Established 1876

The Tom’s Creek Freewill Baptist Church was the first Freewill Baptist Church and Johnson County and the oldest continuing Freewill Baptist Church in Kentucky. It was established on June 22, 1876, near the mouth of Sycamore Creek under a large oak tree. Rev. Thomas S. Williams was the first pastor with Eliphas VanHoose being the first clerk.

The first church roll book did not record the date members joined but the first 25 members listed were: T. S. Williams, Malissa Williams, E. P. VanHoose, Freelove VanHoose, Jasper Daniels, Rejoina Daniels, Marcum, Castle, Catharine Castle, Nancy Castle, Martha Stambaugh, Susan Meadows, Levi Mead, Nancy Mead, Frederick Scarberry, Henry Scarberry, Sarah Wiley, Lucinda Castle, Lois Ward, William Witten, Mary Daniels, James Dills, Sarah Daniels, Hannah Castle, Mary Castle and John Castle.

The first building was built of logs and served as a house of worship until about 1915. July 2, 1877, a deed was secured from George and Mary Daniels for a tract of land that was to extend for two feet on each side of this long building. The deed was made to the trustees of the Free Will, Missionary and United Baptist Churches and their descendants. The United Baptists were to have the first and second weekends, the Missionary Baptists were to have the third weekend and t he Freewill Baptists the fourth weekend. Small additions of real estate were acquired encompassing the land now owned by the Church.

During the following years this young church would produce a number of leaders who would help spread the Freewill Baptist doctrine throughout Kentucky. The Tom’s Creek Freewill Baptist Church also played a large role in establishing the Johnson County Conference, Kentucky State and National Associations of Freewill Baptists.

The Johnson County Quarterly Meeting was organized in about 1879. The churches joining at that time were Tom’s Creek, Hager Hill and Little Blaine (now Spencer). In 1881, Mud Lick Church under the influence of the Butler family joined, for a total of four churches.

Conferences were a major social as well as spiritual event. People started making preparations well in advance, either for traveling to the meeting or to house and feed visitors. Roads were often nothing but creek beds and there were no restaurants or hotels in the area at the time so host churches accommodated all the visitors. People did not get to see each other often so everyone looked forward to these meetings as times to renew acquaintances and socialize. In the host church, everyone put out their very best. One member remembers feeding 64 people in two days…and that was when she cooked on a wood burning stove.

Over the years the Tom’s Creek Freewill Baptist Church has grown from a membership of 25 or 30 to a regular attendance of several hundred. As attendance increased, new buildings were constructed to accommodate the growing congregation. The log structure was replaced around 1915 and further enlarged in the early 1940s. The present (2005) building was built in 1976 with the old sanctuary converted to a kitchen and fellowship hall. Classrooms were added in 1981 and the sanctuary enlarged in 1988.

Pastors of Tom’s Creek Freewill Baptist Church:

Thomas S. Williams (1876-1891) James Lee VanHoose (1892-1893;

1912-1913)

H. B. (Burns) Conley (1893-1912; John Elliott Conley (1912)

1914-1941)

Warrick Williams (1913-1914) Millard VanHoose (1941-1952;

1963-1972)

Nathan P. VanHoose (1952-1953) C . C (Chick) Hall (1953-1962)

Claude Preston (1962-1963; James Kelly Caudill (1973 - )

1972-1973

*Adapted from a history of the church compiled in 2001 for the 125^{th Anniversary of the church by Charlotte Crider, Bonita Daniel, Ruby Meadows & Alice Jewell Stambaugh.}