Quitman County GaArchives Church Records.....Georgetown Baptist Church ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Donna Eldridge DonnaEldrid@aol.com July 2, 2004, 4:42 pm GEORGETOWN BAPTIST CHURCH The Georgetown Baptist Church had its beginning in 1843 when the missionary-minded brethren came out from among the anti-missionary brethren of the Pataula Baptist Church to constitute the Liberty Missionary Baptist Church, the original name of the Georgetown Baptist Church. In 1852 the congregation o Liberty Baptist moved to Georgetown and erected a building. The pastor was the Reverend W. L. Crawford, who remained as pastor for six years. The pews for this new church were handmade by Reverend Crawford and were in use for many years by the congregation. The year of 1870 brought about the withdrawal of the Black members from the congregation. At that time there were one hundred and four members, with forty-eight of them being Black. In 1923 the church building was remodeled by the addition of Sunday School rooms and stained glass windows. At that time the belfry and the bell were also removed. The old Enon Baptist Church building was given to Georgetown Baptist Church and the material from this building was used to construct the parsonage, which was first located near the Georgetown Methodist Church. It was moved to the present location in May of 1963. In 1962 the church purchased the land for the building of a new Sanctuary and Educational plant. The church accepted a great challenge to move forward for the glory of God, Meeting this, the building was dedicated "To the glory of God and the services of men" on April 5, 1964. With the completion of this building the church was faced with a $40,000.00 indebtedness to be paid within the next twenty years. Through the faithfulness of the members and the blessings of God, this indebtedness, together with that on the pastorim has been paid and on April 6th, 1975 the occasion was celebrated by the "Burning of the Note." MILESTONES OF GEORGETOWN BAPTIST CHURCH 1833 - Organization of the Bethel Baptist Association which included among its constituting members Pataula Church, the mother church of Georgetown. 1843 - Secession of the missionary brethren from the anti-missionary Patula Church to constitute the Liberty Missionary Baptist Church, the original name of the Georgetown Baptist Church. 1852 - Removal of the Liberty congregation to Georgetown and the erection of the meeting house. 1868 - Thirty-sixth session of the Bethel Association held with the Georgetown Church. 1870 - Withdrawal of the Black members from the congregation. 1882 - Reorganization of the Georgetown Church under the leadership of Dr. F. M. Bledsoe. 1885 - Adoption of the present Church covenant, Articles of Faith, and Rules of Church Order. 1885 - Organization of the Woman's Missionary Union in the church. 1896 - Organization of the first Baptist Sunday School in the Georgetown Church. 1910 - Seventy-eight session of the Bethel Association held with the Georgetown Church. 1915 - Organization of the Baptist Young People's Union in the church. 1918 - Construction of baptistery in church building. 1923 - Church building remodeled by the addition of Sunday school rooms and stained glass windows and the removal of bell and belfry. 1924 - Ninty-second session of the Bethel Association held with the Georgetown Church. 1927 - Installation of electric lighting. 1929 - General organization of the Baptist Training Union. 1930 - Sunday School and all B.T.U. Unions attain A-1 standard. 1940 - One hundred-eighth session of the Bethel Association held with the Georgetown Church. 1945 - Erection of pastorium from building materials that came from Enon Baptist Church. 1949 - Erection of additional Sunday School rooms. 1951 - Observance of first Homecoming Day. 1962 - Land purchased for the building of Sanctuary and Educational Plant. 1963 - Pastorium moved to High Street. 1964 - New building dedicated in May. 1975 - Indebtedness paid and occasion celebrated by the "Burning of the Note". The pastors that have served Georgetown Baptist Church are: Reverend Muse, Reverend James Cumbie, Reverend W. L. Crawford, Reverend W. H. Norton, Reverend W. H. Patterson, Reverend W. S. Rogers, Reverend Z. T. Weaver, Reverend W. H. Norton, Reverend H. R. McLendon, Reverend J. H. Corley, Reverend W. N. Reeves, Reverend J.I.D. Miller, Reverend W. S. Rogers, Reverend J. W. Newsome, Reverend W. W. Mabry, Reverend J. E. White, Reverend L. L. Lyon, Reverend J. Fred Edon Jr., Reverend J. W. Watson, Reverend J. A. Ivey, Reverend E. M. Palmer, Reverend W. J. Wood, Reverend J. W. Farmer, Reverend D. T. Buice, Reverend H. L. Driskell, Reverend V. T. Johnson, Reverend C. E. Rogers, Reverend W. Davis, Reverend J. W. Farmer, Reverend T. E. Swearingten, Reverend W. C. Henson, Reverend D. T. Cox, Reverend J. E. Baker, Reverend C. Allen, Reverend J. Stinson, Reverend M. C. Elmore, Reverend Larry Brown, Reverend H. C. Chance, Reverend C. H. Chance, Reverend C. H. McKnight, Reverend l. B. Ritche, Reverend Comer Williamson, Reverend C. E. Woodfin, Reverend Raiford Moss, Reverend Richard Blevins, Reverend Larry Williams, and Reverend Jimmy Blanton. The Cuthbert Times Quitman Co. Centennial Edition Oct. 29, 1958 Mrs. Ellen Morehead "Cemeteries and Churches of Quitman County, Georgia" by Jacquelyn M. Shepard (page 51-52) Additional Comments: Transcribed and submitted by Donna Eldridge with permission from Jacquelyn Shephard File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/quitman/churches/nbb57georgeto.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/gafiles/ File size: 6.1 Kb