Psalm 111:1
Praise ye the LORD. I will praise the LORD with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation.
About Us
The History of Clarkesville Baptist Church
August 18, 1888 - The Clarkesville Baptist Church was organized. A few people met at J.W. West’s store and constituted a presbytery. The group was then recognized as a duly constituted church upon reading the Articles of Faith and the Church Covenant.
1893 - Reverend R.D. Hawkins came to the church in 1893 at a salary of $50, preceded by Reverend J.H. Osborne and Reverend A. Vanhoose.
1895 - The church secured its first musical instrument: an organ.
1901 - Clarkesville has been a Missionary Baptist Church since the beginning. In 1901 Dr. A.E. Booth (pastor of the church for one year) organized the first Missionary Society north of Gainesville.
1908 - The Order of Royal Ambassadors is founded as a missionary organization for boys.
1911 - The Girl’s auxiliary is formed as part of the Woman’s Missionary Union.
1914 - The oldest recorded music activities took place.
1919 - The church purchased an acre of land with a house from Mrs. Logan Bleckley for the sum of $2,000. This became the church’s first pastorium (pastor’s home).
1928 - Mr. Burrell is elected pastor at a salary of $800. There were 166 members as of the following year.
1938 - The church went forward with its new building program under the leadership of Reverend Douglas M. White. The estimated cost was $6,000.
1939 - The church voted to become full-time in March, while the first service in the new building took place on October 15th.
1943 - Reverend Jack Tatum had the unique honor of answering his country’s call of duty as chaplain during World War II.
1944 - Mr. and Mrs. David Mein are appointed as missionaries to Recife, Brazil. The couple provided the church with regular updates when on leave from the mission field.
1950 - The Clarkesville Baptist Media Center is founded. It has increased in value every year since, moving from a locked book case to eventually contain 7500 books on almost any subject, a movie projector, filmstrips, pictures, and various other supplies.
1952 - Reverend LeRoy Brown became minister, increasing membership from 347 in 1952 to 390 in 1958.
1953 - The Brotherhood was organized. Not all members of the church were members of the group, although everyone was welcome. Officers were elected from the membership.
1958 - The church begins building a new educational building.
1959 - The Victory Home is founded to fight alcohol addiction.
1972 - Mrs. Jewell Brown, Director of W.M.U. missions reported that there were five missionary organizations in the church. A total of $20,000 given to missions.
1980 - Furman Lewis, Area Missionary, asked for 10 men to volunteer and participate in Puerto Rico to help construct a church building.
1986 - The church sent one of its members, Hal Sisk, to the West African nation of Liberia to help construct a bridge.
