Shady Grove Baptist Church History
By: Brenda Ward
Shady Grove Baptist Church held their first service of worship in an old school house across the parking lot from its current location on County Home Road in Wentworth. In the 1800’s, and early 1900’s, both Baptist and Methodist ministers preached in the one-room school building.
In 1941, Rev. T. L. Sasser and Rev. Tim Bryant conducted a survey and found there was interest in the area for a church. However, the old school had not been used since 1916. This did not deter Rev. Bryant, as he repaired the old school and began holding services there in March of 1942 with 13 charter members: Harden Gillie, Mamie Miller (Delancey), Laura Miller, Mr. and Mrs. George Miller, Howard Ingram, Hazel Carter (Laster), Worth Collins, and Sara Collins (Powell); Doris Witty, F. M. Rivers, Rev. Tim and Eunice Bryant, and Josie Sasser (wife of Rev. T. .L. Sasser).
Marshall and Lucy Corum Talley later donated land near the current location, and a cinder block building was built in 1945-46 and eventually bricked. A nice fellowship hall (in memory of Howard Ingram) was added in 1973.
The following men have served as Pastors at Shady Grove: Tim Bryant, Milton Warf, A. G. Hunter, Robert Hare, L.A. Beach, Willard Fulton, Larry Prevette, LeRoy Joyce, Vincent Wall, Joel Gilchrist, and the current pastor Terry Larsen.