 Few records of the church 's history exist , possibly because no single denomination or organization took ownership . Several Christian denominations held meetings at Old Pine Church , including the <unk> Brethren ( or German Baptist Brethren ) , which began holding services at the church in the late 19th century . As many of the Mill Creek valley 's settlers were of German descent , the Old Pine Church structure may also have been built as a meeting place for Brethren adherents , known as " <unk> " or " <unk> " . It is believed that Old Pine Church was also used by German <unk> . The Brethren was a Christian denomination of Anabaptist origin that practiced baptism by <unk> immersion and exercised <unk> . <unk> immersion consists of dipping a new believer into water three times , once for each of the entities of the Holy Trinity . Brethren adherents believed only in the New Testament , and professed no other creeds . The interior of Old Pine Church , which consists of a single common space for all worshippers , also illustrates the building 's connection with the Brethren and the denomination 's beliefs regarding slavery . According to the minutes from the 1782 meeting of the Brethren in Franklin County , Virginia , " It has been unanimously considered that it cannot be permitted in any way by the church that a member should purchase <unk> or keep them as <unk> . " While many residents in Hampshire County prior to the American Civil War were <unk> , it is thought that Brethren adherents in the county did not own slaves or depend upon slave labor . 
