From Forty-Two Charter Members to a 1,000-Seat Sanctuary
Oakmont Baptist Church traces its beginning to April 26, 1964, when 42 charter members gathered to form a new congregation in Greenville, North Carolina. They took the name of the surrounding neighborhood, and the Oakmont name has stayed even as the area around Red Banks Road has filled with retail, banking and government offices. The church purchased seven acres on its current site the following year, broke ground on a 16,000-square-foot worship, classroom, office and fellowship building by October 1967, and grew steadily through the decades that followed.
An additional 16,000 square feet of fellowship, educational and office space came online in 1993. In October 2003 the congregation finished a 28,000-square-foot sanctuary addition that anchors the campus today: a 1,000-seat worship center, a music suite and handbell room, a prayer garden, and the sound, lighting, projection and television systems that make the weekly service available beyond the room. Six capital campaigns over twenty years underwrote that growth, a record the church points to as evidence of sustained, sacrificial generosity from the membership.
In 2007 Oakmont bought the adjacent Oakmont Square Apartments as a ministry hub, expanding the campus into the surrounding neighborhood. The current church family includes more than 1,200 resident members who come from across the Greenville area.
Eclectic Worship on Sunday Mornings
Sunday morning worship at Oakmont centers on a 10:45 a.m. gathering in the sanctuary. The church calls the service eclectic, and the description fits. Music comes from a Chancel Choir, vocal ensembles, handbell choirs, praise teams, organ, piano, band and orchestra instruments, all brought together for the same hour. Drama, video, prayer, visual art and spoken proclamation are layered into the gathering as well, with the goal of proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ in as many artistic forms as the room can hold.
The aesthetic of the worship space is intentional. Crosses, candles, banners, communion symbols and artwork sit alongside projected scripture and prayers, and the staff works to create a sacred, multi-sensory environment. Taste, smell, touch, sight and sound are all invited into the experience, and the liturgy draws on ancient and modern sources alike.
There is no dress code. Some people wear suits and ties or dresses, others wear what they wore to breakfast. Greeters, ushers, staff and members make a point of welcoming visitors before, during and after the service, and ministers are available at the close of worship for anyone who wants to talk. New guests are not asked to stand or raise hands; everyone is asked to sign the fellowship pad so the church can stay in touch.
Oakmont's purpose statement is short enough to remember: Connecting Lives With Christ as the Center, through reaching, growing, and going. The building, the music and the Sunday liturgy all serve that purpose. The church frames itself as missional: being Christ's presence outside the walls matters more than what happens inside them, and the worship gathering is meant to send people out as much as it gathers them in.
Worship is also available to people who cannot attend in person. The 10:45 service is livestreamed each Sunday on BoxCast and Facebook, broadcast on YouTube, and replayed the same day at 12:15 p.m. on Cable Channel 7 in Greenville. A Roku channel carries the live stream as well.
Sunday School and Bible Study for Every Age
Sunday School begins at 9:40 a.m., an hour before worship, and is treated as an integral part of the church's ministry rather than an add-on. The mission statement is short: To Connect with God and Friends through Bible Study. Classes range from preschool through senior adults and meet in every corner of the building, including rooms on the Preschool Hall, in the children's hallway and throughout the adult education wing. A complete list of classes and room assignments is available from the church office.
Each class is built around fellowship, prayer and the study of scripture, with opportunities to listen, learn and share the experience of the Christian journey with other believers. Visitors are welcome in any class and can find help locating one from greeters at the entrances. Class options include groups for young adults with children, adults with middle and high schoolers, women's groups of all ages, classes for older coeds and a senior adult class.
During the fall-through-spring season the church layers additional Bible study on top of Sunday School. Wednesday nights feature a coed adult study, a women's book study, children's activities, preschool activities and a youth Bible study for grades 7 through 12, all running from about 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. A drop-in study on the book of Proverbs meets Wednesdays at 11:00 a.m. in room 300 and is open to anyone with a Bible.
For people who want something in the middle of the day or in the evening, additional small groups and studies meet in homes, at coffee shops and at restaurants throughout the week. A Women's Bible Study and lunch gathers at The Village twice each month, and ESL classes meet Tuesdays from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. and Wednesdays from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. for students at a range of levels.
For visitors who want a quick orientation, Oakmont offers 9 to Know, a nine-minute presentation that runs occasionally on Sunday mornings right after Sunday School and explains who the church is, what it believes and what it does. A deeper class called Connecting Conversations meets periodically and is recommended before joining.
