Our History

Pine View Missions

On Sunday, May 28, 1939, the new church building — a 28 × 36 foot frame — was dedicated with ten visiting clergymen from Danville in attendance. The church was named Pine View Missions and was inter-denominational. It had only thirteen charter members, but the people of the community gave hearty support to the work.

Reverend Allen B. Stanger was called as the first pastor, with preaching services each third Sunday at 3:00 PM while he served full-time at West End Christian Church in Danville. He served about a year. Reverend John Kuykendall was called next, and following his term, Reverend Earl Green served until May 10, 1949.

A new name: Christian Community Church

On November 15, 1949, the Reverend Percy H. Ricketts was called as pastor. Reverend Ricketts had served for over twenty years as assistant pastor of the Third Avenue Christian Church in Danville.

During the fall of that year, the small frame building was moved onto the side road and a basement was built underneath to care for the growing Sunday School. In the November business meeting the church was reorganized with fourteen members and renamed Christian Community Church.

The three-man Board of Deacons-Trustees voted to borrow $1,800 to cover the cost of moving the white church building and adding the basement. In the same meeting, the church voted to give 10% of all tithes to Home and Foreign Missions — a conviction that still runs deep at Lakewood.

The name “Lakewood”

In 1950, the church bought an additional 50 feet of land on Highway No. 58 East and began construction of a large basement auditorium, completed and occupied in November of that year.

On December 4, 1950, the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors voted to name the three-mile stretch of Highway No. 58 East between Milton Road and Mountain Hill Road “Lakewood.” In a business meeting on January 3, 1951, the church took the same name: Lakewood Community Church.

A sanctuary — and a conference

On May 13, 1953, the church voted to build the main sanctuary, and the new church was completed and occupied in November of that year.

On February 2, 1955, the church voted to become affiliated with the Evangelical Methodist Church Conference, and the name was changed to Lakewood Evangelical Methodist Church — a partnership that continues to this day.

Building and shepherding

The last major early building program — the Sunday School Education building — was approved on October 31, 1962. Smaller projects followed through the years: a new parsonage in 1979, a handicapped ramp and vestibule in 1995, and the renovation and remodeling of the sanctuary completed in 1998.

Upon the retirement of Reverend Percy H. Ricketts in July 1969 after 19 years as pastor, the Reverend G. David Wilson was called. Rev. Wilson shepherded Lakewood for 18 years before resigning to become District Superintendent of the Central Lakes District in 1986.

In March of 1987, Rev. Benjamin Sutton was called as pastor and served until his resignation in October 1991. In March 1992, Rev. Jim Beeler was called and served until July 1994, when he resigned to become District Superintendent of the Southern District.

The Family Life Center

Rev. Jimmy Burks began his ministry at Lakewood in January 1995 and served until July 31, 2004, when he entered ministry at Shamrock EMC in Burlington, NC. On August 1, 2004, Rev. Larry Piatt was called to serve as pastor.

In the spring of 2006 the church began pledging money for a new Family Life Center. Enough was raised to start the building, with the church taking a loan of $40,000. The Family Life Center was completed in August 2010, and in September 2010 the church celebrated Homecoming in the new space.

After Rev. Piatt’s departure on May 30, 2014, Rev. Billy Carey, Rev. Doug Armstrong, and Rev. Jim Davis faithfully filled the pulpit during the absence of a full-time pastor.

Lakewood Community Church, again

On February 15, 2015, the church voted for Rev. Ryan Call to become pastor; his full-time ministry began on March 8, 2015.

On October 12, 2015, at the Annual Church Conference, the congregation voted to change the name back to Lakewood Community Church, as it was known in 1951 — the same mission, the same corner of Pittsylvania County, and the same good news: a place to connect, grow, and serve.