Beaumont Baptist Church stands at 945 Beaumont Avenue in Spartanburg, South Carolina, in the Beaumont community whose name has been part of its story since the first Baptist service in 1909. The church is known for blended worship that joins hymns with praise music, Bible centered preaching, family friendly care, and a practical emphasis on spiritual growth and discipleship. Senior Pastor John Lee leads a congregation whose mission is to glorify God by growing spiritually healthy believers who live out the gospel in everyday life.
Sunday at Beaumont: Connect, Worship, Learn
The Sunday rhythm moves from connection to worship and then into teaching. Children and adults each have a gathering designed for them, while the whole church shares one morning worship service.
- 9:30 a.m. Small Groups and Sunday School in small, intimate groups where people can get to know one another.
- 10:30 a.m. Worship with music, preaching, and fellowship in an inviting atmosphere.
- 5:30 p.m. Awana Kidz Club, a gathering for children.
- 6:00 p.m. Sunday Evening Bible Study for adults.
Small Groups and Sunday School are where connection starts. The groups are intentionally small and intimate, giving people a good way to know the church and one another. At 10:30 a.m., everyone comes together for worship. The service places the Bible at the center and includes focused prayer, cheerful giving, and preaching intended to build disciples.
Pastor John Lee describes the preaching as Biblically grounded and gospel centered, with clear application to daily life and a spirit of truth, love, and grace. The gathering welcomes people who are new to faith, returning after a long absence, or following Jesus for many years. Its goal is to help people discover purpose, peace, joy, spiritual health, and kingdom growth rather than simply get through the week.
At 5:30 p.m., Awana Kidz Club gives children a Sunday gathering of their own. During worship, infants and toddlers can be cared for by workers in a clean childcare environment, while children receive spiritual training from caring leaders. Adults gather for Bible study at 6 p.m. A visitor card gives first time guests a way to let the church know they are present and how it can support them.
Your First Visit: Upper Lot, Greeters, and Casual Clothes
First time visitors have practical directions for their arrival. The church address is 945 Beaumont Ave., Spartanburg, SC 29303. Guest parking is designated in the upper parking lot, and greeters stand at the doors to help visitors find the right room or gathering. The atmosphere is meant to feel relaxed and comfortable rather than formal or overwhelming.
- Parking: Designated guest parking is in the upper parking lot.
- Clothing: Most attendees dress in business casual or casual clothing, but guests should simply wear what they have.
- Childcare: Infants and toddlers are cared for during services by caring workers in a clean environment.
- Welcome: Greeters at the doors help visitors find their way, and a visitor card lets the church know how it can support guests.
The clothing norm is broad. Some attendees wear suits, while others wear jeans. The church's guidance is to come as you are and wear what you have. Families are welcome throughout the service. Care is available for infants and children, and older children take part in spiritual training led by caring adults.
Hymns, Praise Music, and a Gospel Centered Sermon
Beaumont's worship music blends the traditional and the modern. Hymns and praise music are led by the worship leader, choir, and worship team, with the music built around Biblical themes meant to remain timeless. The blend gives the service a worshipful atmosphere without asking visitors to know the congregation's habits in advance. Guests are welcomed and encouraged to take part in the music, prayer, preaching, and fellowship.
Pastor Lee's welcome to newcomers says the church does not offer quick fixes or empty clichés. Instead, Beaumont is organized around helping people walk step by step into the full life God has designed. He quotes Jesus in John 10:10, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full,” and connects that promise to spiritual growth, meaningful relationships, and purpose in Christ. The same welcome extends to people beginning to explore faith and those who have followed Jesus for years.
That theme runs through Beaumont's mission and vision. The church wants to glorify God by producing spiritually healthy believers who live out the gospel every day. It also wants to answer God's call to worship, pray, evangelize, make disciples, share fellowship, minister, and pursue missions, so lives are transformed, gifts are used, and people can be reached with the hope of Jesus Christ.
From Homes on Beaumont to the First Baptist Meetinghouse
The church's story begins with Alice Jane Cranford, born on October 27, 1878, to John H. Cranford and Mary Elizabeth Jamison in York County. As a teenager, Alice became part of the family of God. She married John David Cooley in 1902, and the couple moved to the Beaumont community in 1904. Alice and other members of a Missionary Society met regularly in different homes and began praying for the need of a Baptist church in the community.
Once assured of God's direction, Alice approached Judge J. J. Gentry, who owned land near the present intersection of Southern and Kingston streets. He offered the lot if the group could raise $50 by Saturday night. Alice went from house to house collecting nickels, dimes, and quarters from friends who wanted to help. She wrote down each donor's name and embroidered those names onto a cloth. Gentry donated the property, but the proposed location was abandoned because it lacked the visibility and accessibility needed for a church.
