Worth COUNTY GA Church - Red Oak Baptist Church ******************************************************************************************* USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be freely used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages cannot be reproduced in any format for profit or other presentation. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for FREE access. ******************************************************************************************* File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Lanette Brown Hill Dec 2002 HISTORY OF RED OAK BAPTIST CHURCH Red Oak Baptist Church was founded November 5, 1854. Mike Champion gave land for Red Oak Baptist Church to be built upon. The church got its name because of the large red oak trees on this plot. The first church was made from hewn logs. It was 30 feet wide and 40 feet long. The church does not have the records when the second church was built, because of a fire in the clerk's home; but it was a frame building with shutters for doors and windows and it had no ceiling. One service per month on the first Sunday was held then. The present church is the third one and it was built in 1890. The charter members include the BROWN family, as well as mention of the DOWNS family in later years. Luerana Brown was a Charter Member. The church house was built near the southeast corner of Lot of Land # 90; in the 16th District of Worth County, Ga. Red Oak Baptist Church had had thirty-four pastors through the years; interestingly enough one was a Bobby Joe Brown (1989-89). The cemetery has two parts; one enclosed in the fence and the second part next to the Creek that runs nearby for those families who had sharecroppers, etc. There were in the past both black and white church members attending this church. The first black members in 1855 (8) of them (this was BEFORE the Civil War). The first lights for the church were kerosene lamps, then in 1910 gas lights were added, and then 1940 the church added electricity. Red Oak Baptist Church Celebrated its 100th Year Anniversary, October 31, 1954.