Sunday, February 25, 2001
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Sunday, February 25, 2001 |
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Sandy Creek Baptist presses on under Johnson's leadership
By CAROLYN CARY
It was just five years ago this month that Sandy Creek Baptist Church called the Rev. Philip Johnson to be its pastor. He came to a church that had been established in 1882 through the kindness of a man who gave two acres of land "for the sum of $1.00 and good will." As with most churches in the 19th century, it first began under a brush arbor. The first wooden building was burned but another one was built and the facility has been expanded and improved since that time. Sunday School was not conducted until 1951 and a pastorum was built in 1966. The congregation has undergone three name changes; the Church of Christ at Sandy Creek, Sandy Creek Baptist Church of Christ, and finally, Sandy Creek Baptist Church. In 1996 the congregation was seeking a permanent pastor and Ree Shafer was chairman of that committee. She told of the many churches visited throughout Georgia over several months, but the committee could never be in full agreement. They were told about an associate pastor at the Tyrone Baptist Church but it was also hinted that Sandy Creek "couldn't have him." After hearing Johnson one Sunday evening, the committee was in agreement to pursue the matter. In just a matter of days, after a unanimous vote by the committee and the congregation, he became its pastor. One of the requirements during the initial interview was to have him sing. He and a brother and sister have sung gospel music throughout the Southern region, and all of them play the piano. His first week on the job required an act that wasn't covered in college, finding out what a terrible smell was near the front of the church. He crawled underneath the flooring and found a dead possum. Showing his leadership skills, he brought it out and properly disposed of it. He married Cindi in October, 1990, and they are the parents of 2 1/2-year-old Natalie. They have the distinction of having the first child born to a pastor serving the church at the time. He and his family were honored this past Sunday morning with a plaque and a gift from the congregation along with a special luncheon after the worship service. Also on hand were his parents, who drove down from Yorkville, Paulding County, where the Rev. Johnson was reared. He chose as his sermon on this special day, John 3:16, concerning God's greatest gift, His son Jesus Christ. He said that we must live our lives in such a manner as to reflect our gratefulness for his gift. "Many faiths," he said, "have great leaders, but when those leaders die, they're gone forever. God has given us a leader that we can look to all of our lives; a leader that was tested and rose to that test, setting an example that exists today. "We should not be concerned for the 'things' of the world and have both hands full of these things. When God reaches down to test us, and puts out his hand, we should not be concerned with having to decide which is more important, 'things' or accepting God's hand. "God is reaching down and you must be ready to reach up," he concluded. Sunday morning worship is at 11 a.m. and Sunday School begins at 9:45 a.m. Wednesday evenings there is Bible study at 7 p.m. It is at 1082 Sandy Creek Road and can be reached at 770-964-9691.
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