Pastor Rick Aldridge came to Eastern North Carolina from Southern Ohio as a Marine in 1980.  He married Tammie in 1981 and they have one child. He was saved while deployed to the Philippine Islands with VMAQ-2 in December 1982.  After a night "on the town" for Christmas Eve, Holy Ghost conviction did its work on Christmas day. The next day he went to the base chapel and quietly bowed his head at the pew and asked God to save him and give him victory over alcohol and sin in his life.  God did! 

   While he was deployed, Tammie began attending Community Baptist Church in Newport, NC. The Aldridge family joined Community Baptist in 1983 and spent the next 19 years happily serving the Lord there. 

   When Pastor Aldridge answered the call to preach, he prepared for ministry by earning a degree from Anderson Baptist Seminary.  Community Baptist licensed him to preach in September 1996, and hosted his ordination in 1998.  He served there as Associate Pastor from 1998 until 2001, then left to pastor his first church. Next, in 2007, he started Carteret Baptist Church in Broad Creek, NC. The Aldridge’s labored in that church plant until 2026 when Carteret Baptist Church merged with Freedom Baptist Church of Havelock. Pastor Aldridge is now thankful for the privilege of pastoring the combined churches at the Freedom Baptist location!