History

Beginning in the spring of 1899, under the direction of Salem Baptist Church, a new Mission Station emerged which began conducting weekly meetings in the Tilden school building. In this Mission Station Rev. E. W. Powell preached a sermon with the intention of starting a new church which was received with open ears and glad hearts. First Baptist Church was then constituted on July 15th, 1900, beginning with only eleven charter members, and plans began to develop regarding building an official meeting house. After initial construction, a house with boarded windows and pews made of planks and wooden blocks was finalized which allowed the church to begin meeting on the first Saturday and second Sunday of each month. Following steady growth, the church officially joined the then Bulloch County Association (now called the Ogeechee River Association) in the fall of 1900. Shortly following this the church called her first formal pastor Rev. J. J. Miller.

Beginning in August 26, 1925, the church voted to start meeting on the second and forth Sunday of each month. By this time the congregation had grown much larger to the extent of needing a more sizeable building which began a period of constructing blue print plans beginning on November 13, 1927 with construction lasting 17 years. The dedication service for the new church building was then held on July 9, 1944. During construction following more growth, the church voted to become a full-time church with services following every Sunday since April 12, 1942, and we officially began Wednesday night services in January of 1951.


Finally in the 1960s we created a focus of truly living missionally by implementing Vacation Bible School into our mission work as well as beginning a Church plant in Metter named Cedar Street Baptist Church, and later on November 11, 1984 the Church added an educational annex to host Sunday Schools as well as our Youth and Children's Ministry.