October 2, 2026
GAINESVILLE, Ga. — The Chattahoochee Baptist Association may be 200 years old, but it is far from old in its approach to reaching northeast Georgia for Christ.
Two hundred years after its founding at the Hopewell Baptist Church, Gainesville, Georgia, the Annual Meeting of the Chattahoochee Baptist Association returned to the church to celebrate. The meeting began by looking at its early support for Cherokee missions. The Association, which was organized during the Missions/Anti-missions’ controversy in the early 19th century, added a new church, the Tinswattee Baptist Church located in “Cherokee Indian Territory,” in its first year, which was the product of missionary work. It was also the first Baptist church organized in northwest Georgia.
Tinswattee began as a mission station/school in 1821, sponsored by the Sarepta Baptist Association and the Triennial Baptist Mission Board. The church was constituted and joined the new Association in 1826. This church relocated during the era of the Trail of Tears in 1832 to what is now Oklahoma, becoming the first Baptist church in that state. The Chattahoochee Association began its 200th anniversary meeting celebrating the fact that it has supported missions, education, and church planting from its inception.
Those moments of looking back were a prelude to looking forward as the meeting progressed. The association voted to accept two new churches during the meeting, Hope Fellowship in Flowery Branch and Yonah Community Church in Cleveland, bringing the total number of associational churches to 83. The New Work Foundation reported it had provided grants totaling $29,000 during the year to four new church plants in the association.
One year ago, the association formalized the creation of the Strengthening Churches Foundation. This foundation supports renewal efforts in existing congregations with “under 500 in attendance in their plans to extend the kingdom.” In its first year, a total of $114,00.00 in grants have been made to seven churches in the association. Last fall, the Oak Grove Baptist Church received the first grant to assist the development of its youth ministry. The church, which is pastored by Tommy Hunt, a bi-vocational pastor, has baptized 20 this year.
The Strengthening Churches Foundation was established by the sale of property of the former Trinity Baptist Church. That congregation voted to give the proceeds of the sale of their property, after they closed, to establish the new foundation. It was announced during the meeting that the Strengthening Church Foundation would also provide matching funds up to thirty thousand dollars to any new church in the association, with which to purchase new property.
Other business included the election of new officers, the adoption of a new budget, and reports on the work of the Good Samaritan Food Ministry. This ministry served almost 48,000 families in the past year, providing over two million pounds of food as well as clothing and other assistance. This ministry, approaching its 60th year, began as a joint venture between the State Convention, Home Mission Board, and the association in 1966.
Thomas Hammond, executive director of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, brought a challenge to the Association from the GBMB. He encouraged them as he shared a renewed emphasis on church planting across the state.
Dr. Jojo Thomas delivered his final report as the Associational Missionary Strategist following twenty years of service. Thomas' final day with the Association will be Dec. 31. Thomas challenged the association as it prepares to move forward to ask, “What will partnerships look like in the future?”
He continued, “You have 200 years of examples of how God’s people combined their efforts to accelerate the influence of the gospel and grow the kingdom here in north Georgia. Now go find your way to do it! Because every generation has to reinvent itself.” In a follow-up interview, Thomas added, “Our hope is that this emerging generation will embrace this, own it, and run with it, because at the end of the day, it’s not just an institutional thing. It’s a shared mission!”
Share with others
