Creating Strategic Partnerships between the Association Pastors and the Churches of the WBA
to reach our area and beyond with the Gospel and live "On Mission Together."
Our Purpose
The Purpose of the Washington Baptist Association is to support member churches that come together in the common bond of serving Christ.
This support includes the following:
Church Resourcing Assistance
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Deacon Training
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Search Committee Training
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Ordinations Councils
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Pulpit Supply
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Conflict Resolution
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Resume Services
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Round Tables for Pastors
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Criminal Background Checks for Workers
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Loan Out (puppets, projection systems, mission supplies, etc.)
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Prayer Support
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Newsletters
Shared Ministries with sister churches
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Youth Camp and Other Youth Events
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Summer Mission Projects
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Disaster Response
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Carpenters for Christ
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WMU
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Men’s Ministries
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Backpacks for Appalachia
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Prison Ministries
Liaison to the Georgia Baptist Mission Board and the SBC
About
The area of the Washington Baptist Association (WBA) originally existed as the Baptist churches between the Oconee and Ogeechee Rivers. Today it includes 43 churches that are mainly in Baldwin, Hancock, and Washington counties; however, a smaller number of churches extend in to the counties of Glascock, Putnam, and Warren.
The roots of the WBA run deep in the middle Georgia soil. Our oldest congregation is the Powelton Baptist Church, established in 1786. This same church became the place of birth of the Georgia Baptist Convention, aka the Georgia Baptist Mission Board. In 1828, at Sisters Meeting House, a number of churches from the Hephzibah Association voted to establish a new association of churches and named it the Washington Baptist Association.
Associations preceded the Georgia Baptist Mission Board and the Southern Baptist Convention that began in 1822 and 1845, respectively. WBA continues to support local congregations as they work together to build up the Kingdom of God.
Scroll down to read a brief history of the Washington Baptist Association.
Our Member Churches
Bethel Baptist Church
706-444-6352
Bethel Rd
Sparta, GA 31087
(mailing address is c/o Linda Barnes;
4494 Shoals Rd; Sparta, GA 31087)
Bethlehem Baptist Church
478-552-6200
95 Bethlehem Church Rd
Warthen, GA 31094
(mailing address is PO Box 85;
Warthen, Ga 31094)
478-453-9431
673 Sparta Hwy, NE
Milledgeville, GA 31061
478-451-7282
620 S Wilkinson St
Milledgeville, GA 31061
(mailing address is PO Box 1277;
Milledgeville, GA 31059)
Culverton Baptist Church
706-444-6483
310 Roy Smith Rd
Sparta, GA 31087
