October 3, 2026
Recently, while standing on a dock at the Salem Maritime National Historic Site in Salem, Massachusetts, the thought occurred to me that if Georgia Baptists’ have designated sacred places, this would be one of them. The dock was where Georgia’s and the South’s first foreign missionary, appointed by the Triennial Baptist Board of Missions, sailed for Burma.
Young Edward Able Stevens and his wife Elizabeth sailed on the ship the Rosabella on the outgoing tide on a cold fall day in 1837. They spent the rest of their lives, over fifty years, in missionary service. After a long journey, they became the next-door neighbors of Adoniram Judson and should be remembered for introducing music to Baptist worship in Burma.
I began think about the concept of “sacred places” in Georgia Baptist life. What makes a place a sacred place? It’s a place where God intercedes in an unusual if not seemingly mysterious way, to create a new work, direction, unity or focus among His people. They might be seen as turning points, and in the Old Testament were often marked by a memorial as a reminder of what God had done.
Furthermore, each believer has “sacred places” in his life. It’s good to revisit them from time to time, to remember from whence we have come and the rock from which we are hewn. The following are a few more of the sacred places in Georgia Baptist life, which are worth remembering.
The first recorded baptism by immersion took place at Bethesda, George Whitefield’s orphanage near Savannah. A historical marker is located beside the tidal creek where the baptism took place.
Kiokee Baptist, in Appling, Georgia, is the first permanent Baptist church in Georgia. It was born of persecution in 1772. It was also the location of the organization of Georgia’s first Baptist Association in 1784.
The Powelton Baptist Church in Powelton, Georgia. In June 1822 Georgia Baptists agreed to “provoke one anther to love and good works,” by organizing the State Convention to support missions and education. It was a turning point.
Antioch Baptist Church in Morgan County, Georgia where the Great Revival of 1827-28 began. Baptists not only doubled in size (churches and membership) during this revival, it also greatly unified missionary Baptists to advance the support of cooperative missions and education.
The establishment of Mercer University 1833/1836 at Penfield, Georgia. This helped unify the struggling Georgia Baptist Convention, and in the wake of the opposing anti-missions movement it became a tangible rallying point for the support of missions and education.
First Baptist Cartersville, Georgia, where in 1873, Georgia’s first single female foreign missionary, Lottie Moon, heard the call of God “as clear as a bell.” In the 50 years that followed, 25 more single ladies from Georgia would be sent to the mission fields of the world. To support Moon's work, the first Christmas offering for missions was collected by the Cartersville Church. This inspired the creation of the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for Foreign Missions.
The creation of the State Mission Board in Gainesville, Georgia in 1877. This marked another step forward in the efforts of Baptist unity and cooperation. The new Board was created to appoint State Missionaries, manage and support the collection and promotion of missions and education. It marked a turning point for Georgia Baptist stewardship and support missions in Georgia and beyond.
In each place God worked in the lives of His people to unite them to live out the Great Commission. In a world where polarization is the norm, unity is rare, it really does speak to God working in the lives of His people. It’s the answer to Jesus’ prayer in the garden, that “they might be one.”
It’s good to revisit sacred places, to remember what God has done. As Georgia Baptists prepare for the upcoming convention, it’s an especially good to remember. Because there is nothing to stop God from doing greater things still, if God’s people are willing to come together in unity and love and let Him.
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Charles Jones is a newspaper columnist, Baptist historian, and retired pastor.
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