The first building stood at 717 North Liberty, where Mrs. I. L. West's father paid $200 for the property. The first service in that structure took place on Sunday morning, February 28, 1909. Judge Gentry delivered the first message, and Dr. T. M. Bailey, then secretary of the State Mission Board, brought the evening message. The original building was a neat wooden structure completed in 1909 under Rev. J. W. Walker's leadership. It was remodeled in 1951 under Rev. Dewey S. Welchel, with several Sunday School rooms added. In 1958, the basement was dug out and more rooms were created.
Pastor John H. Cox was called to Beaumont in June 1980. His leadership brought healthy growth across the church's work. As participation increased, the congregation recognized that it needed a larger facility, setting in motion the move to Beaumont Avenue.
A Larger Church on Beaumont Avenue
In August 1987, Beaumont purchased 6.4 acres at 945 Beaumont Avenue from Paul Burnett. Members paid for the land in 11 months. McMillian and Satterfield drew the blueprints in 1989, Triangle Construction served as builder, and David McAbee was the architect. The completed building contains 30,250 square feet. Its 5,250-square-foot sanctuary seats 544, and the rest includes 25 rooms, offices, and a fellowship area with a full kitchen.
At completion and dedication, workers sealed a time capsule in the cornerstone. Members placed a church directory, the church's history, a Bible, and a song given by Carolyn Welchel inside, preserving both institutional memory and pieces of congregational life.
Two property additions followed. In 1996, members funded a double garage to house two vans purchased for the church's van ministry. In 2000, they raised money for playground equipment in a landscaped, fenced area. The property has become a setting for worship, teaching, fellowship, and family activities across different ages.
Alice Cooley's daughters eventually returned the embroidered donor cloth to the church. Mrs. Grace Harris, a member since the age of 16, was asked to make it into a quilt. Deacons Mr. Jr. Pye and Mr. James Robinson built a frame for the quilt, which now hangs in the fellowship hall. The framed names preserve a visible link between the present building and Alice's house to house effort on behalf of the first Baptist gathering.
Seven Areas of Spiritual Health and Kingdom Growth
At Beaumont, spiritual health is expressed through seven connected areas: Worship, Prayer, Evangelism, Discipleship, Fellowship, Ministry, and Missions. These areas produce spiritual health and facilitate kingdom growth. Beaumont is a unified community of believers who confess Jesus Christ as Lord, gather regularly for preaching, teaching, and worship, and seek to live out the gospel in everyday life. The goal is a community centered on Christ where people of all ages can grow in faith, find purpose, serve together, and give back.
Prayer
Every believer is called to pray, and Beaumont teaches prayer as Jesus taught his disciples. Members are encouraged to make prayer a priority and to use the ACTS model: Adoration, giving God the glory due to him; Confession, bringing sins honestly before him; Thanksgiving, expressing gratitude for his blessings; and Intercession, praying for one another, the community, and the nation while expecting God to move.
Evangelism
Evangelism is the joyful responsibility of every follower, not the work of only a few. Because the church was built on the good news of Jesus Christ, members are equipped to witness boldly and share the message of salvation with a world in need of hope. Beaumont intentionally encourages witnessing as a vital part of everyday Christian life.
Worship
Worship is more than music or feeling. Beaumont describes it as the outward expression of an inward faith, a lifestyle of surrender, reverence, and adoration that should shape thoughts, fuel obedience, and draw people closer to God. Members are encouraged to evaluate and prioritize worship throughout each day, not only on Sunday morning.
Discipleship
Discipleship is maturity, spiritual growth, and reproduction. Because that does not happen automatically, Beaumont commits to teaching sound doctrine, mentoring new believers, and walking alongside people in grace and truth. The process is described as clear, precise, and reproducible, with the aim of making disciples who make other disciples, as Jesus commanded in Matthew 28:20.
Fellowship
Fellowship belongs to the whole body of Christ rather than a favored few. It reaches beyond sharing a meal to a community that feeds both body and soul. Genuine love, accountability in grace, encouragement through the seasons of life, and unity as a Spirit led family all belong to Beaumont's understanding of fellowship.
Missions
Beaumont intentionally engages in local and global missions. Members pray, give, and go, supporting people who proclaim Christ in places near and far and seeking to reach those who are unreached and unreachable. Missions is framed as a response to God's heart for the nations and an expression of the witness promised in Acts 1:8.
Ministry
Every believer is described as gifted and called to serve. Ministry is therefore the responsibility of the many, not a ministry reserved for a few. Beaumont seeks to equip the saints so the body of Christ can be built up in love, following 1 Peter 4:10 and its instruction for believers to use their gifts to serve one another.
Connect Groups for Seniors, Women, and Men
Beaumont organizes smaller communities around the different seasons and responsibilities of people in the congregation. The focus is not only on gathering for a large service, but on making room for Bible study, prayer, friendship, service, and encouragement within smaller relationships.
