History

The year was 1940 and there were wars and rumors of wars, but in the little town of Bassett, Virginia, there were those whose focus was on furthering the cause of Christ by beginning a new Baptist church.

Though she was 80 years old, Mrs. Pocahontas H. Bassett, who had been instrumental in founding and constructing two previous churches, was eager to extend the missionary spirit by beginning yet another church. Her husband, founder of Bassett Furniture, offered the land between his house and his brother-in-law’s, Mr. Reed L. Stone’s.

On September 9, 1946, the Carillonic Bells, given by Mr. and Mrs. J. D. Bassett, Sr., were dedicated. The Dedication Plaque in the vestibule reads: “The Carillonic Tower Bells in this church are dedicated to the Glory of God and in grateful recognition of the Sacrifice and Service of the Men and Women who served in World War II”.

After pastoring our church for 12 years, Dr. Johnson accepted a position to become Chaplain of the Virginia Baptist Hospital in Lynchburg. Dr. George D. Stevens, Sr., was called to be the second pastor of our church.

In 1963, Dr. Stevens retired and moved to Troutville, VA, having completed nine years of fruitful work. In November of 1963, Rev. William L. Hales, then pastor of Hull’s Memorial Baptist Church, Falmouth, VA, accepted the call to become our third pastor. His youthfulness and enthusiasm were very contagious and the Lord’s work went forward.

In 1967, one of our very talented members, Mrs. Pauline Ramsey Wells, suggested we place a special Christmas tree in our sanctuary, and that we also make the ornaments for it. Under her expert guidance, several members made the prescribed gold and pearl ornaments, all symbolic of Christ, called “Christ Monograms”(“chrismons” for short).

Member Lloyd W. Wells offered his assistance each year by finding a large and suitable cedar tree for this purpose. Though we now use an artificial tree, the tree and the ornaments continue to be a beautiful enhancement to our celebration of Advent, Christmas and Epiphany. The trunk of our last live tree now forms the cross which we use for our Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Easter services.

Rev. Earl Calvert accepted the call to be our minister in September, 1975. He had been pastoring Glen Allen Baptist Church in Glen Allen, VA.

On March 11, 1983, Dr. Earl J. Calvert tendered his resignation saying, “For everything there is a season.” He served faithfully among us for almost nine years. His new pastorate became First Baptist Church of Bristol, VA.

When Henry County Schools incorporated kindergarten into the school system, the church established a preschool.

Determining that there was a need for a class for 3 year olds in the community, the church expanded its preschool to include such a class in the fall of 1985.

In 1988 it was decided that the church needed to enlarge and make more convenient the nursery and children’s Sunday School departments. The fellowship hall was redesigned to accommodate more classrooms. General clean up and repairs were made as we neared the fifty year mark. A ramp for handicap access was added to the front steps and an elevator, given by Mrs. Lucy Bassett and her family, was also installed.

The original pipe organ for the church was built in 1941 by the Henry Pilcher Sons Organ Company, Opus 1955 with 2 manuals and 16 stops. In 1991 the Wicks Organ Company rebuilt, expanded and upgraded the organ to about 26 ranks in 2 manuals. The deacon board passed a resolution expressing their appreciation to Mary Elizabeth Morten and Kathryn Bassett for this most generous gift to the church. The organ was given in memory of their parents, Mr. and Mrs. William M. Bassett.

During that year, our pastor of 12 and a half years, Rev. Dale Ashley, submitted his resignation to accept a pastorate at Mt. Olivet Baptist in Montpelier, VA. He had had a very memorable pastorate with us – having married 58 couples, having baptized 78, having celebrated the birth of 40, and having led memorial services for 68. Our church was also part of the birth of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, and we established a Mission and Ministries Endowment.

On Sunday, October 15, 2000, we celebrated our 60th Anniversary and Homecoming. Dr. William Hales, our former pastor, returned to bring our morning message, Neil Maxey composed a special song for the occasion, and Galilee Clark wrote a biography of Pocahontas Hundley Bassett.