Children and Youth: Preschool Through High School
Children and youth at Oakmont are organized by age, with a check-in and security system that starts in the nursery. Babies through five-year-olds have their own classrooms on the Preschool Hall, accessible from the Sanctuary by way of the red Gallery hallway. Parents receive a numbered sticker and a pager at the Check-Point desk, and a teacher pages the parent if a child needs them during the service.
Preschoolers and kindergartners meet at 9:40 a.m. on Sundays in room 203 for Sunday School, and nursery care is available in room 205 both at 9:40 and during the 10:45 worship hour. Children in first through sixth grades gather at 9:40 in room 507 for Sunday School. Wednesday mission activities for preschoolers (room 202) and children (room 505) meet at 6:00 p.m. during the school year, and the children's program maintains its own Working With Minors policy, including background checks for every volunteer.
Youth in grades 7 through 12 meet Sunday mornings at 9:40 in the Youth Room with Ben Gurganus for a time of gathering and discussion. They gather again on Sunday evenings at 5:30 at Branches, where a 6:00 dinner is followed at 6:30 by small groups. Wednesday nights at 6:00 bring another youth Bible study in the same room. Youth updates go out by text (text OAKMONTYOUTH to 94090) and by email through the youth minister.
When preschoolers reach the five-year-old class, the church encourages them to begin attending worship with their parents even if only once or twice a month, so they grow up seeing worship as part of family life. A separate Children's Church is not offered, but age-appropriate preschool classes continue during the 10:45 service.
The youth ministry at Oakmont does not exist in isolation. Mission trips, summer camps and service projects are folded into the calendar, and the church's partnership with Eppes Middle School through Backyard Buddies and Backpack Buddies gives students a chance to serve younger neighbors in Greenville.
Tuesday Meals, the Closet, Backyard Buddies and the Ramp Builders
The clearest expression of Oakmont's going purpose is the Tuesday Night Ministry. Volunteers gather in the afternoon to cook a hot meal for homebound members of the congregation and for neighbors in need, with Fresh Market in Greenville donating the food that goes into both the meals and the food boxes that are handed out the same afternoon. When possible, guests are also offered access to showers, clothing and other services. The meal is served weekly, with five-week months bringing one fewer Tuesday.
The Oakmont Closet sits at the back of the church by the playground and opens on the first and third Tuesdays of every month from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. to give away gently used clothing free of charge. Seasonal donations are accepted during spring and summer or fall and winter, and additional openings can be arranged by appointment through the church office.
Backyard Buddies is the church's one-on-one tutoring and mentorship program. Students are paired with a tutor who works directly with the child's teacher and school, providing homework help, reading support and study skills. The program runs on the Pitt County Schools calendar, with elementary and middle school students meeting Mondays or Tuesdays from 3:15 to 4:30 p.m.
The church also partners with Eppes Middle School in two ways. Backpack Buddies sends food home over the weekend with students who might otherwise go hungry, and Oakmont members help staff and support teachers throughout the year. The Ramp Builders, a small group of dedicated men, build accessibility ramps for neighbors in Pitt County who cannot get in and out of their own homes. Those needing a ramp can call the church office to make a request.
Beyond these signature ministries, the church supports the Baptist Children's Homes of North Carolina through the preschool's own mission giving, and a Knit-Crochet Group that meets Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m. makes prayer blankets, shawls and baby items for those who are hospitalized or homebound. The group also knits and crochets dishcloths that go into Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes each year.
Celebrate Recovery on Monday Nights
On Monday nights at 6:30 p.m. in the Multi-Purpose Room, Oakmont hosts one of the Greenville area's weekly Celebrate Recovery meetings. The program is Christ-centered and built on the actual words of Jesus, drawing on the Twelve Steps and the Beatitudes to walk people through hurts, hang-ups and habits - the categories the program uses for everything from abuse and grief to addiction, codependency and compulsive behavior.
The format follows a national template adapted to the Oakmont community. The first hour is large group, including newcomers who attend a brief one-time Newcomers 101 orientation. From 7:30 to 8:30 the room divides into open share small groups, with men's and women's groups running alongside the newcomers' track. The goal is to provide a safe, grace-filled place where people can begin to process what is going on in their lives and find a path forward through faith.
Celebrate Recovery is open to anyone in the Greenville area, not just Oakmont members, and a brochure is available from the church office for people who want more detail before attending. Don and LuAnn Sullivan lead the local program.
