky Carter – Associate Minister

Rev. Gloria Bonds – Minister of Music

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Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

Luke 6:38