3rd Century - Main

Dear First Baptist Family,

God says through Isaiah: "Behold, I do a new thing." God is always doing a new thing.

First Baptist Church, 1831

Small Beginnings. A handful of people gathered to start a Baptist church in this little community that had been known as Mule Camp Springs. The group met in a log school building until sometime in the 1840's when they built their first small house of worship. No one at that time could possibly have dre3amed that Hall County would one day be home to 150,000 people and thriving industries, not to mention a great regional network of banking, medicine, law, and government.

First Baptist Church, 1962

Nearly a thousand people gathered for the first worship service in the new sanctuary on Green Street. Some people wondered why the church building was constructed "so far out in the country." But the church had grown tremendously and had persevered after the loss of the beautiful historic sanctuary on the corner of Green and Washington downtown. No one in 1962 could have foreseen that the new place of worship would, within a few years, be at the heart and center of both the city and the county.

First Baptist Church, 2006

From the humble beginnings of the 1900's and through all the changes and growth of the 1900s, the church enters our third century with the highest hopes and dreams. On the first Sunday of 2005, we voted unanimously to be as visionary as our forbearers and to plan big for our future. These plans detailed here, will provide all that we need for spacious growth and faithful ministries for generations to come: a dedicated children's facility, expanded areas for students, more Bible study space for adults, a state-of-the-are music suite, additional church offices, and a grand banquet hall and meeting space which will serve not only the church but the larger community of Gainesville.

Why are we doing this?

Because the time is right.

Because our region will see continued steady growth.

Because already we have exceeded our capacity in almost all of these areas.

Because God has given us a most excellent location and the most abundant resources.

Best of all, we will do this to the glory of God.

I am excited when I think of all the lives that have been turned toward God in this place and when I consider how many more can be turned toward God in the decades to come. With everything in my heart, I pledge all my energy and leadership in seeing the 3rd Century Campaign come to complete fulfillment. I ask you to pledge a sacrificial portion of your many blessings to see that happen.

To God be the glory in the church both now and forever more,

Bill Coates

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