Harmony Baptist Church

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. The community of Harmony, out here in Anderson County, goes back to 1855, when several families packed up their lives in South Carolina and Mississippi and came to put down roots. They built homes.

They worked family farms. And for a good while, that was the shape of things. Then, in 1891, something else took root.

A congregation came together under the leadership of two men, the Reverend L. D. Funderburk and the Reverend A.

H. Sowell, and they named it Harmony Missionary Baptist Church. Nine charter members.

Just nine. Now, you might think nine people don't amount to much of a foundation. You'd be wrong.

They held their early worship services in a small building out on the Jepthia D. Harris farm, and that same little building did double duty as the community school. A Sunday School followed in 1892, and the congregation kept growing, quietly and steadily, the way a good root system does before you ever see it above the ground.

By 1917, that small facility on the Harris farm simply couldn't hold what had grown out of those original nine. Plans were made, and a new church building went up at its current site. Then the years kept coming, as they do, and more facilities were added to the church complex as the congregation continued to expand.

But nineteen fifty-eight rolled around and, sure enough, the need for a larger sanctuary arose again. They finished the new building in December of 1958, and on March 15, 1959, they dedicated it. Now here's the detail I want you to sit with for a moment.

For generations, when it came time for baptism, the congregation didn't have an indoor baptistry. They went outside. To the creeks.

The lakes. The ponds nearby. Rain or shine, cold or warm, that was the tradition, and it held for a long time.

It wasn't until 1976 that an indoor baptistry was built, and just like that, a long chapter quietly closed. From nine charter members meeting in a borrowed building on a farm, to a full church complex serving the community with a variety of programs across well more than a century. Harmony Baptist Church grew the same way Harmony itself did.

Steadily, faithfully, and one family at a time.

What the marker says

The community of Harmony began in 1855, when several families from South Carolina and Mississippi settled here and established homes and family farms. Originally named Harmony Missionary Baptist Church, this congregation was established in 1891 under the leadership of the Rev. L. D. Funderburk and the Rev. A. H. Sowell. Beginning with nine charter members, the congregation conducted early worship services in a small building on the Jepthia D. Harris farm. The church building also housed the community school, and a Sunday School began in 1892. By 1917 the congregation had outgrown its small facility, and plans were made for the construction of a new church building at this site. As the congregation continued to grow over the years, additional facilities were added to the church complex, but the need for a larger sanctuary arose again in 1958. Completed in December 1958, the new building was dedicated on March 15, 1959. An indoor baptistry was built in 1976, ending a long tradition of conducting baptism services in nearby creeks, lakes, and ponds. (1991) Throughout its history, Harmony Baptist Church has served the community with a variety of programs.