19TH CENTURY
Antioch Church was organized on June 1, 1876 when George V. Fulp deeded a one-and-a-quarter acre plot to a committee of trustees feeling a need for a church in the Belews Creek community. These men, W. S. Linville, W. W. Fulp and George V. Fulp, were under the leadership of the Wesleyan Methodist Connection of America. George V. Fulp was appointed minister until the group became a regular pastorate with ministers supplied by the Wesleyan Church.
At this spot on Belews Creek Road, a square church building (40 feet by 40 feet) was built. The “old church” was heated by a pot-bellied stove and was lighted by lamps which sat on shelves around the walls. Today, this building serves Antioch Church as its fellowship hall.
20TH CENTURY
Land was acquired again in 1897 and 1903. In 1897, Mr. and Mrs. W. W. Fulp and Mr. and Mrs. Nat Vance deeded land to trustees Gene Crutchfield, W. W. Fulp and N. D. Vance. In 1903, N.D. Vance and heirs deeded land to the trustees E. B. Linville, W. B. Crutchfield and Martin W. Vance. During this period of growth, Antioch Church became Antioch Methodist Episcopal Church.
As early as 1921, Antioch Church started outgrowing its surroundings. Also in 1921, the original church building was enlarged with an addition for a pulpit area. An unexpected fire in 1937 was cause for more building improvements focusing on the ceiling and roof.
At the Annual Conference in 1950, the Forsyth-Stokes Charge was formed with Arthur Chamblee serving as its first minister. This new charge necessitated the building of a parsonage. Men in all four churches (Antioch, Bethlehem, Forest Chapel and Saint Mark) united to build this parsonage on property at Bethlehem Church. Not only did the 1950s witness the building of a new parsonage, but Antioch Church embarked on its own building program in 1953.
Under the direction and leadership of Neil Smith, plans for a new building began to materialize. The congregation launched an all-out effort to raise funds for a completely new auditorium building with space for classrooms. Actual work on this $38,000 construction began in 1961. The first service in the new building was held in November of 1961.
The 1970s found Antioch United Methodist Church launching a building program to acquire a vestibule and long-awaited restrooms. Finally, in late 1981, the goal was accomplished when a new addition was completed. Antioch Church will always be grateful for all the generous gifts that helped with the realization of this dream.
On June 28, 1987, Antioch Church was able to have worship services every Sunday with the arrival of Rev. William C. Crummett as the associate pastor.
Ministers who have led the congregation in the Forsyth-Stokes Charge include: Arthur Chamblee, Neil Smith, Donald Davis, Cletus Pope, Wallace Ryals, Derry Barnhardt, Gerald Hester, Grady Burgin, Clark W. Benson, Vera Gebhardt, D. B. Martin, Tom Steagald, William C. Crummett, Douglas Suggs, Ralph Lepley, Mike Goode, Wes Austin, Oliver Helsabeck, Gary Elrod, Karen Branch, Jesse Clubb and Charlie Fried.
21ST CENTURY
During a time of great change in the United Methodist Church, Antioch Church took advantage of the denomination’s option to leave the United Methodist Church. In July 2023, Antioch Church became an independent and unaffiliated church. Within a year, the church had severed all connections to the United Methodist Church when the parsonage was sold by the churches that jointly owned it. With ministers no longer assigned to the church by the United Methodist Church, Antioch Church asked Robert Dixon to serve as their interim pastor while they searched for a new pastor of their own. In November of 2023 the church offered a unanimous call to Rev. Dixon to serve as their first, permanent pastor.
In January 2025, the church undertook a renovation project on their original building, now over 100 years old. Floor supports and subflooring were replaced and modernized. A new finished floor was installed. The kitchen was upgraded with new cabinets and appliances. The main entrance and entrance ramp were replaced. The interior was painted. The church believes this will help ensure this building remains useful to the church and community for several more decades.
No longer a rural church, today as Antioch Church approaches its sesquicentennial, it finds itself a suburban church in a growing area of Forsyth county. But it still seeks to present the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all, beginning in the Belews Creek community and extending to the ends of the earth.
