WILSON'S MILLS -- Members of Wilson's Mills Baptist Church will soon say goodbye to the building that has housed the congregation for more than 60 years.

On June 1, the church’s roughly 500 members will listen to the Rev. Billie Lawson Jr. preach his final sermon in the 6,000-square foot church on Wilson’s Mills Road. That afternoon, worshippers will flock to a new building more than seven times that size to celebrate the grand opening of the church’s fourth home.

Lawson, who has led Wilson’s Mills Baptist for two decades, said the church had changed dramatically since its original 12 members founded it in 1884. In those days, he said, the faithful met in a small, one-room schoolhouse that still stands on a farm owned by a local family.

For many years, the church’s congregants were mostly members of area farming families. Lawson said the church grew, but did so slowly.

“Even when I came here in 1987, I guess you’d say Wilson’s Mills was still somewhat of a sleepy little community,” he said. “The church here was alive, but, well, it was a farming community, so the church had just kind of settled and was maintaining.”

During his tenure, Lawson estimates membership has grown by as much as 200 percent. He attributes that growth, much of which has come in the past 10 years, to both divine providence and the efforts of the church body.

“We’ve worked well together through the years, and the folks here have really been realizing their dream of reaching into the community,” Lawson said. “But ultimately, we really couldn’t have done any of the things we’ve done if it weren’t for God’s help.”

Lawson said the new 42,000-square foot campus would provide ample opportunity for the church to expand its reach. On Sundays, the sanctuary will seat 600 worshippers, up from 160 in the current building.

During the week, the sanctuary will double as a recreation room. Chairs will be stacked and stored, revealing a carpeted version of a full-size basketball court. Portable goals will be rolled out and set up at the ends of the room.

Elsewhere in the church, 30 rooms in two wings will house a nursery and Sunday School classes. During the week, classrooms in the east wing will be home to the church’s childcare center. One room will hold about two dozen computers children can use to complete their homework during an after-school program.

The new building will also include the church’s first choir room and a prayer garden that Lawson said could be used for meditation or a small outdoor wedding. “It’s going to be a big celebration when we move in,” Lawson said. “We’re excited for people to come be a part of what we’re doing.”