Simonton Community Church has a rich history of God’s incredible faithfulness because of its dependence on the truth of God’s Word and the fact that this is truly a Church Family. In 1968 several couples got together and expressed a need for organizing a church so that their families and those of the community could gather together for worship. As they all joined together and the word spread, everyone from the community pitched in to clean up the old, abandoned church Chapel on this property and make it look as good as new with some paint, cleaning, new carpet, roofing, and a bell. On Sunday, June 6, 1968 Simonton Community Church opened for families to worship together. They were so anxious to get started that they actually met for the first few weeks in the Community Center building next door while the whole community continued work on the church building to make it suitable for church services. The first service held in the newly refurbished church building was on July 15, 1968. 

Willard Anders, a retired Lutheran minister became the first pastor in 1969, and Harry Drennan, a Baptist pastor, became his co-pastor. Very quickly, the ministry began to really grow with the dedication of the first Sunday School building in the summer of 1970 and Vacation Bible School started in 1971 with 30 children attending. On September 15, 1983, Gerald Riddell, a retired Baptist missionary, became the pastor of the church just 10 days before the dedication of the Debbie Alexander Wing, which allowed the church more opportunities for ministry to the church family and our community. Pastor Riddell worked diligently in the community witnessing and inviting people to come to church. It was not long before the need for more worship space became very evident, with the sanctuary busting at the seams during worship services. So, on August 24, 1986 the existing sanctuary was expanded to more than double the seating for more people attend worship. One of the things that Pastor Riddell emphasized, with his background in missions was for the church to give and be involved in missions, so this became a priority of the church, and is a reason for the blessings we enjoy today in ministry.

During 1991, Tom Golden was hired as Pastor. As the ministry of the church continued to grow there was an emphasis placed on youth and families of the community so the need for the Family Life Center was voiced back in 1988, and God, in His providence provided the Family Life Center, which was dedicated on June 7, 1992. Through the years, attendance went up and down, but one thing remained the same – the Word of God was taught. 

In the mid 1990’s a decision was made to start looking for ways to expand our facilities and build more Worship space to again meet a need. So the church began looking for more land and praying for God’s direction. After several years, God completely opened a door that had been shut and allowed us to purchase the 16 acres behind the church property. That set God’s plan in motion and has allowed us to build the new Sanctuary that was opened in October of 2002, just 10 months after Steve Littlefield became the Senior Pastor. The land also provided a cemetery for our church and community, and allowed for the opening of a new Youth Room and the new Education Wing which was dedicated on April 27, 2008. There is no question that we have been blessed exceeding abundantly beyond what anyone had asked or thought in the beginning days of the church, but it is not for our glory or boasting, it is instead about what God has done in and through us as Simonton Community Church.