At 403 N Main Street in Four Oaks, North Carolina, First Baptist Church Four Oaks is known for connecting worship with education, missions and practical service. The Baptist congregation worships at 11 on Sunday, teaches preschoolers during the week, gathers adults and youth at 7 on Wednesday, and extends care beyond its own membership through a drive-through food pantry, meals, ramp building and mission projects.
Breakfast at 9:30, Sunday School at 10, Worship at 11
Sunday follows a clear rhythm at 403 N Main Street. Breakfast begins at 9:30 a.m., Sunday School starts at 10, and worship begins at 11. The church also offers a monthly newsletter and a weekly e-newsletter. The church office is at 104 E. Stanley Street and is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; the church phone is 919-963-2102.
Its welcome centers on people "who would come to worship God and find comfort and strength," people seeking forgiveness, strangers received as guests of Christ, children and youth seeking the Way that leads to abundant life, and older or weary people looking for light. The church closes that welcome with the words, "This church opens wide its doors" and says in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Recorded sermons are available through the YouTube sermon channel, and worship has also aired on Facebook.
Wednesday at Seven: Discipleship for Every Generation
At 7 p.m. Wednesday, adults meet in the Fellowship Hall for Bible study and discipleship, and child care is provided. Each week, instructors explore different aspects of what it means to be a disciple. Adults share the evening with three children's mission groups and a separate youth group, all beginning at 7. On the fifth Sunday of months with five Sundays, the Adult I Sunday School class hosts breakfast and a churchwide lesson, with Pastor Thurpin teaching.
- Youth Group: Young people in grades 6 through 12 meet after the evening meal. Acteens serve girls in grades 7 through 12, and a boys' group meets at the same time. The youth take mission and Bible-study trips, including a summer trip to Caswell, prepare the Wednesday meal twice a year with meals for shut-ins, and lead projects such as Cardboard City to raise awareness of homelessness.
- Children's mission groups: Mission Friends serves four- and five-year-olds, Girls in Action serves girls in grades 1 through 6, and Royal Ambassadors serves boys in grades 1 through 6. Each group meets at 7 with lessons, fellowship and activities suited to its age.
A Weekday Preschool with Classes at 8 A.M.
The Weekday Early Education program is an extension of the church's ministry to families and part of its effort to fulfill the Great Commission. Its stated goals include a nurturing, developmentally appropriate setting for mental, physical, spiritual, social and emotional growth, ministry to families, and a witness to Christ and his church. The curriculum is biblically based and uses Bible stories suited to each age level, while staff are described as people who profess Christ as Savior.
- Monday and Wednesday, 8 a.m. to noon: The Flamingoes and The Ducks are the two-year-old classes.
- Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, 8 a.m. to noon: The Bears is the three-year-old class.
- Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to noon: The Happy Campers is the four-year-old class.
- Friday, 8 a.m. to noon: Mom's Morning Out serves children ages one to three with painting, Play-Doh, dancing, stories and opportunities to play and make friends.
The Bears class uses hands-on activities to introduce time, weather, music, sharing, following directions, letters and numbers, with motor-skill activities and dancing. The Happy Campers class works on letters, sounds, sight words and the calendar, gives children twice-yearly assessments, and emphasizes learning to work and play together through plenty of singing. Across the preschool, positive guidance encourages problem solving and managing negative emotions, with respect and understanding for others regardless of race, gender, nationality, religion or background. Emily Evans serves as preschool director.
Children Learning Missions at Every Age
The mission groups give children and teenagers distinct ways to study the Christian faith while serving beyond the church. Every group meets Wednesday at 7, and Vacation Bible School welcomes community children ages three through twelve each summer under a new annual theme.
- Acteens: Girls in grades 7 through 12 actively engage in missions and ministry, reaching beyond themselves to the world around them. Their activities include sleepovers, lake outings and an annual coronation service marking the completion of their quest.
- Girls in Action: Elementary girls in grades 1 through 6 learn about missions, adopt grandmothers, visit nursing homes, collect canned goods and share God's love through service. They also attend summer camp at Mundo Vista.
