Minister started First Baptist with 9 members

Published 4:33 pm Tuesday, December 6, 2005

MOULTRIE — A traveling missionary from the Mercer Baptist Association stumbled across a piney woods community in South Georgia in the second half of the 1800s, and from that encounter grew what became First Baptist Church of Moultrie.

The church was constituted May 30, 1880, with a congregation of nine men and women under the pastorship of that traveling missionary, the Rev. Asa C. Stephenson, and three other ministers, the Rev. Solomon E. Blitch, the Rev. Moses Ward and the Rev. Thomas A. White.

According to the Rev. Jerry Mahan, current pastor of First Baptist and author of “A History of First Baptist Church, Moultrie, Ga., 1880-2005,” the Methodists had already formed a church in the little community that in 1890 would become Moultrie. As far as he’s been able to determine, First Baptist was the second church in town.

It started in a small hut on a rise of land among the pines and wiregrass, according to a Moultrie Observer story on the church’s 60th anniversary in 1940.

“Pioneer residents of this area, many of whom have passed on, said the tiny hut in which the nine Baptists originally worshipped might easily have been mistaken for a one-room dwelling — except for its large front door,” the 1940 article stated. “It was situated near the location later utilized for the old post office.”

By 1893, the church membership had more than quadrupled, the article said. The old building was sold to W.W. Robinson for a storehouse and a wood building was built on South Broad Street near the Georgia Southern depot. It was officially dedicated Sept. 23, 1894.

“Records reveal that Rev. P.H. Murray of Valdosta preached the dedicatory sermon and an overflow congregation attended,” the article said. “More than 20 persons joined the Baptist church during that service and a Sunday school was organized with J.L. Hall as superintendent.”

Stephenson, who was the sole pastor at that time, was quoted by newspapers as saying, “Baptist work has just begun.”

Until 1904, the large wooden structure served adequately as a meeting place, but with the increase in membership, the church also grew greater in wealth and social prominence.

“By the latter part of 1903 the membership deemed it necessary to erect larger quarters more in keeping with their financial ability and the prosperous city which had grown up almost overnight,” the 1940 article said.

A new, brick church was built at a cost of $13,000; it was one of the first modern houses of worship in South Georgia. W.A. Spivey, the eldest member of the congregation, laid the first brick during appropriate ceremonies, and the Rev. J.Y. Jamieson, for many years president of Mercer University in Macon, dedicated the building Sept. 10.

The Rev. A.M. Bennett was pastor of the church when the change was made from the wooden building.

Hardly had the new church been completed in 1905 before the Georgia Baptist Young People’s Union convention used it for its daily sessions.

An $8,000 pastorium was added in 1910; additioins were made to the church building; and on Mother’s Day, 1931, a new Sunday school building was occupied.

In addition to its physical construction, First Baptist took an active role in the construction of the city’s morality.

“The church, which has wielded wide influence in religious and civic affairs of Moultrie and surrounding territory, took a leading part in the fight for prohibition and determined not to give up without eliminating saloons from the business section of the city,” the 1940 Observer story recalled. “Records show that by 1919 the membership had increased to 773, and the most recent compilation shows a total membership of 1,600 and a Sunday school enrollment of nearly 1,200.”

First Baptist Church is actually smaller now than it was in 1940. Resident membership is between 1,200 and 1,300 now, according to church records. Part of the reason was a split in the congregation that created Trinity Baptist Church.

Mahan said the conflict began as a disagreement about dancing, social drinking and other social issues, but it developed into a conflict about who would control the church and how deacons would be selected.

The disagreement came to a head in 1953, when several members split from First Baptist to form Trinity. Over the course of several months about 330 members moved to the new church.

“The church was formed in 1880 as Moultrie Missionary Baptist Church,” Mahan said, “and out of that church are two branches. We share a common heritage and we anticipate some of our friends from Trinity joining us for the (anniversary) service.”

The pastor at the time was the Rev. Alex Herring, who was called in 1950 and stayed until 1957. During his tenure, First Baptist moved into a new building, at its current location, in 1955. Mahan pointed out this year also marks the 50th anniversary in the church’s current building.

Following Herring was the Rev. James Byler in 1958.

“There were hurt feelings around from the split,” Mahan said. “… He helped in the healing process and the church grew under his ministry, although it was not a lengthy ministry.”

Byler’s tenure ended in 1962, and he was followed by the Rev. J.E. Moak in February 1963.

Moak, who is still a member of First Baptist, became the longest-serving pastor in the church’s history. He pastored the church until Aug. 31, 1989, more than 26 years, and he remains the church’s pastor emeritus.

Moak also supervised several construction projects at the church.

“Because of the split, First Baptist built a very spartan building,” Mahan said. Moak oversaw an upgrade to the sanctuary in 1971, the building of a chapel in 1974 and the building of a 3,200-square-foot educational complex in 1987.

Moak was followed by the Rev. Julian Griner in 1990. Griner pastored the church for almost a decade. He resigned in 1999 during a conflict over worship styles and later founded a non-denominational church, Lifespring Community Church, which is located on Quitman Highway.

Griner sought to reach people that churches were not reaching through the traditional service, Mahan said, and he thought he could bring them to Christ through a different style of worship service.

“He was a very popular pastor,” Mahan said. “Toward the end of his time here he wanted to use some different worship styles. There were many in the church who were more comfortable with traditional styles.”

Mahan, the church’s 20th pastor, came to Moultrie in the summer of 2000 after 16 years pastoring a church in Cedartown.