OUR History

A History of Millfield

The first known records of Millfield Baptist Church are found in the History of the Portsmouth Baptist Association, written by Reverend Reuben Jones and published in 1881:

“This church is located five miles west of Ivor on the A.M.O. (Atlantic Mississippi and Ohio) Railroad, and thirteen miles north of Jerusalem* the county seat of

Southampton County, Virginia.”

Note: Jerusalem is the present-day town of Courtland. The church was organized on August 20, 1836 from members who came from Black Creek Baptist Church. It was admitted to the Portsmouth Association in 1837. Today, the church sits at its original location. While the tone of Rev. Jones’ quote echoes a long-past era, our spirit and zest for church ministries and community is still very much alive.

Since its establishment, Millfield has acted not only as an internal ministry for its members but also as an outreach ministry for the community and state. We have participated in numerous national and international projects, offering our time, spiritual guidance, and donations to help others. Mission work is a big focus for our church.

Timeline

In 1902, the church was rebuilt and dedicated the following year.
Our church was remodeled and expanded throughout the early 20th century. Additions included the beautiful stained glass windows, purchased by the women of the church in the late 1920s for $800.
The church held its 100th anniversary on August 10, 1936 with a day of worship, singing, devotionals, speeches by former pastors and members, and—of course—food!
A church library was established in 1973, evolving and growing each year.
A Fellowship Hall was added to the church in 1979.
An education wing was added to the church in 1998.
In 2002, a media library was added to provide the most up-to-date resources for our members.
2019 finds us in the midst of several outreach ministries including Bags of Hope and Soup for Seniors.
2020 hit us with COVID-19, and unfortunately halted in-person worshiping for a little while.
2021 gave us some normalcy later in the year by bringing back our wonderful Vacation Bible School, which we could not have in 2020.
2023 The Millfield Youth Group was started back up in the "Lighthouse".