Our History

In August of 1978, an evangelistic campaign was conducted in the City of Suffolk by former Pastor W.C. Scales, Sr., then conference President W. Palmer, Pastor D. McCotry and Bible workers in the area of whom was our own Sr. E. Nelson, Sr. E. Williams of Portsmouth, just to name a few. Conducted in the City of Suffolk at the Suffolk High School, it concluded with the baptism of twenty-one (21) precious souls. These converts were soon organized into a company along with members of the Prentis Park SDA Church in Portsmouth who lived in Suffolk and met in the homes of members to worship. The charter members were Elders and Mrs. Scales, Sr., Robert and Lillie Bonner, Horace and Mattie Sawyer, Quay Sawyer, Shirley Warren, Pamela Midgett, Evelena Britt, Edward, Lizzie, Sara, Dianne, Virginia, Edward and Mary Burrus, Lewis and Nancy Chamblee Jr., George and Sarah Bynum, George Basemore, Deborah Cleamons, Elmira Stallings, Maurice Wiggins, Brenda Clemmons, Laura Mann, Dorothy Powell, Cfroney Sawyer, James Reid and Jacquelyn Harrison. The Lord blessed miraculously in the early months of the year 1979, as the small company of believers raised $6000.00 to pay down the present church edifice and adjoining parsonage which was sold to us for the sum of $28,000.00. The company organized into a church with forty- four (44) members. The early months of the year brought about pastoral change. Pastor W. Cartwright succeeded Pastor Scales, Sr. and served as minister for approximately six months. A call to pastor in Newport News, VA left us without a pastor for a few months as Pastor Cartwright accepted the call. In June of 1982, Pastor Brathwaite came to serve us. He will always be remembered for the Revelation Seminar which he conducted that drew the largest number of interest that this church has ever had in an evangelistic outreach in this city for Adventists to date. Pastor Brathwaite served us for six years. The Allegheny East Conference decided to redistrict the Tidewater area in December of 1988 and sent us Pastor Maurice Taylor to pastor both Franklin and Suffolk as a new district. Pastors that followed have included George E. Thornton, Sr.; Melvin L. Greene; William Linthicum, Michael W. Dyson, Rudyard Lord,George Howard, and our current pastor James L.Thomas 3rd.