(mailing address is 371 Dry Creek Rd; Sparta, GA 31087)
706-444-8715
12547 Linton Rd
Sparta, GA 31087
478-357-8563
333 Main St
Davisboro, GA 31018
(mailing address is PO Box 70;
Davisboro, GA 31018)
706-444-0807
190 Main St
Devereux, GA 31087
(mailing address is 270 Main St;
Sparta, GA 31087)
Fairmont Baptist Church
706-869-7676
2003 Fairmount Rd
Sparta, GA 31087
Glascock Co
6825 Old Mitchell Rd
Mitchell, GA 30820
Friendship Baptist Church, Sinclair
(478) 968-7201
635 Twin Bridges Rd, Eatonton, GA, United States, Georgia
Friendship Baptist Church, Washington Co
478-363-1417
3828 N Indian Trail Rd
Sandersville, GA 31082
(mailing address is c/o Harry McCoy;
372 JF Hall Rd, SW;
Gordon, GA 31031
Grace Baptist Church
478-453-9713
112 Alexander Dr
Milledgeville, GA 31059
(mailing address is PO Box 1179;
Milledgeville, GA 31059)
478-452-1612
124 Thomas St
Hardwick, GA 31034
(mailing address is PO Box 39;
Hardwick, GA 31034)
Harmony Baptist Church
478-232-3622
447 Deepstep Rd, NE
Sandersville, GA 31082
662-292-2673
4258 Island Creek Church Rd
Sparta, GA 31087
(mailing address c/o Marilyn Heslep;
229 Chicory Rd NE;
Milledgeville, GA 31061)
Jewell Baptist Church
706-444-7310
Hamburg State Park Rd
at Hwy 16
Jewell, GA
(mailing address is PO Box 203;
Warrenton, GA 30828)
706-485-8741
1259 Crooked Creek Road
Eatonton, GA 31024
706-453-0330
5800 Lake Oconee Pkwy
706-485-0835
1023 Milledgeville Rd
Milledgeville, GA 31061
Lighthouse Covenant Church
478-453-3300
PO Box 884
Milledgeville, GA 31059
706-465-1045
290 Long Creek Church Rd, SW
Warrenton, GA 30828
(mailing address is c/o Chris
Wasson; 376 S Jay St;
Stapleton, GA 30823)
Marshall Memorial Baptist Church
(706) 485-7324
190 Imperial Mill Rd
Eatonton, GA 31024
478-452-0502
330 S Liberty St
Milledgeville, GA 31061
(Mailing address is PO Box 795;
Milledgeville, GA 31059)
Mineral Springs Baptist Church
478-521-0447
7339 Hamburg State Park Rd
Mitchell, GA 30820
(mailing address is c/o Tommy
Yarbrough; 165 Yarbrough Ln;
Mitchell, GA 30820
Mitchell Baptist Church
706-598-2309
6745 Washington St
Mitchell, GA 30820
(mailing address is 9337 Chapel Rd;
Mitchell, GA 30820)
(706) 468-6452
334 W Greene St
Monticello, GA 31064
478-452-1723
106 Oak Dr, SE
Milledgeville, GA 31061
478-412-3333
1183 Mt. Moriah Rd
Tennille, GA 31089
Mt Stephens Baptist Church
706-467-2036
Mt Stephens Rd
White Plains, GA 30678
(mailing address is 6859 Edwards Rd; White Plains, GA 30678)
478-452-6648
1001 N Jefferson St
Milledgeville, GA 31061
(mailing address is PO Box 794;
Milledgeville, GA 31061)
Ohoopee Baptist Church
478-258-8331
7180 Ohoopee Church Rd
Tennille, GA 31089
(mailing address is PO Box 313;
Tennille, GA 31089)
478-553-0035
5270 Indian Trail Rd, S
Sandersville, GA 31082
(mailing address is c/o Pam Boyd,
117 Stephanie Lane S-NE, Milledgeville, Ga 31061)
478-552-6517
8287 Linton Rd
Warthen, GA 31094
706-456-2989
5 Jones Bridge Rd
Sparta, GA 31087
(mailing address is
4316 Sparta Rd, SE;
Crawfordville, GA 30631)
Ridgeland Heights Baptist Church
706-373-8108
305 Ridgeland Dr
Sandersville, GA 31082
(mailing address is PO Box 31;
Sandersville, GA 31082)
Riverside Baptist Church
478-452-7560
250 Jackson Rd
Milledgeville, GA 31061
(mailing address is PO Box 609;
Hardwick, GA 31034)
478-552-2371
316 Mathis Circle
Sandersville, GA 31082
478-452-4242
102 Airport Rd, NE
Milledgeville, GA 31061
478-552-2473
1807 E McCarty St
Sandersville, GA 31082
Smyrna Baptist Church
478-552-3754
857 Smyrna Church Rd
Sandersville, GA 31082
(mailing address is c/o A.L.
