Tucked along Black Jack-Grimesland Road on the eastern edge of Greenville, North Carolina, Black Jack Pentecostal Free Will Baptist Church has anchored the rural Black Jack community for nearly a century. The church describes itself as a multi-generational group of people with a common desire to love God and love others, and its mission is to serve the people of its church and community by being the hands and feet of Jesus. On any given week that looks like English and Spanish worship services, Wednesday night Bible study for every age, Awana clubs filling the hallways with children, and a youth group planning summer mission trips - the steady work of a congregation that has been doing this since the Great Depression.
A Heritage Born of Revival in 1932
The church's roots reach back to 1932, when a spirit of revival swept through the Black Jack community during the Great Depression. Through the prayers of its leaders and the unmovable faith of its earliest members, the congregation grew into what it is today. A former pastor, R. M. Stewart, captured the spirit of those beginnings in words that still shape the church's identity: "May the rich heritage of the past impel us to greater achievements tomorrow. May the memory of those who suffered both physically and mentally that the Pentecostal message might be planted in this community, prove the incentive to those of us in the present who attempt to perpetuate their message. May our quest be after Holiness of life and may our goal be that of communicating this truth to our generation." The Pentecostal Free Will Baptist message has been carried here ever since, in a steady stream of baptisms, sermons, weddings and funerals across nine decades.
Sunday in Black Jack: Sunday School, Morning Worship and a Spanish-Language Service
Sunday is the centerpiece of the church's week. Adult Sunday School begins at 9:30 a.m., giving adults a space to study Scripture together before the larger gathering. Morning Worship follows at 10:30 a.m. and is the main congregational service. In the evening, at 6 p.m., the church hosts a Hispanic Service, providing a Spanish-language worship gathering for the area's Spanish-speaking neighbors. The dual-language rhythm - English in the morning, Spanish in the evening - reflects the congregation's reach into both the long-established Black Jack community and the wider Greenville area.
Children in kindergarten through fifth grade are dismissed after Praise and Worship for Kids Church, where each service is built around age-appropriate object lessons, music, prayer and other hands-on activities. Parents worship upstairs knowing their children are learning in a room their own.
Wednesday Nights: Bible Study, Awana and RISE
Midweek programming at Black Jack PFWB is designed so the whole household can be in the building at the same time. From 7 to 8 p.m., adults gather for Bible Study in one room. Down the hall, children from preschool through sixth grade are checked into Awana Clubs from 6:30 to 8 p.m. In another wing, seventh through twelfth graders meet for RISE Youth Ministry from 7 to 8 p.m., a small-group program designed to engage students in Bible study that connects with their daily culture and equips them to live Christ-like lives. Parents who arrive early can drop off younger children for Awana, join their own study, then pick everyone up together at 8 p.m.
Children and Students: Awana, RISE and Crusader Youth Camp
The children's ministry revolves around Awana, the international, Scripture-based club program. Puggles introduces three- and four-year-olds to four foundational truths - God Made Everything, God Is Great, God Loves Us, and We Give Thanks - through curriculum, parent materials and themed songs. Cubbies serves preschoolers ages three to five, walking them through two years of material called HoneyComb and AppleSeed. Sparks covers kindergarten through second grade with a three-year curriculum that walks from Genesis to Revelation, and T&T (Truth And Training) takes third through sixth graders deeper into Bible study, application and group discussion.
For older students, RISE Youth Ministry gathers middle and high schoolers for small-group Bible study that is intentional about addressing the pressures of contemporary culture. The youth ministry extends beyond the church walls each summer with Crusader Youth Camp (CYC), a five-week program running through June and early July. CYC is divided by age into Elementary #1 (K-2nd), Elementary #2 (3rd-5th), Middle School (6th-8th), High School (9th-12th) and College Age (up to 25). Its mission is simple: "a place to have fun, make friends, and experience God." Each February, middle school, high school and college students gather for the Encounter Youth Conference.
Women's Ministry and Men's Fellowship
The Women's Ministry is rooted in Proverbs 31:10 ("Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies.") and centers on promoting interest among women in the work of Christ's kingdom. Regular meetings feature devotions, guest speakers, praise through song, food, fellowship and occasionally crafts. The annual fundraiser supports Heritage Bible College, Crusader Youth Camp, local families in need, Girl Scouts, the church's own youth activities and more. Other events include Ladies Day, banquets and statewide conferences.
The Men's Fellowship, branded "Real Men, Real Battles, Real Victory," gathers men for devotional meetings, guest speakers, Men's Day, fishing trips, gun range practice, a Sweetheart Banquet for wives, and service projects. The men support the Women's Ministry where needed and pitch in at local food banks and the homeless shelter. Both groups see their work as part of the church's larger commitment to its neighbors.
Missions: Local, National and in Nine Countries
The church takes seriously the final command of Jesus to "go into all the world and preach the gospel." Mission giving and service happen on three levels. Locally, when a specific need arises in the community, members give of their time and money to meet it, and regular budgeted giving keeps that work ready. The youth participate in summer missions trips sponsored through GROUP, including Weekend Workcamps - a four-day home repair service experience - and Week of Hope, a five-day community service experience meeting needs of disadvantaged children, youth and adults. Around the world, the Pentecostal Free Will Baptist Church has a visible presence in nine countries, and the denomination is also committed to planting new churches across the United States. The church coordinates its wider missions work through denominational headquarters.
What Black Jack PFWB Believes
The church's statement of faith begins with the Triune God: God the Father is the Creator and Ruler of the universe, eternally existing in three equal persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is the Son of God, co-equal with the Father, born of a virgin, who lived a sinless life, died on the cross as the perfect sacrifice for sin, rose again after three days and will return to reign as King of kings. The Holy Spirit is co-equal with the Father and Son, present in the world to draw people to Jesus, living within every believer from salvation, and providing power, understanding and guidance. The church believes in a definite, subsequent baptism in the Holy Spirit, with the first evidence being speaking in other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance, in keeping with Acts 2.
The Bible is God's Word, written by human authors under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit, the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs and living. People are made in the image of God but are marred by sin, which separates them from their Creator. Salvation is God's free gift, received by trusting in Jesus Christ and his sacrifice rather than by self-improvement or good works; the result is being born again, forgiven and set free from sin's power. Water baptism is practiced as an outward testimony to that inward work, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Finally, the church affirms that people are created to exist forever - either eternally separated from God in hell or eternally with God in heaven, both of which are real places of eternal existence.
Giving, Sermons and Pastoral Leadership
Members and guests can give in three ways: by texting "blackjackchurch" to 73256, through online giving, or by traditional cash or check using the envelopes in the back of the pews. A wide archive of sermons is available online, with messages going back several years and recent series built around the Sermon on the Mount prayers ("Our Father," "Hallowed Be Your Name," "Your Kingdom Come," "Deliver Us"), revival themes ("Waking A Dead Church," "Return To Your First Love"), and seasonal studies on prayer, fasting, family and missions.
The congregation is led by Pastor Ben Taylor. Born in Venezuela as a missionary kid and the son of a pastor, he grew up in the church and later served his community and state as a Deputy Sheriff and a North Carolina State Trooper before answering a call to preach. He spent three years as Youth and Family Life Pastor at North Haven Church in Raleigh before stepping into his role at Black Jack PFWB. He and his wife Brook have been married for over two decades and have three daughters - Sarah, Hannah and Abbagail. Diane Mills serves as church secretary. The pastor's stated heart is to see people encounter Jesus, grow in their faith, and live out their God-given purpose - a fitting summary for a church that has been pursuing the same mission since the revival of 1932.