Where We Love Christ. Live Boldly. Change the World.
Friendship Chapel Baptist Church sits along a quiet country road just past the train tracks on the south side of Wake Forest, North Carolina, where Rolesville, Zebulon and Wendell meet the edge of the Triangle. The congregation worships at 237 Friendship Chapel Road in a multi-room edifice that was built at the turn of the twenty-first century, but the roots of the church reach all the way back to secret gatherings held in a brush harbor by enslaved people in the years before emancipation. Today Friendship Chapel describes itself as a Christ-centered, multi-generational church committed to making disciples, strengthening families and impacting the city for God's glory - a community that believes people matter and joyfully welcomes every nation and every generation.
From the Bush Harbor to a Multi-Room Edifice
The story that Friendship Chapel tells of itself begins around 1845, when people who had been enslaved gathered in what is now called the bush harbor, a clearing southeast of the present site, to praise God for the blessings they had received. Among them was a man named Nelson Ligon, described in the church's history as filled with the Holy Spirit, whose worship in the fields was so visible that white neighbors stopped to watch him work. According to the church's account, those white locals so admired the religious bearing of the Black worshippers that they allowed them to attend services in the balcony of the local white fellowship. The story goes that during one such visit Ligon was so overcome by the Holy Spirit that he leaped from the slave gallery, startling the white congregation so much that the service was ended and the landowners met to discuss what to do.
That 1865 meeting led directly to the founding of Friendship Chapel. One landowner offered land by the bush harbor, across the railroad tracks. Another agreed, but added, "we have to do this out of Friendship." The name was no coincidence: the very brush harbor where the secret worship had been held became the site of the new church. A simple log cabin with an open fireplace and one window was built around 1866. It was replaced in 1873 by an oblong structure heated by an open stove in the center of the floor, and in 1890 a sixty-by-fifty-foot sanctuary with a belfry and a tall steeple was built on the site just behind today's building - described at the time as the most beautiful of its kind in the Black community. By 1929 the church had grown to roughly 800 members under the pastorate of Rev. W.A. Jones (Bill) and his successor Rev. J.W. Jones. Despite the onset of the Great Depression, those leaders and the congregation dedicated the former sanctuary in May 1929.
The current edifice was begun in 1999 under the leadership of Dr. Enoch E. Holloway, Sr. and dedicated on December 10, 2000, "to God for the purpose of strengthening the body of Christ and winning souls for the Kingdom." The new facility allowed the church to expand existing ministries, add new ones and pursue missions in ways the older building could not. The Holloway years, which spanned more than four decades, were marked by growth in discipleship, community outreach and physical facilities, and by a vision that Friendship Chapel would be a lighthouse in the community.
Equip. Disciple. Serve.
The church's stated mission is short and direct: "Equip. Disciple. Serve." Its vision - "Love Christ. Live Boldly. Change the World." - is woven into the life of the church in everything from children's ministry to global missions. Friendship Chapel summarizes its theological commitments under six pillars: Grace, leading and teaching with the same grace the church has received and making space for growth, failure and renewal; Empathy, walking with one another in understanding and love; Radical Generosity, giving time, talent and treasure as tools for transformation; Excellence, giving God the best in preparation, presentation and practice, pursuing excellence rather than perfection; Intentional Relationships, pursuing spiritual growth through deep, honest and accountable community; and Spirit-Led Action, going where the Spirit leads even when it is inconvenient, uncomfortable or unconventional. The overarching aim is a community where people feel seen, known and deeply loved.
Sundays at Ten: Worship on Friendship Chapel Road
Sunday is the rhythm of the week at Friendship Chapel. Sunday School meets at 8:45 AM, either in person at the main campus or by phone, and the main worship service begins at 10:00 AM in person at the FCBC Main Campus building or online through what the church calls the Virtual Ship, streamed on YouTube and on Facebook. Opening prayer begins promptly at 9:55 AM, and the service runs about ninety minutes. The order of worship includes heartfelt prayer, dynamic music that ranges from soul-stirring hymns to contemporary selections led by choirs and praise teams, a time to greet neighbors, a moment of giving and a sermon from Pastor Eley that the church describes as impactful, convicting and encouraging.
A few Sundays carry a special flavor. On first Sundays the service closes with Communion, honoring the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. On third Sundays the young people of the church lead the way in a Youth Emphasis, or Takeover, Sunday that brings fresh energy and engagement to the sanctuary. The Wednesday night rhythm is online only, with a 7:00 PM stream on the same channels as Sunday. First-time guests are asked to arrive at least fifteen minutes before the service to allow time to park; the campus has four parking zones, and greeters are waiting in the main lobby to help newcomers find their way.
Friendship Chapel encourages people to come as they are. As a multi-generational and diverse congregation, you will see everything from Sunday best to business casual, dressy casual or relaxed attire. The focus, the church says, is on worshiping God and being fueled by the Word.
NextGen: Where Faith Grows
The church's NextGen Ministries gather children, youth and young adults under one banner with the motto "Where faith grows, purpose awakens, and the future comes alive." Children and Youth Church is offered for ages five through seventeen on the 1st, 2nd and 4th Sundays. On those Sundays the children and youth join the main worship service for the first twenty to twenty-five minutes and are then dismissed to their classes by age group and grade level. On third Sundays they stay for the entire worship experience, which on those Sundays is led by their peers as part of Youth Emphasis Sunday. For families with little ones not yet old enough for Children's Church, the church provides a self-serve nursery - a comfortable space where parents can tend to their child, let them play and continue watching worship on the screens. The Plan Your Visit page also describes a fully staffed nursery option for those who prefer to drop off.
