Dellwood Baptist Church is located in “downtown Dellwood.” Its address is 175 Dellwood Main Street, Swainsboro. The church was originally a branch of Hillcrest Baptist Church founded in the ‘70s, and the church began in what was once a convenience store, dance hall, or both. Dellwood’s own last first pastor of the church once said, “It was a beer joint they turned into a church.”
Dellwood, or “DBC,” in 1976 was at low attendance of just six, then it was doubled into 12 members. Throughout the changes and renovations, the members of the DBC have been faithful to the church and God. The church now has the average attendance of 162.
Now led by Pastor Joe Bedgood, the members of DBC get to hear the word from an individual that is on fire for God. “I love our church because Jesus Christ died to pay the price for our sins and all who will receive His love. We realize that we all are sinners and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). This means that we believe in loving God and loving others. No matter what you’ve done or where you’re from, you’re welcome here,” said Bedgood.
Besides Bedgood’s leadership, DBC has a great set of deacons, a wonderful worship leader, and a youth pastor. “We have currently four deacons who are active, which means they serve in meetings. We have many more deacons who are serving in the church body but do not attend meetings. We also have a worship leader for music.
We also have countless leaders in our Sunday school and Kidz ministries. Our church is a place where the body serves, and that means we have a lot of volunteers. We are all just parts of the body working together, serving in the roles we have been given by the Lord.”
DBC’s music consists of a great mix of contemporary and traditional hymns. “It’s original in the fact that we have a group of dedicated people who faithfully give of themselves to play instruments and sing unto the Lord. They all do a wonderful service to the Lord,” said Bedgood.
Throughout the year, the church has many ministries and events for the community, but Bedgood’s favorite is the candlelight communion. “It is the one service where we enter in without a sound other than a light reverent song playing. We’re quiet until the scripture is read, and that’s not normal at our church. Normally, when you enter in the doors, it sounds like you’ve just walked into a stadium full of people ready to cheer on the home team! That’s what we do each week. We come and cheer for Jesus, we love and encourage each other. We seek to worship God and let Jesus me be exalted.”
If you are interested in attending Dellwood Baptist Church, below is a weekly schedule of all events:
• Men’s prayer group, Sunday at 8:30 a.m.
• Sunday school, Sunday at 10 a.m.
• Worship, Sunday at 11 a.m.
• Xtreme Kidz, Sunday at 11 a.m.
• Children’s church, Sunday at 11 a.m.
• Bible study, Sunday at 6 p.m.
• Youth group, Sunday at 6 p.m.
• Bible study, Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.
• Youth Explosion, Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.
• Kidz meeting, Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.