In 1868, Blacks within our community had a strong desire to establish “Their Own Church”. After hearing of their plight and knowing of their deep desire to have their own place of worship, Rowen Rogers of New Hope Baptist Church donated one acre of land for this cause. In 1871, a log church was completed and christened “St. Matthew Baptist Church”, also known as the “Little White Church” on the side of the road. According to the Wake Baptist Association, the first Pastor was Rev. George Perry and he served in this capacity until 1882.

In 1957, it was again decided that the members had outgrown their present structure. Renovations began and service was held in the basement of the Church until the top portion was reconstructed. In 1981, Reverend Ronald E. Avery became the Pastor and Shepherd of St. Matthew Baptist Church. Under his leadership, membership continued to increase and the need for more space led to the Church expanding the sanctuary in 1984, adding additional classrooms and remodeling of the Fellowship Hall.

As we embarked upon the millennium, we envisioned many years of continued service and embraced a desire to minister not only to the members of our Church but to the community, as well. In 2001, the vision and a plan to construct a New Place of Worship was put in place and through faith, hard work, and prayer the vision was carried out. Additionally in 2001, the Community Center, known as the “St.Matthew Rosenwald School” was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

On November 3, 2002, one hundred and thirty-one years after the establishment of the “Little White Church” on the side of the road, we were BLESSED with a brand new facility which consisted  of a 1200 seat sanctuary, a media center, a conference area, new office spaces and new classrooms.

Over the years, our ministry has grown both spiritually and physically. We have added numerous ministries who work for the building of God’s Kingdom. Our leadership team continues to grow and includes our 5 Star Pastor, Rev. Dr. Ronald E. Avery and First Lady Addie M. Avery, 15 Deacons, 25 Associate Ministers, and 15 Trustees. Membership continues to grow yearly and we have purchased three buses to transport members to and from services and  other church related functions. We have added a new fully equipped computer lab to train and provide educational support for our members. In addition, we continue to show love to our community through various outreach programs such as Meals of Love and Ruth’s Closet. We also have added Children’s Church and Teens Church to foster the spiritual growth of our youth. God has truly enlarged our territory.

Thanks to the vision of our Pastor, Dr. Avery, the Church has completed the purchase of land to build a Family Life Center. We will continue to Walk by Faith knowing that God can and He will provide.