First Baptist Church of Stone Mountain - (770) 469-6121

The Stone Mountain First Baptist Church has been serving Stone Mountain Area since 1839. We have a passion for The Purpose of Serving Jesus Christ. We are very active, multi-cultural church with youth programs, marriage counseling and outreach programs.

The First Baptist Church of Stone Mountain is not only the first Baptist church in Stone Mountain, but the first church in Stone Mountain period. The city was founded in 1839 and the church was constituted that same year. The history of Stone Mountain First Baptist Church is a story of true Christian determination. A beautifully bound crimson book contains the old hand-written pages of the Minutes of the Rock Mountain Baptist Church, formed in the little Rock Mountain community today known as Stone Mountain, Georgia. The ink is a bit faded on its aging pages, but the deeds and accounts penned tare the continuing history of the oldest active congregation in the village.
On September 2, 1847, Rock Mountain Baptist Church was reconstituted as the Stone Mountain Baptist Church with its first building erected between February 1848 and 1851 somewhere in the vicinity of Second Street. The first pastor was Reverend David Cook. Records show that the original building was sold in 1873 and a stucco building was constructed on Mimosa Drive where the present church education building is located. On a beautiful Easter Sunday morning in 1934, this building burned and was reconstructed at the same location within a year. Again, on the chilly night of December 23, 1937, flames from the burning church turned the evening sky a bright red. One of the cornerstones reads, "B.J.W. Graham, D.D. Leader in reconstruction of two church buildings destroyed by fire."
During its long history, the congregation of the church has known joys, sorrows, and trials. Trials literally, because like most Baptist churches, in the early days, the church policed and tried its members. It settled disputes among its member and even terminated membership for misconduct and non-attendance. Conference Minutes notes in 1891, a committee was appointed to look after absentee and disorderly members. In 1903, a resolution was offered: "Whereas unchristian conduct has become so common that it brings reproach upon the church and cause of our Blessed Savior, we believe our church discipline should be changed. Those guilty of such conduct may be called before the church and be forgiven. Should they commit the same offense again, the church should withdraw fellowship, and promise to remember them in prayer to Almighty God, every holding the church ready and anxious to receive them back when they are able to resist temptation and live a Christian life in the present world not bringing reproach on the church or themselves." Some of the early church records present a picture of hardship, condemnation, and judgment, but not all was stern rebuke and severe punishment. There were the simple pleasures and joys of a simpler time. In 1905, it is recorded that, "Much enthusiasm greeted the arrival of 43 song books." They were delivered to the church, having been donated by individual members of the church and marked PROPERTY OF STONE MOUNTAIN BAPTIST CHURCH.
When Rock Mountain Baptist Church was founded in 1839, the congregation was integrated. This remained the norm until the Civil War and after the tragic conflict, the races chose to meet separately and did so for more than a century. More recently, the face of the church is beginning to change. Perhaps we should say the faces of Stone Mountain First Baptist Church are beginning to change. Today our congregation more resembles that early church. This change too was brought about by hardship and tragedy. The church had been ministering to many families from Sudan. One of these families had just two years earlier escaped horrible persecutions in their country. This family was in route to a Sudanese convention in Memphis when the father lost control of the car. The wreck was fatal for four members of the family of eight. This Sudanese family asked our church to host a prayer meeting on the Friday after Thanksgiving so that all the Sudanese could gather and pray. Our deacons and their wives helped with the prayer meeting.
The pastor and deacons prayed with nearly three hundred Sudanese and Ethiopians while their wives ministered to their children. Along with preaching and beautiful singing, the father gave a testimony that brought Glory to God. It was such a statement of faith and trust in God from the heart of a man who had just two days before experienced the death of his wife and three children. A week later, we hosted the funeral with four caskets lining the front of our sanctuary. The City of Stone Mountain provided burial sites and the funeral home provided its services. God was there doing an amazing thing in this tragedy. Before, we had experienced a difficult time reaching African Americans, but God would use the tragedy to enlarge the hearts of our people leading them to openly express compassion for All people. Since then we have reached African Americans, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons and people from many nations with the love and message of Jesus Christ.
Some have wondered why our church has been left there while others have moved or disbanded. We know why. God has given us a mission that He is empowering us to reach the whole community. Micah have us a word in a Messianic picture, which also is a glimpse of what our Messiah is doing in our fellowship even today. "And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem." (Micah 4:2)
Today and after 175 years, the First Baptist Church of Stone Mountain continues to grow and change, having come back stronger with each tribulation, a testimony to the biblical injunction, "I will build my church upon a rock."

Tags: Baptist Church,Christian Church,Mission