Greater First Baptist Church History
First Baptist Church was established in the 1900’s and was in Needmore near Raymond Purdom’s Grocery here in Lewisburg.
After acquiring a parcel of land on Fifth Avenue, the members of the church and Reverend Miller marched from Needmore to the new location. At this new location, there was a one-roomed building which used coal and wood for heating. It had a small steeple that held a bell used to call people to Sunday School, and this where the congregation met for worship and for other church activities.
During the 1900’s several ministers served as the church’s Shepherd. They were Reverend Miller, Reverend Riley, Reverend Smith, Reverend Evans, Reverend Blackman, Reverend S.L. Hall and Reverend W.J. Malone. In 1941 Reverend Willie Payne Johnson was called to pastor the Church and he remained its pastor for fifty-seven years.
Reverend Willie Payne Johnson’s Leadership
Under the leadership of Pastor Johnson, many spiritual and physical changes took place. At the beginning of his leadership, there were only six women members. Through prayer and faith, the congregation grew in size and several men, who had joined the church, became deacons. The number of services per month increased from one every two Sundays to one every Sunday. Several departments were organized under his leadership including the Baptist Young People’s Union, the Missionary Society, Usher Board and the Church Choir.
From 1959 to the mid-sixties, the church underwent some renovation which added a Sanctuary, Choir Loft and indoor plumbing. The church membership also continued to grow including several men. In 1984 and 1985 the Church was expanded and the name was changed to Greater First Baptist Church.
The pastor, Reverend Willie Payne Johnson, had the blessing of ordaining many men who had been called to the ministry and to preach the Gospel, and many of them went on to become pastors of their own churches. These were Reverend William Dukes, Reverend William Wray, Reverend Michael Pigg, Reverend Keith Davis and Reverend William H. Johnson, his son.
In 1994 and 1995 more renovations to the church took place. A ramp to accommodate the handicap was added to the back entrance leading to the sanctuary. Tiles and carpet were added to the back foyer, the choir place and ushers’ room. The bathrooms were also remodeled.
Sadly, in 1997 Pastor W.P. Johnson’s health began to fail. He stepped aside and became Pastor Emeritus while his son, Reverend William H. Johnson, became the Interim Pastor until the congregation voted him in as pastor in September 1997.
New Leadership
Under the leadership of Reverend William H. Johnson, the membership has continually increased to around three hundred. The following ministries have been established: The Praying Wives and Husbands Ministry, Bus Ministry, Crown Ministry, Youth Ministry, TV and Audiovisual Ministry, Men’s Ministry, Disciples in Prayer, One Hour Prayer Ministry, Prayer Line Ministry, Grant Writing Ministry, Noon Day Bible Study, The Praise Team, The Anointed Steps of Praise and the Male Chorus, The Footsteps of Grace, The Male Mimes, Financial Management Ministry, and Constitution and Bylaws. These are just a few ministries that have been established under his leadership. Through these ministries the church has grown spiritually, physically and financially. Several other church annual events have been organized under Pastor William H. Johnson leadership. They are the Married Couples Retreat, Senior Citizen Appreciation, Family and Friends, Unity Week, Men’s Youth Retreat, Men’s and Women’s Retreat and Senior Appreciation (High School), which treated students with grades of A’s and B’s to a day out.Pastor Johnson, following the footsteps of his father, has ordained many deacons: Deacon John Edmundson, Deacon Joe Harris, Deacon Barry Mayes, Deacon Gregory Pigg, Deacon Will Taylor, Deacon Donald Webster, Deacon Larry Thomas, Deacon Jeff Anderson, Deacon William Brown, Deacon Carlton Dudley, Jr., Deacon Jeff McLean, Deacon Mike Grippin, Shon McLean and Deacon Tony Williamson.He has also ordained the following ministers: Minister John Conner, Reverend Donald Coney, and Minister Valoria Johnson, who was ordained on July16, 2006 and became the first female to be ordained in the church’s history, Minister Carletta Webster, Minister Larry Thomas, Minister Donald Webster, Minister Tamara Eskridge and Minister Candace McCord. (Minister Nora Alexander, Minister Henry Foster)In 1999 Pastor Johnson shared with the congregation The Vision to build a new church upon the hill. With the aid and cooperation of the Deacons, Financial Ministry and the Congregation the plan was set in motion. Due to the failing economy and other unforeseen circumstances, the building project was delayed. But through prayer and faith, nothing prevented the vision to be realized, and indeed the church made it to the hill top. Even though the church ground had not yet been broken, renovations to the existing building continued. Two new cooling units were installed and the parking lot was paved.