Beyond Sunday morning, the Director of Student Ministries leads a fuller NextGen program built around four movements: Learn, Engage, Grow and Transform. The aim is dynamic worship, intentional discipleship and life-shaping moments that launch young people into a calling of their own. NextGen is paired with a Worship and Arts Ministry that develops musicians, singers and artists for the choirs and praise teams heard in the Sunday service.
Across the Street and Around the World
Friendship Chapel's mission work is organized around the conviction that the love of Christ was never meant to stay in one place. Locally and regionally, the church partners with ChurchNet, a community assistance network that connects churches and faith-based organizations in Wake Forest, Rolesville and Youngsville to share resources, coordinate aid and help families with essential utilities; and with Central Children's Home of Oxford, North Carolina, a residential care facility for children who cannot live with their families.
The church's signature community outreach is Hope House, a nonprofit ministry established by Pastor Emeritus Dr. Enoch E. Holloway and First Lady Emerita Dr. Marion Holloway as an extension of the church into the community. Hope House provides tutoring, mentoring, Bible study and a range of missionary outreach activities, and it grew out of the Holloways' long-standing work to address HIV/AIDS in Johnston, Cumberland and Lee Counties, work that earned Dr. Holloway the Light of Hope Award from the Wake County Board of Education and the Bill Hogarth Award from the Alliance of AIDS Services of the Research Triangle.
Internationally, Friendship Chapel supports the African Children's Choir, which provides education and care for vulnerable children through the transformative power of music, and Children for Children World Ministry, a recycling-driven initiative that, with aluminum cans, plastic bottles and monetary donations, has helped build a school serving 500 children and supported an orphanage with food and supplies in Uganda. The church also partners with World Vision, a global Christian humanitarian and development organization, and with Vibrant Church Network, a collaborative network of churches and leaders focused on revitalizing and multiplying healthy, mission-driven congregations.
The Pulpit at Friendship Chapel
Friendship Chapel's ninth Senior Pastor is the Rev. Michael L. Eley, Jr., M.Div. Eley accepted Christ at the age of seven and was inducted into the Academy of Preachers in 2013. He delivered his initial sermon and was licensed into the Gospel ministry in June 2015 at Mount Peace Baptist Church in Raleigh under the mentorship of Rev. Dr. J. Vincent Terry, Sr. He is a 2018 honors graduate of Hampton University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Marketing, and in 2021 he earned a Master of Divinity with a certificate in Faith-Based Nonprofit Leadership from Wake Forest University School of Divinity. In June 2022 he was ordained into the Gospel ministry through the Wake Missionary Baptist Association and serves as an Executive Committee Member of the Young Preachers Network of the General Baptist State Convention of North Carolina, Inc.
Eley began serving as Youth and Young Adult Pastor at Friendship Chapel in October 2018, served as Interim Pastor at First Baptist Church of Clinton from April 2023, and was elected in August 2024 as the ninth Senior Pastor of Friendship Chapel, succeeding Dr. Enoch E. Holloway, Sr., with installation in February 2025. His ministry, the church says, stands out for its blend of theological depth and cultural awareness, rooted in Scripture and responsive to the real challenges people face, grounded in authenticity and servant-heartedness. He is also a career technical educator in the Wake County Public School System.
Dr. Enoch E. Holloway, Sr. now serves as Pastor Emeritus after more than four decades at Friendship Chapel. Called to the pastorate in September 1982, he is a graduate of St. Augustine University and Shaw University and holds a Doctor of Ministry from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest. He retired from the Office of State Budget and Management after twenty-seven years as a senior budget analyst and has taught at St. Augustine's University and Northeastern Regional Bible College in Oxford, North Carolina. He has preached throughout the United States and traveled for missionary support to Cameroon, Zimbabwe and British Guyana. His wife, Dr. Marion Holloway, serves as First Lady Emerita and as Associate Pastor of Women, leading the Sister-to-Sister Women's Ministry and the GriefShare ministry. The church's Minister of Christian Education and Spiritual Formation is Rev. Patricia Jones, and Mrs. Valeria Holloway serves as Director of Student Ministries.
The Legacy Center
Off S. Main Street and Highway 98, the Friendship Chapel Legacy Center offers more than 5,000 square feet of flexible space across two halls, the Nelson Ligon Room and the Fellowship Hall, available for weddings, receptions, parties, business functions, community gatherings and church services. Each hall is equipped with flat-screen televisions, high-quality sound and computer ports for presentations. Thirty-minute rental tours are given by appointment only, and requests can be submitted online through the church's forms portal. The 237 Building, a separate structure on the main campus, is also available for rental, and an Auxiliary and Ministry Request Form covers uses by ministries and community groups.
Becoming Family
Friendship Chapel welcomes newcomers in person and online, and members and newcomers alike are invited to join either the Physical Campus or the Virtual (e)Campus family. Becoming a member begins with a Membership Form and continues through a New Member's Class that meets on a rotational basis, helping new members learn about the church, explore their faith and discover their purpose. In between, the church invites newcomers to stay connected through social media, ministry involvement and Sunday worship. Congregational Care ministries offer baby dedications, house and business blessings, a benevolence request form for those in need, and links to Wake County assistance resources. The door is open, the church says, because soon enough, guests become family.