Mableton First Baptist Church

1887-88

The history of Mableton Baptist Church properly begins with the constitution of Concord Baptist Church, the mother church of the Concord Baptist Association.

When Cobb County was cut out of the original Cherokee Territory in 1832, the m majority of Indians expelled, and the white settlers began to move into the new county from the earlier counties of Georgia (Wilkes, Clarke, Greene, Franklin, etc.), Concord Baptist Church was one of the first churches to be organized. It was an "arm" of the Nancy Creek Baptist Church, established about 1822 in DeKalb County, before white settlers were allowed west of the Chattahoochee River. Services were held at Concord in 1832 with the first recorded conference on October 13, 1832. The Church was constituted June 8, 1833.

The following is quoted from the record of Conference No. 560, Concord Baptist Church, held October 8, 1886:

"Item 4 - Read and received a petition from the Citizens of Mableton and the surrounding community requesting Concord Church to extend an arm to them in Mableton."

This was followed by other conference records leading up to the organization of the church in Mableton.

The new church proceeded with the business of organizing the work prior to its constitution, and made regular reports of its conferences back to Concord Church. The report of February 6, 1887 states that after preaching by W. J. Speairs, the Church elected James M. Glore clerk and A. B. Seay as its first Sunday School Superintendent. Later, on April 3, 1887, a committee was appointed to procure a building site for a Church house. Four members were appointed from the church, and three men representing the community.

On September 4, 1887 there was a called meeting from the Concord Association of ministers, deacons, and brethren from Concord, Mt. Harmony, and Mt. Pisgah churches to organize a church at Mableton. The delegation representing Concord was composed of Deacons J. L. Reed, Sr., W. B. Reed, J. T. Glore, J. M. Robertson, and brethren H. B. Reed, I. B. Seay, G. N. Daniell, F. F. Gann, and P. H. Gann.

The Presbytery gave a vote of approval and they were received as "Mableton Missionary Church of Christ at Mableton, GA." The charter members were:

They first met in a brush arbor back of where the church now stands. They then met in a little school building on the corner of Moss and Church (Lowe) Streets (where the duplex of Mrs. M. D. Capps now stands), until they could make plans for subscriptions for building. The first building was a white frame two-story building, with two doors in front, and one on each side. There was a row of pews in the center, with a row on each side, made of 2 x 3 pine. Oil lamps were on the center posts and walls, with a coal heater in the front of the building. School was also held in the building for a number of years.

Brother W. J. Speairs drew the plans for the first church building. He was the first pastor, being elected October 1, 1887 (having served as moderator of the "arm" or mission) and serving to November 3, 1888. Mr. Frank Daniell, father of A. E. Daniell, gave part of the land on which the original church was built and on which the present buildings now stand.

1889

April 25, 1889, J. H. Williams became pastor, serving until February 25, 1893.