In November 1865, Miss Anne S. Dudley began her work as teacher and missionary of the Freewill Baptist Home Mission Society. Her missionary work brought her to the Martinsburg area where she used a one-room log cabin on the outskirts of the town for day school, night school, Sunday school, and church services. This work was the seed that started the ministry of our church.

On June 9, 1867, Miss Dudley organized the first Free Baptist Church of Martinsburg, consisting of thirteen members. A fund was soon started to erect a house of worship. In February 1868,the Free Baptist Home Mission Society purchased a property on Raleigh Street for this purpose. In 1868, a brick structure was erected with much of the labor being donated by the members. It was then known as Dudley Chapel, named in honor of the courage, dedication, and life contributions of the late Mrs. Anne S. Dudley Bates.

During the 1970?s and the 1980?s, the church went through a numerous improvements and renovation, such as the additions of a new ceiling, piano, pulpit furniture, communion table, padded pews, and choir chairs. Even at that time the church saw the need to acquire additional space to ensure the future of our church to unborn generations. A lot adjacent to the north side of the property was purchased for parking and future expansion.

This structure was maintained until 1992 when it was necessary to renovate once again and expand the facilities of the church. On May 29, 1994, the Dudley Baptist Church moved triumphantly from "vision to victory" with a ribbon cutting ceremony, holding it?s first worship service in the newly expanded sanctuary. Shortly after that expansion, Dudley purchased two more properties, an administrative annex to accommodate the expanding staff and ministries of the church, and a lot to accommodate the parking needs of the growing congregation. In addition to facility changes, Dudley Baptist Church went through another critical change in January 2000, when a membership vote formally changed the name of the church to Destiny Baptist Church.

Now we look forward to the development of a 33-acre tract of land on Edwin Miller Boulevard in the city of Martinsburg, WV.