OUR
HISTORY
The
First Baptist Church of Chickamauga was organized August 31,
1850, as Crawfish Springs Baptist Church in the Home of Marcus
Johnson. Mr. Johnson donated five acres of land for the church
and burial ground and he was the first person to be buried
in the cemetery.
The
first building was a log cabin that was burned during the
war between the states. It was replaced by a small frame structure
in 1862. A larger building was erected in 1883. In 1912, a
fourth auditorium was constructed (seen at right) and the name of the church
was changed to First Baptist Church of Chickamauga, GA.
The present
sanctuary was dedicated on March 6, 1960. Other buildings
include a two-story education building dedicated on March
19, 1950; the Glenn Fellowship Hall dedicated in 1962 and
the Dean Hagaman Activities Building completed in 1978. In
1990, the education building was renovated and a balcony was
added to the sanctuary. And in 2006, a renovation and updating of the sanctuary was completed with the addition of a state-of-the-art, oversized High Definition video screens, a video recording system, and DVD production equipment. The choir loft was also refurbished with new staging and seating.
In 2010, following his passing, Rev. Whittaker Shelton left his home and property to FBC. This property lies adjacent to FBC's gymnasium parking lots. The house has just completed being refurbished and is being prepared for active ministerial use.
Even
though buildings, customs and people have changed during the
past more than one hundred fifty years, the purpose of the
First Baptist Church iof Chickamauga has remained unchanged. We are here to fulfill the Great Commission by winning & growing people for the glory of God and our Lord, Jesus Christ. |