- Royal Ambassadors: Boys in grades 1 through 6 gather for fellowship and fun while studying and praying for missions and planning service events in Four Oaks. Their annual RA Racers pinewood derby is enjoyed by the whole church.
- Mission Friends: Four- and five-year-old boys and girls learn basic missions concepts and become aware of missionaries and God's love for people around the world.
Four WMU Circles with Distinct Rhythms
The Woman's Missionary Union has a long history of local service at First Baptist Four Oaks and participation in national and international mission work. It is organized into four circles that meet in different parts of the church.
- Agape Circle: first Tuesday in the Fellowship Hall.
- Dorothy Parker Circle: second Tuesday in the Prayer Room.
- Missions for Christ: first Thursday in the Fellowship Hall.
- Lib Canaday Circle: second Thursday in the Library.
WMU projects include Backpack Buddies, Baby Love meals for families with a newborn, meals for funeral services, work with the SECU House and Samaritan's Purse, and Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes. All four circles collect a different shoe-box item each month, then come together to pack and ship the boxes.
Baptist Men and Young-At-Heart
The Baptist Men meet monthly for breakfast, devotion and fellowship, add fishing trips and retreats, and regularly work on local service projects for elderly and handicapped community members, including building ramps. Their national service includes disaster relief and foreign mission efforts in Central America. The Young-At-Heart group for seniors meets for lunch once a month and takes several Bible-study trips during the year, including trips to Caswell and other places.
Food in the Parking Lot, Ramps and Home Repairs
The food pantry opens in the church parking lot from noon to 2 p.m. on the first and third Thursdays. Food is dispensed through a drive-through line at the entrance directly across from the parking lot, and families may use the pantry once a month. Needed shelf-stable items include dried milk, dried beans, pasta and sauce, peanut butter, jelly, mac and cheese, rice, grits, oats, soups, canned fruit, peas, meats and vegetables, stewed tomatoes, instant potatoes and ravioli. The church cannot use food that has expired.
Community meals extend beyond the pantry. Backpack Buddies provides meals for children at local public schools who are food insecure over the weekend. Baby Love supports families with a newborn, and the WMU circles also prepare meals for funeral services.
Operation In-As-Much and the Tool Trailer
Operation In-As-Much is a day-long mission blitz held in the spring or fall. Teams cook for shut-ins, make home repairs, paint, deliver cookies, serve coffee to travelers, glean sweet potato fields and carry out other projects around Four Oaks. The Baptist Men maintain a trailer full of tools and supplies for ramps and small building projects, and they have built access ramps for seniors and disabled community members. The church also supports the American Cancer Society through an annual Relay for Life effort using sponsorships, luminary sales, a yard and bake sale, event sales and offerings.
From Four Oaks to Central America
The mission pattern moves between immediate neighborhood needs and wider Baptist service. Local emphases include the pantry, school weekend meals, family meals, ramp building, home projects, Operation Christmas Child and Relay for Life. Internationally, the Baptist Men have supported disaster relief and missions in Central America, while the WMU participates in national and international work through projects such as Samaritan's Purse and Operation Christmas Child. The church's missionary emphasis is therefore visible both in the parking lot and in partnerships that carry its service beyond the community.
Christ, the Great Commission and a Welcoming Door
The Great Commission is not separate from the church's teaching and service. It shapes the preschool's biblical curriculum and commitment to families. Children's mission lessons, youth discipleship and WMU outreach continue that emphasis, while staff who profess Christ as Savior shape the preschool environment. The church's welcome names Jesus Christ and describes a congregation seeking comfort, strength, forgiveness, abundant life and light.
Its practical response to faith includes preparing meals, sharing food, building access ramps, repairing homes, teaching children, packing mission supplies and supporting families with newborns. At First Baptist Church Four Oaks, Sunday worship and midweek discipleship sit beside weekday education and direct service, giving the congregation a distinctly active Baptist rhythm.