In 1994, the women of the church operated in the unity of the Spirit to make additions to the church as well as renovate certain areas of the church. An outside ramp with a canopy was added to the back entrance of the church building and the back entrance was expanded to provide a foyer to improve entering and exiting of the building. It was during this time that the church came together to add a "Prayer Room" for God's people to pray. This room was developed by Mr. and Mrs. Arnold Quarles. The church was also led by the Holy Spirit to provide Pastor W.P. Johnson with a more luxurious office for study and counseling.
In 1995, the congregation completed many more projects to face-lift the church building. These projects included new tiled floor in the back entrance and hallway, carpeting of the choir and Usher's rooms, a handicap ramp into the sanctuary, renovation to the ladies' restroom, and a complete makeover of the church fellowship hall and kitchen. In 1996, the church moved into the tech age by developing a media room with professional style office furniture and a computer to ensure documentation of church attendance, finance reports and records, and the ability to create our own church programs.
Pastor W.P. Johnson served as the servant-leader of First Baptist Church and Greater First Baptist Church for 57 years. During his tenure at Greater First Baptist Church, he also served at Mount Carmel Missionary Baptist in Chapel Hill, Tennessee. On the second and fourth Sundays of every month, Pastor Johnson would proclaim the gospel in the pulpit of Mount Carmel, then, he would exit that pulpit and arrive in the pulpit of Greater First Baptist Church just in time to proclaim the gospel. This process continued for many years. He was equally loved by both churches and he dedicated his life to ministering to both equally.
In 1995, the congregation completed many more projects to face-lift the church building. These projects included new tiled floor in the back entrance and hallway, carpeting of the choir and Usher's rooms, a handicap ramp into the sanctuary, renovation to the ladies' restroom, and a complete makeover of the church fellowship hall and kitchen. In 1996, the church moved into the tech age by developing a media room with professional style office furniture and a computer to ensure documentation of church attendance, finance reports and records, and the ability to create our own church programs.
Pastor W.P. Johnson served as the servant-leader of First Baptist Church and Greater First Baptist Church for 57 years. During his tenure at Greater First Baptist Church, he also served at Mount Carmel Missionary Baptist in Chapel Hill, Tennessee. On the second and fourth Sundays of every month, Pastor Johnson would proclaim the gospel in the pulpit of Mount Carmel, then, he would exit that pulpit and arrive in the pulpit of Greater First Baptist Church just in time to proclaim the gospel. This process continued for many years. He was equally loved by both churches and he dedicated his life to ministering to both equally.
From Vision to Reality
After many years of praying and much faith in God, the vision has now become a reality. On June 14, 2015, Greater First Baptist Church had its “Groundbreaking Ceremony. In July 2015, the building project began, the new sanctuary and education facility were finally completed. The first worship service in the new church facility was held on August 1, 2016 and the dedication service was on September 4, 2016. Reverend Michael Pigg, Pastor of Philadelphia Baptist Church in Lithonia, Georgia, was the guest speaker and the morning service speaker was Dr. Ken Weathersby.
A Word of Thanks
October 9, 2022 we celebrated the one hundred and twenty-two years of the church’s existence, let us be grateful for how far we have come, for the struggles and for our forefathers who made this success possible. Let us have the faith to believe that God will take us where He wants us to be, but only when He is ready for us to be there and that the church will continue to grow spiritually, physically and financially. We should always remember that with God all things are possible, if we just continue to hold on to his unchanging hand.
We thank God for all the struggles we had to endure to make it to this point in time. But most of all we thank God and praise him for giving us strength and patience to trust and wait on Him. Surely, “We Have Come This Far by Faith Leaning on the Lord!”
Our Story
.jpg)