On April 12, 1981, fifty-nine people gathered at McClain’s Auction Barn in Hemby Bridge, North Carolina, with one purpose in mind: to organize a Baptist church. For the next twenty months, members met on Saturday evenings to sweep and prepare the auction barn for Sunday worship.
The church began purely on faith. There were no musical instruments, hymnals, or collection plates. Hymns were sung from memory, and offerings were collected in coffee pots or hats.
Reverend Lawrence E. Funderburk, the founding pastor, taught the first Sunday School class on April 19, 1981. The first Communion Service followed soon after, using simple paper cups. On May 3, 1981, a special offering of $200 was received and used to purchase the church’s first piano. Wingate Baptist Church generously donated more than one hundred hymnals.
As attendance grew, the limited space in the auction barn required creative solutions. Tents and travel trailers were set up to serve as additional Sunday School rooms, and a covered pickup truck became the classroom for the youngest children.
On August 16, 1981, the congregation officially organized and adopted the name “Emmanuel Baptist Church.” Rev. Funderburk was elected as pastor, and Indian Trail Baptist Church—known today as First Baptist Church of Indian Trail—served as the mother church.
In 1982, Emmanuel Baptist Church was accepted into the Union Baptist Association. That same year, the church purchased a four-acre tract of land at the corner of Idlewild Road and Stevens Mill Road for $25,000. The land was paid off in March 1982. On July 25, 1982, the congregation held its groundbreaking ceremony, marking the beginning of phase one of construction. The first service in the new worship center was held on December 19, 1982, followed by a Dedication Service and Open House on January 2, 1983. During the dedication, Rev. Ellis Marks shared how God had awakened him one night and impressed upon him the name “Emmanuel” for the new church.
Phase one of the building project consisted of a 6,240‑square‑foot brick veneer structure featuring a 300‑seat sanctuary and an eight‑room education wing. The project cost approximately $121,000 but was valued at more than $200,000 due to the tremendous amount of volunteer labor, donated supplies, equipment, and materials provided by members, friends, neighboring congregations, and local businesses. The North Carolina State Baptist Convention also contributed through gifts and loans that helped make the project possible.