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History of the Church
In 1909, First Baptist joined the newly formed Atlanta Baptist Association and invited the children and staff of the Georgia Baptist Children’s home to come and share in our ministry. The church remained the home church for the Children’s Home until it moved in 1968 to its current location in Palmetto, Georgia. We were family.
In 1923, the first permanent sanctuary, “The Old Stone Church,” was erected using Stone Mountain granite and dedicated in April of 1924. Educational units were added in 1949 and 1953 to serve our growing community. The current sanctuary was dedicated in 1965 through the leadership of Dr. Bill Lacy.
The late 1960s began a period of challenge for First Baptist. Hapeville experienced a declining population, closing of schools and businesses due to the moving of the Children’s Home and the Atlanta Airport expanding, swallowing a third of the housing in Hapeville. Yet, the ministry continued to multiply. The Stewart Avenue Baptist, Fairfax Baptist Mission, and Empire Boulevard Baptist Church began as a mission of First Baptist Church of Hapeville.
In the 1970s and ’80s, emphasis on church growth flourished under the leadership of Rev. Ronald Hinson. Church ministries were engaged for outreach into the community. These included Lay Renewal Weekends, Daily Prayer Ministry, Master-Life, Children’s Church Ministry, Ministry to Senior Citizens, Singles Fellowship and Men’s Prayer Breakfast. Mission activities grew with bus ministry, youth and adult mission tours, partnership mission trips, sponsorship of an eight-member family from Laos, and a Vietnamese Mission, led by Rev. Minh Truong, which in 1996 became the first constituted Vietnamese Baptist Church in Georgia! Their church is down the street for the First Baptist site on College Street in Hapeville.
In the 1990s, First Baptist Church, under the leadership of Dr. Bob Wiley, began to engage the community in a mission’s activities that would draw people to social events in order to share Christ. Some of the events were Easter Egg Hunts, Carnivals, and Fall Festivals.
The ministry of the community continued. In May of 2013, First Baptist offered Family Life Ministries under the leadership of Jane Gunter, a new home in our educational space. Each year over 10,000 people from five counties receive care and the good news about Jesus Christ! Family Life also hosts “Backyard Kids Club”, a weeklong camp for underserved children who live in multicultural homes. These children live in our area and become part of a camp that involves children their age. This camp is staffed by five leaders and around 20 junior leaders from the South Strand Assembly of God in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. For the past seven years, these young leaders have voted to come to Hapeville as their mission trip and spread the good Gospel. The camp ranged from 40 to 60 attendees on the church property. Family Life Ministry celebrated its 40th birthday in August 2019.
First Baptist offered the Light of the World Family Church our educational and sanctuary facilities. Under the leadership of Rev. Martin L Jakes, Sr. the Light of the World Family Church moved to its permanent ministry site in September 2016 on Willingham Drive in East Point.
In November 2015, Dr. Jim Starr was called as the first bi-vocational pastor of First Baptist. He led us to focus on our community with Worship in the Park, working with leadership on sustainability, encouraging the collection of missions’ offerings, and sharing ministry and worship with other faith groups in our community. He and his wife, Chris, began a new Young Adult Class. Dr. Starr resigned after 51 years of ministry in April of 2023. Interim pastor Barry Odom took over the pastoral role on April 16.
In March 2016 the church offered its space to a new growing Hispanic Ministry. They began with 15 members and today have over 20 members on Sunday evening for worship and study.
This year in August, The Gateway Christian Academy began to utilize our educational space which will strengthen their ministry and created a new awareness of First Baptist Church and positive community conversations. Gateway Christian Academy (GWCA) is a Preschool, Elementary, Middle school, and Mother’s Morning Out (MMO) part-time educational program. The school strives to set the highest Christian and academic standards in a unique learning environment that is designed to ensure every student’s success. The small class sizes enable each student to receive individual attention ensuring that students are fully engaged in the learning process and empower children to reach their highest potential. Grades 1st – 6th are accredited by the Georgia Accrediting Commission. On top of academics, children learn to trust in God, love others, and to believe in themselves. The enrichment classes provided are Music, Art, Spanish, and CrossFit.
Our Director of Music, Jimmy Lovern, continues to share the gospel through song and leads us in praising God with our hymns. Our music ministry continues to sing for Offertory and meets for rehearsal on Sunday afternoons. The Community Choir sand Handel’s Messiah on the evening of Good Friday. Jimmy Lovern led a wonderful evening of music during “Thankssharing”. Six churches united to worship, share a meal and fellowship. In December, special music filled the sanctuary from the children’s Christmas program during Sunday worship. Our choir led us in singing Christmas favorites each Sunday during advent. The band of “Front Yard Singer’s” has faithfully met on the third Thursday of the month to visit and sing to our shut-ins. This ministry provides an avenue to share their gifts and encourage homebound friends by lifting their spirits.
The church ordained two new young deacons in 2018: Jermaine Barnes and Cecil Ward. We welcome them to lead and support our congregation. God goes before us creating our future as he has our past! First Baptist remains steady in its calling to worship God and serve Christ in this community through the power of the Holy Spirit! The community continues to change and so will the church in order to be a viable witness with Christ.