Music, Drama and the Arts in Worship
Music sits at the center of Sunday worship at Oakmont, and the church's Music Ministry is set up to welcome musicians of almost any age and skill level. The program includes the Chancel Choir, vocal ensembles, handbell ensembles, praise teams and instrumental ensembles, with some groups running on the school year and others meeting year round. All skill levels are welcome at any time of year.
The church describes music as a gift from God to be used for His glory, and the ministry is organized around five goals: learning more about faith, improving musical talents, providing outreach in the community, supporting meaningful worship and creating fellowship among the musicians themselves. The 2003 sanctuary addition included a dedicated music suite and handbell room, and the equipment in the room supports choirs, orchestras and praise bands in the same service.
Dr. Laurie Lee Cosby directs the Music Ministry as Minister of Music, joined by Alisa Gilliam on piano, Karen Meetze on organ, Jim Gilliam as Music Assistant and Caroline Bissette as Technical Assistant. A separate ensemble called the JOY Singers - Just Older Youth - represents the senior adult music program and occasionally joins the larger worship gathering, makes visits to local nursing homes, and participates in choral festivals with senior groups from around the state.
A Cooperative Baptist Identity
Although the name says Baptist, Oakmont's primary denominational family is the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina. The church works with some ministries of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina and belongs to the South Roanoke Baptist Association, but its mission funding - with the exception of member-directed gifts to the Southern Baptist Convention's Lottie Moon and Annie Armstrong offerings - flows to CBF and ecumenical partners.
That alignment reflects a particular Baptist sensibility. The Articles of Faith and Church Covenant, written by the original members in the first years of the church's life, are still the working doctrinal documents for the congregation, and they are available in full from the church office. Together they affirm historical Baptist views on the Trinity, the authority of scripture, the priesthood of every believer and the autonomy of the local church, alongside an ecumenical spirit and a clear call to service.
The identity also shapes how Oakmont partners with others. The missions budget supports CBF field personnel, the Cooperative Baptist Student Fellowship at East Carolina University, and a long list of local ministries. Oakmont members have served on mission teams with CBF partners in places like Alaska, New York, Canada and Belize, and the church's pastor, Rev. Eric Porterfield, came to Oakmont in 2023 from Fifth Avenue Baptist Church in Huntington, West Virginia, where his wife Alicia Porterfield, now Minister of Missions, had been an associate pastor. They are the parents of three sons, two at West Virginia University and one at Rose High School.
Beliefs and Joining Oakmont
Joining Oakmont is a slightly different process than at most Baptist churches. The congregation is in the middle of a one-year experiment with Community and Covenant as alternatives to traditional membership, and anyone considering making Oakmont their church home is encouraged to start with 9 to Know (a nine-minute Sunday morning overview) and Connecting Conversations (a deeper class that meets periodically with a morning and afternoon session, lunch provided).
Briefly, Oakmont teaches belief in the Triune God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - and recognizes Jesus as Savior and Lord. Members trust the Bible as God's Word, affirm the priesthood of every believer, celebrate the autonomy of the local church, embrace historical Baptist distinctives, hold an ecumenical spirit and affirm God's call of all people to serve. The church frames these beliefs alongside the equally important call to live them out: how a person treats neighbors and even enemies is taken as evidence of the depth of their faith, and the practical Church Covenant sits alongside the doctrinal Articles of Faith as a working document for the life of the congregation.
The church also holds tightly to a few practical commitments. Sunday morning worship is at 10:45 a.m., Sunday School is at 9:40 a.m., and childcare is available for babies through five-year-olds at both hours. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Weddings are reserved for members and their immediate families, and the church does not offer a weekday preschool program or a separate Children's Church.
Giving and the Legacy Foundation
The Oakmont Legacy Foundation allows members and friends to give above their regular tithes in the form of cash, securities, real estate, retirement assets, life insurance and bequests. The foundation has three funds - General, Missional Initiatives and Property Improvements - and is managed by the North Carolina Baptist Foundation. Earnings are reinvested until each fund reaches $1,000,000, at which point distributions begin to flow to the church, with the Missions Team, Property and Space Team and Stewardship Team deciding where the disbursements go.
Regular tithes and offerings can be given online through a secure portal, through the Church Life mobile app, by bank bill-pay or by traditional means. The church facility is also available for weddings and funerals for members and their immediate families, and rental policies for outside groups are available from the church office.