Denton; 1312 Veal Rd;
Sandersville, GA 31082)
706-444-6656
9090 E Broad St
Sparta, GA 31087
(mailing address is PO Box 428;
Sparta, GA 31087)
478-552-7350
203 N Main St
Tennille, GA 31089
(mailing address is PO Box 402;
Tennille, GA 31089)
Union Baptist Church
706-485-8854
2700 Union Church Rd
Warthen, GA 31094
(mailing address is c/o Ronnie
Peavy; 490 Peavy Ln;
Warthen, GA 31094)
478-452-2285
640 Meriwether Rd
Milledgeville, GA 31061
478-452-9140
273 Hwy 49, W
Milledgeville, GA 31061
The Word Community Church
478-451-3111
1340 Orchard Hill Rd
Milledgeville, GA 31061
PO Box 1111 (mailing address)
Milledgeville, GA 31059)
History
In 1783 The Creek Indians ceded the land between the Oconee and Ogeechee rivers. As this area was settled, the Baptists began establishing churches. By the end of the Revolutionary War, five Baptist churches created what is now called the Georgia Association.
Baptist churches rapidly increased to more than 50 by 1794. Consequently, the Georgia Baptist Association made provision to divide the churches into an upper and lower region. By 1800 the same area included the Georgia and Hephzibah associations. By 1828 growth demanded that the Washington Baptist Association be established. The first churches of the Washington Baptist Association included Darien, Bethlehem, Beulah, Jackson, and Sisters. Growth was rapid and eventually included churches like Fort Creek (Sparta), Island Creek, and Harmony. By 1832 five other churches joined making it a total of seventeen. Total membership in the Washington Baptist Association churches at that time was about one thousand.
The Georgia Baptist Convention was organized in 1822 and the Southern Baptist Convention was established in 1845. The Powelton Baptist Church in Hancock Co. bears the historical marker as the place in which the Georgia Baptist Convention was born. Powelton Baptist Church is, for the most part, left in its original condition. By 1884, churches that had once been devastated by Sherman’s March to the Sea were now able to build or rebuild. Churches like Smyrna, Friendship W, Friendship G, Mount Stephens, and Milledgeville are among several who were established during that period.
By 1946 the Association began to explore the possibility of a missionary to assist the churches. Records indicate that the position could not be supported. However, by 1954 the Executive Committee of the Association acted on the recommendations of Marvin Pound, Fred Slater, and Norwood Waterhouse to employ the first Director of Missions (associational missionary). Churches were asked to contribute $1.00 per member. Elmer Sizemore, a “country missionary” in Kentucky was interviewed and employed. Successive missionaries were Doyle Middlebrooks, Dan Hodges, and David Self. Quillian Mercer is the current Associational Missions Strategist/Director of Missions.
Two of the major programs established by the Association were Youth camps in Crawfordville, Georgia and Coast for Christ in Ghana, West Africa. Youth camp has been a successful way to reach youth for over 60 years. Coast for Christ started when Dan Hodges had a dream to work with Eddie Eniem, a local Ghanaian pastor. This program continues to attract summer mission volunteers from the Association.
In 2003 the Association acquired land on Highway 24 east of Milledgeville where the current office now stands. The mortgage was paid in full in the summer of 2011. A note burning was celebrated at the Annual Meeting.
The building is currently being used to create opportunities to support member churches as they come together in the common bond of serving Christ. This would include the shared use of a mobile projection system, a 7 X 14 V-nose trailer, puppets, and other mission support items. Ministries like Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child (Shoe Box Ministry), prison ministries, plus an active Women’s Missionary Union and Men’s Ministry run concurrently. At present there are 43 member churches in the Washington Baptist Association.
Most of the above information was derived from the book History of the Washington Baptist Association of Georgia. It is a 275 page book written by T.E. Smith © 1979. There are limited copies at the Washington Baptist Association. A quilt produced by Mrs. Mary Cole provides drawings of member churches until 1990, and is displayed at the Washington Baptist Association. The office and resource center is located at 615 Hwy 24 East between Sandersville and Milledgeville.
Give
If you would like to give to the Association, you can give a check or cash designated to Washington Baptist Association:
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Through your church
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Mail it to: Washington Baptist Association; PO Box 476; Milledgeville, GA 31059
Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. - Luke 6:38