October 2, 2026
TOCCOA, Ga. — The first bag of clay sat beside Paul Garrison’s desk until it hardened.
A member at Hill Street Baptist Church had given it to him in 2006, telling him she believed the Lord wanted him to make pottery. Garrison was not convinced. Four years later, after taking a pottery class with his daughter, he bought a wheel and began shaping clay.
He has been doing it ever since.
For more than five decades, Garrison has seen a similar work in ministry, as God has used the longtime pastor to help shape lives through preaching, discipleship, mentoring, and service.
Andy Childs, assistant executive director of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, said Garrison often took time to call or text at just the right moment. “The timing of his calls or texts and then his character and his consistency were just powerful for me,” he said. “Paul is a tremendous preacher and personal soul winner. He’s the real deal.”
Jason DeFoor, associational missions strategist for the Tugalo Baptist Association, said Garrison has been an important mentor to him and to other pastors in the area. DeFoor said Garrison is someone pastors can call for wisdom and someone they can sit down with to share the burdens of ministry. “As a pastor, you need that. He's done a great job through the years of pouring into other pastors in the area as well as his own staff,” DeFoor said. “He’s just a tremendous friend and wants to see the churches around here succeed.”
Garrison said he’s always been mindful to help others stay on the road and not veer off, “which is easy to do when you feel discouraged, and you feel like giving up. I've tried to keep them involved and keep them going.”
Some in the community refer to Garrison as the “Bishop of Toccoa,” a reflection, DeFoor said, of his willingness to serve beyond the walls of the church. “He just goes above and beyond. Those are not things that he has to do, but he does it because he loves the community,” DeFoor said.
Garrison’s ministry began in 1973 at Jackson Hill Baptist Church in Atlanta, where he filled in one night for the music leader at age 13. What began as a temporary assignment became seven years of ministry. By 16, he had added minister of education responsibilities, and by 18, he was serving in youth ministry.
“I had to wait till 18 to do the youth so I wouldn’t be a youth,” he said, laughing.
Garrison attended Mercer University on a voice scholarship and initially planned to teach music while serving in a church. During college, however, he sensed God redirecting him toward pastoral ministry. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in religion from Mercer and later a Master of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. While in seminary, he served at Peoria Baptist Church in Peoria, Texas, and B.H. Carroll Baptist Church in Fort Worth for a year.
After graduation, he returned to Georgia and served Taylorsville Baptist Church from 1984 to 1989. He served at Hill Street in Toccoa from 1989 until his retirement.
Though he served one congregation for 37 years, Garrison said Hill Street changed many times as the local economy, the community, and church life shifted around it.
“A lot of coming and going,” he said. “I had a lot of different things. Everybody says I ought to write a book and put it in it.”
Through those trials, he remained faithful, stood on his convictions and continued to love people while refusing to compromise biblical truth. “I’ve always found Him faithful in any circumstance I've been in, and just to trust Him to lead me,” he said.
Wade Lott, GBMB Pastor Wellness Catalyst for the Northeast Region said Garrison has a “whatever-it-takes” philosophy of ministry. “Paul led Hill Street through multiple ministry transitions throughout his tenure, while loving and serving its members and the community. This has been seen in his willingness to lead worship, lead students, or fill any other need, all while faithfully preaching God’s Word,” Lott said.
Among Garrison’s most vivid memories at Hill Street was a 1990 revival preached by Kie Bowman, who retired in 2023 as pastor of Hyde Park Baptist Church in Austin, Texas. Garrison said Bowman also spoke in local schools, and 103 young people were saved on the Tuesday night of that revival.
The revival reinforced for Garrison that the Lord is faithful.
“If we preach His Word and do all we can to reach people, He’ll bring in the harvest,” Garrison said. “It wasn’t anything that we did to save them. It’s what the Lord did. He brought about the harvest time.”
Garrison said his future plans are not fully clear, but he looks forward to spending more time with his wife, Lisa, their children, Mary and David, and their five grandchildren.
“I know the Lord’s not through with me,” he said. “It’s also scary not knowing and taking that step. It’s hard after I’ve served 37 years, 7 months and 16 days.”
Garrison said he has trusted the Lord so far and will continue doing so.
He will continue to serve as Stephens County Sheriff's Office chaplain, which he’s done for 18 years. He also has served as the chaplain for the city of Toccoa for 19 years.
His advice to younger pastors is to stay focused on God’s call, avoid distractions, and lead with integrity. He said he has tried to follow Billy Graham’s well-known counsel about guarding one’s life and ministry. “I took Billy Graham’s advice never to ride in a vehicle or go out with a woman that wasn’t my wife,” Garrison said.
As for his pottery, Garrison uses it to share the gospel. “I always tell people that you’re going to see exactly what Jeremiah saw,” Garrison said. “The only thing is, I’m adding electricity to it.”
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