The Senior Adult Ministry is designed to help adults continue growing, connecting, and serving as they move through later seasons of life. It offers fellowship, Bible study, prayer, and service in a warm and welcoming community. Its aim is to counter isolation and help seniors build deeper friendships, strengthen their faith, and serve others.
The Women's Ministry exists to encourage and equip women to live out their faith boldly. Bible study, prayer, authentic friendships, and opportunities to serve provide places to be refreshed and strengthened. The invitation is open to women of any age or season of life, with the emphasis on growing together in Christ rather than trying to do faith alone.
The Men's Ministry offers a brotherhood rooted in Christ where men can be honest, grow stronger in faith, and be sharpened by others walking a similar path. Its activities center on studying the Word together, serving side by side, and helping men become godly leaders at home, at church, and in the world. The themes are deeper faith, meaningful friendships, and renewed purpose.
Several recurring monthly gatherings extend that fellowship beyond the church building.
- Ladies Night Out: A monthly 6 p.m. gathering for fun and fellowship at a restaurant in Spartanburg. The meeting place changes from month to month.
- Seniors at Lake Bowen Fish Camp: A monthly lunch and fellowship outing in Inman beginning at 4 p.m. Anyone wanting a ride can meet at the church at 3:30 p.m.
- Men's Meeting: A monthly 6 p.m. gathering for fellowship and encouragement.
These activities show how connection at Beaumont combines serious study and shared purpose with the ordinary pleasure of eating, traveling, and spending time together.
A Weekday Reading Rhythm
Beaumont also gives readers a structured way to read Scripture together. From Monday through Friday, daily selections come from both the Old and New Testaments. A reader can use both selections to move through the entire Bible or use only the New Testament selection. A daily devotion based on the day's New Testament reading challenges readers to grow deeper in Christian faith and walk closer with Jesus Christ.
The rhythm continues on Saturday, when readers review the Scriptures read during the week, reflect on their meaning, and ask how the Word can be more fully applied. Sunday brings the reading cycle back into worship, where believers praise God for what has been revealed and encourage one another. A 52-Week Journey Through the Bible plan sets one New Testament chapter for each weekday, allowing the New Testament to be read in a year, with an Old Testament reading added for those following the whole Bible.
The church's weekly sermon collection supports the same emphasis on hearing and teaching the Word of God. The phrase “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God” places the sermon beside the reading plan and the teaching that takes place in worship, Bible study, and discipleship. These are regular practices for spiritual growth within the life of the church.
Pastor John Lee and the Music Ministry
Senior Pastor John Lee began serving as a pastor in 1999, when he was 33 years old, and he has led Beaumont since 2019. He and his wife Carmen joined the Beaumont ministry and describe the church as home, saying he values working beside people he calls friends. His pastoral emphasis is steady, Biblically grounded teaching and a welcoming style: he is described as preaching truth with love and grace. His welcome to visitors emphasizes a life with purpose, peace, joy, and spiritual health rather than a church made up of perfect or finished people.
Music is organized under Minister of Music Jack Hawkins. Gail Lee serves as pianist and Carmen Lee as Clavinova instrumentalist, working with the choir and worship team that lead the blended service. Their roles connect directly to the promise that music and worship will be built around timeless Biblical themes. Staff with audio and visual responsibilities also support the gathering so the message, music, and projected materials remain central.
Beaumont's leadership model follows the principle in its teaching on Ephesians 4: leaders are to equip the saints for the work of ministry so the body of Christ can be built up. Pastoral leadership, music leadership, teaching, and the work of every believer are therefore parts of one ministry. Members are not simply spectators at services. They are teachers, learners, worshipers, servants, witnesses, and disciples who continue to grow together.
Ministry Beyond the Building
Beaumont believes in ministering to those around it and in the wider world, and it looks for ways to give back and make a difference. The call to mission is both local and global. Its members are described as people who pray, give, and go, sharing the gospel in places near and far. The emphasis on using spiritual gifts in everyday life keeps this outward focus connected to the church's mission of spiritual health and kingdom growth.
Local care is visible in practical forms. The two vans bought for the van ministry were given a double garage in 1996, and the church provides rides from its building for seniors headed to a monthly lunch and fellowship outing. Members also gather for food and fellowship through Ladies Night Out, while the men's monthly meeting centers on fellowship and encouragement. Beaumont includes cheerful giving in its services and accepts online giving for those who want to participate financially.
The pattern reaches back to the church's beginning, when Alice Cooley collected small donations and members eventually paid for the land at Beaumont Avenue in 11 months. The scale of the congregation and building has changed, but the church continues to connect worship, discipleship, fellowship, ministry, and missions. At 945 Beaumont Avenue in Spartanburg, Beaumont Baptist Church remains a place for blended music, Bible teaching, family care, and service directed toward the glory of God and the good of the world.