On August 3rd, 1816, missionaries from the Broad River association, Drury Dobbins and Berryman Hicks, organized Mt. Ruhama Baptist Church. The church was organized with 37 members. Mt. Ruhama was established 175 years after the first Baptist church in America was organized and 89 years after the first Baptist church in North Carolina. This makes Mt. Ruhama one of the oldest churches in our state and nation.
When first established the church was known as “Killians Meeting House”. No one knows when the name was changed to Mt. Ruhama. One of the meanings of Ruhama is “blessings”, and truly this church has been a blessing to the community for over 190 years.
Four church buildings have been erected on the current site as well as a fellowship addition. The church maintains a parsonage and apx. 100 acres of land for future development. Mt Ruhama also owns and maintains a Mission House for missionaries on furlough. This is an outreach mission of the church because no fees are charged for couples residing there. This is the only house of it’s kind in the South Fork Asociation.
Mt Ruhama has always been a missions minded church and has been instrumental in starting and organizing churches in other communities. Those churches include: Thessalonica, Olivet Baptist, First Baptist in Maiden, Piney Grove, Centerview, Lawings Chapel and Harvest Cove.
There are active WMU and Brotherhood organizations at Mt. Ruhama which promotes both home and foreign missions. A Church missions committee is selected each year to survey needs and recommend missions projects. Some of the missions projects supported by Mt. Ruhama include: New York, West Virginia and International trips to Brazil, Guatamala, Russia, Belize and China. Home missions trips include: Mississippi, Alabama, New York, Oklahoma, Tennessee, North Carolina and Vermont.
Mt Ruhama also began an after school tutoring program for kindergarten thru grade 6. This also includes a summer program and camp. The program cares for students from Balls Creek and Maiden community.
There have been many changes in the world and our community since our forefathers founded Mt. Ruhama 200 years ago. The common bond that unites our members are the principles of our faith. We strive to provide a place where spiritual growth can flourish.
We engage, therefore, by the aid of the Holy Spirit to walk together in Christian love and to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ through out all nations.