Churches join forces, share facilities

This past Sunday marked a very special day for the members of Corinth Baptist Church and South Atlanta Community Church. It heralded the beginning of a new relationship between two churches of different denominations and histories.

On the border of Clayton and Fayette counties sits a church that has been at the same location for 126 years. Corinth Baptist Church was constituted on Sept. 19, 1880. The church has been predominately white throughout its history, though its first preacher was a black man named Berry Austin. Although the church’s membership on paper is about 900, Pastor Chuck Kitchens notes that there are approximately 140 to 150 members who attend regularly.

South Atlanta Community Church doesn’t have quite the history of Corinth Baptist; it was founded merely two years ago. Perimeter Church in Duluth, Ga., a Presbyterian church, founded South Atlanta Community Church as a church plant. South Atlanta Community Church, a predominantly African-American congregation, has been meeting in a business complex on N. Jeff Davis Dr. since its inception, and has grown to a membership of approximately 100, outgrowing their rented facility. South Atlanta Community Church, a member of the Presbyterian Church of America, is under the pastorship of Raymond Causey.

Pastors Causey and Kitchens initially met through their wives a year and a half ago. Over a lunch meeting they discussed pairing their churches up to work together on “Judgement House,” a walk through drama, at the end of October. That first year the drama didn’t take place, but it did open the discussion for a joint venture.

Six months ago the pastors began discussing the possibility of a church merge between the two congregations. Both pastors have a heart to see different races come together as one body of Christ; “It’s important to have a heart of unity despite the differences in the church,” the pastors said.

Initial discussions led to exchanging pulpits in each other’s churches. Church leaders met to further discuss the merge and both congregations were asked for their input. After much prayer and discussion church leaders felt that a merge was not what God currently intended for these two congregations, rather a new arrangement with South Atlanta Community Church meeting in Corinth Baptist's building was decided upon.

While the churches will remain autonomous of one another, they will share the building, occasionally swap pulpits and have joint services, do community outreach projects together and have a unified youth ministry, among other things. The youth have been meeting together for several months already and this past October the churches hosted the “Judgement House” project which first brought them together.

What will this arrangement look like in the long term? “A lot is undetermined at this point,” says Pastor Kitchens. Pastor Causey notes, “It’s a faith journey. We’re trusting the Lord that this will further His kingdom.”

Both congregations welcomed the change with open arms, said the pastors. “We come into this with a spirit of unity. Our people love each other,” expressed Pastor Causey. Baptist churches have to vote on changes that affect the congregation explained Pastor Kitchens. Corinth is coming into the arrangement with “total acceptance” says Kitchens. While South Atlanta Community Church does not have a formal code that requires decisions to be voted on, the church leadership shared openly with the congregation, they asked for input and they were greeted with an “overwhelming spirit of positivity,” says Causey.

Their first Sunday together was celebrated with a joint worship service at 11 a.m. and was followed by a covered dish dinner. On future Sundays, Corinth will worship at 9:45 a.m. and South Atlanta will worship at 11:15 a.m.

Both congregations invite the surrounding communities to join them as they “seek to fulfill the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.”

Corinth Baptist Church is located at 398 Corinth Road (Fayette County), between Ga. Hwy. 54 East and Ga. Hwy. 85 North. Turn onto Corinth Road from either highway, and go about four miles. For more information or directions, call 770-461-4456.

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