We opened our new church library on September 8, 2002. It was located on the sanctuary level in order to be easily accessible.

During this year, an Awana Program was begun, as well as a new mission group called Women on Mission. A soup kitchen ministry was started by the Women on Mission to prepare and deliver hot lunches to our homebound members.

In 2006, a group of area churches began a food bank and benevolence organization called The Grace Network. That year, our church joined The Grace Network and began to support it financially. The Grace Network’s motto is “Giving a Hand Up, not a Hand Out,” which speaks of their aim to aid needy folks of the area without creating a dependency on that help. Now, in its 19th year, TGN continues to provide food and financial assistance with rent and monthly bills. In addition, we receive offerings of loose change every week to give to TGN. This offering we call “Change for Grace”.

Under Pastor Hewitt’s ministry the Pickers and Fiddlers Songfest began in April 2009. The Church Shack Band was formed about the same time. Pickers and Fiddlers is a 2-hour bluegrass and gospel music fest which meets once a month in our fellowship hall.

It draws wonderful musicians from all over southwest VA and it is free of charge.
Another new ministry which was begun during this time was to participate in the annual Bassett Heritage Festival on the second Saturday in September. The Heritage Festival is our opportunity to interface with our community as we share ourselves and our Lord with our neighbors. During the festival, we provide balloon animals, bottled water, ICEE pops, and other fun or useful items.

Still another regular ministry which was begun at this time is Trunk O’ Treats. Every Halloween we “decorate” ourselves and our cars, and give out treats to some 300 children from the Bassett area.

Finally, we also began an after-school kids’ program offering the students of Campbell Court Elementary School help with their homework, as well as the chance to make some crafts, play games, sing, and have a good time.

Around this time, we began to see a need in our community for offering a free, hot, nutritious meal, so in 2014, we began to do that on the third Thursday of the month. We now have cooking teams made up of members who rotate the planning and preparing of meals while other members serve. It is a special evening which includes a devotion, prayer, and a wonderful time of food and fellowship around the table with our neighbors.

On February 13, 2017, Rev. Susan Spangenberg began her ministry as the first woman pastor of our church. This year (2025) she begins her 9th year with us.

Over these eight years, Susan has introduced some new worship experiences at Pocahontas such as prayer stations for Ash Wednesday, a Maundy Thursday service which includes a prayer walk (labyrinth), a Good Friday service which is lay-led, and the celebration of Pentecost. We have consistently offered an annual children’s Easter party with egg hunts for younger and older children, as well as a Trunk O’ Treats which draws hundreds of children and families. We also continue to hold an annual vacation Bible school.

Around 2019, under the leadership of member Pat Sharpe, we began a 5k run event called “Jingle for Jesus” on Christmas Eve morning. Part of the fun is petting the live nativity animals provided by Infinity Acres and enjoying the delicious refreshments, such as Mexican hot chocolate and tamales, provided by JFJ founder, Alfredo Huerta.

In 2022, we were approached by a young woman and her mother, Jenna and Cindy Adams, with the exciting proposal that they, together with us, begin a Christian daycare in our church building. After much discussion and prayer, we unanimously voted to house the Little Angels Early Learning Center on our first floor. With a beginning enrollment of four little ones (ages 2 ½ to 4), Little Angels ELC has presently maxed out with a total enrollment of 30 children, as well as adding a class of eleven after-school children. Over these two years, we have made numerous improvements to our building spaces, especially to the first floor, and have also added equipment. During the first summer, member Carlton Craig also built beautiful flower and vegetable beds for the children to grow their own garden. In an effort to minister to these families in other ways, our church continues to provide three “Parents’ Night Out” events yearly, which give the parents a needed three hour rest while we feed and entertain their little ones, free of charge.

We are grateful for this most recent God-given and blessed ministry.