"For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."
Matthew 18:20

Liberty Baptist Church is truly a place that God is blessing. In the last 5 years we have grown from 250 in Sunday School to our current average of 340 and 400 in worship. Recently the church has formed a Vision Committee to study the growth options for our future. God has truly done a wonderful work here considering Liberty's humble beginnings.

Even before the official formation of Liberty Baptist Church, the plot of ground on the corner of Tibbs Bridge Road and Burgess Road was used as a place of worship.

As far back as 1880, Andrew Callahan (then a young man) attended meetings in a small one-room school house on this plot of land. Many years later the school was torn down because it had fallen into disrepair. But the determined people of this community began holding services in their homes.

In 1947 there was a small store (owned by John Jennings) on the plot of land where Liberty Baptist Church now stands. Reverend Ernest Young and Reverend Choice Sane conducted a tent revival in 1947 next to this store, and for approximately two years worship services were held in the tent or in homes of people in the community.

In 1948 Darris Smith began surveying the community to determine the need of a church in that vicinity. From the survey, he discovered that many people in the area did not belong to a church. He also discovered that some were members of other churches but did not attend regularly because of distance. It was obvious that a place of worship was needed within walking distance for the families of this community.

On February 27, 1949 the church was formally organized as Liberty Baptist Church. The name Liberty came from the former school (Liberty Hall School, primer through eighth grade) that stood on this site.

Approximately twenty adults composed the original membership of Liberty Baptist Church. Most of the charter members came from Harmony Church, Pine Grove Church, and Macedonia Church. They were unable to attend these churches regularly because of the distance.

Reverend Derris Smith was called as the first pastor and was ordained by Liberty Baptist Church. Reverend Smith was a student at Tennessee Temple in Chattanooga, and he was only able to serve as pastor until June 1949. He then resigned to return to school.

On March 12, 1949 three men were set aside as the first Deacons of Liberty Baptist Church: Elton Burgess, Eugene Burgess, and Andrew Callahan. At the same time, six trustees were elected to transact the business of the Church: Mrs. Ora Massengill, Henry Harden, Elton Burgess, Marvin Pierce, Eugene Burgess, and Andrew Callahan.

The Trustees were authorized to borrow $750.00 to purchase the small store building, owned by John Jennings, on the present site of Liberty Baptist Church. this small store served as the first church building. The original members all worked together to turn this store building into a church. The store was divided into several sections so it was necessary to remove walls, redo floors and add a floor in one section so worship services could be held. the Church had no funds at this time, so all materials and labor were donated.

In June, 1949 Reverend Choice Sane was called as the second pastor.

Conference was held on the first Saturday night of each month, but on January 8, 1950 was changed to the second Sunday night of each month.

In July 1951 a building fund was started, and the Sunday School offerings and fourth Sunday offering went directly into this building fund. At this time, only two services were held each month.

On September 5, 1954 the Church began having services every Sunday. 75% of the offerings went to the Pastor, and 25% to the Church treasury. $5.00 a month went to the North Georgia Association.

On September 18, 1954 the Church voted to build a new church on property donated by Mrs. Ora Massengill. This land was located directly behind the original lot with the store building.

In conference, the Church elected a building committee: Bob Hampton, Eugene Burgess, and Henry Harden. The Church also voted to hire Mr. Henry Mitchell to oversee the building of the church for $1.00 per hour. All other labor was done by volunteer church members on nights and weekends.

Work began on the new building in the Fall of 1954 and the church was completed during the Summer of 1955. The new building consisted of a sanctuary, a choir section behind the pulpit (a curtain could be drawn behind the pulpit to turn the choir into a couple of classrooms), and three Sunday School classrooms behind the choir. It took approximately ninety days to complete this building.

Membership grew in the years from 1961 to 1964, and it became necessary to build more Sunday School rooms on the east side of the church. Four more classrooms, two bathrooms, and a drinking fountain were added. The Whitfield County Road Commissioner loaned prisoners from the prison camp to lay the blocks for the new addition, and the church members pitched in to finish the remaining work. Much of the material was donated by members and interested businesses in Dalton.

In time, a foyer was added to the front of the church, and in 1974 a steeple was built and added to the church by Cecil Caylor and his son Raymond.

Again in 1977, growth dictated that a new sanctuary be constructed. A finance committee was elected: Joe Langham (Chairman), A.T. Martin, Henry Hardin, Barney Cochran, Elton Burgess, Lamar Pierce, and Danny Ausmus. Also, a building committee was elected: Vernon Foster (Chairman), Walter Baggett, Harold Price, David Crow, Roy Ausmus, Cecil Caylor, and Raymond Caylor.

Ground breaking ceremonies were held in 1976. A new sanctuary with a seating capacity of 575, a baptistery, an office, a nursery, and two bathrooms were constructed on the ground level. The basement consisted of ten classrooms, a fellowship hall, and a kitchen.

The first service was held in this new sanctuary in September, 1977 and a dedication service was on October 23, 1977. The estimated cost of the building was $155,000. With all the donations and the volunteer labor, only $75,000 was borrowed, and this amount was paid in half the time of the loan agreement.

In 1983 it was decided to renovate the old church building and use it as a fellowship hall. This building was remodeled and consisted of a kitchen, two bathrooms, and a large assembly room.

During the next fourteen years, continued growth made it necessary to purchase more land and build more Sunday School rooms.

In the Fall of 1994 the construction of a multipurpose building began and was dedicated in August 1995. This building has a kitchen, nine classrooms, a stage, two bathrooms, and a large gym area that can be used for church dinners, basketball, and various other activities.

Trustees for this project were: Arnold Caylor, Raymond Caylor, Dorothy (Dot) Babb, Charlotte Jones, and Scott Hall. Building committee members were: Jerry Crow, Tim Ausmus, Donald Babb, Allen Crow, and Harold Price.

Liberty Baptist Church has always moved forward in its programs to meet the mission of the Church, and the mission of this Church is to be sensitive to God's direction and carry out His will in our community.

Significant Highlights

1959 - Established the Liberty Baptist Church Memorial Cemetery
1965 - Began GA's, RA's, WMU, and Training Union
1972 - Church bought its first bus and began a bus ministry.

When a history of a church is recorded there is a dimension of that history which is difficult to date and impossible to measure. This dimension involves the lives that have been impacted by the Lord through the Church. During the past fifty years [as of 1999], many have met the Lord at this church. Many others have found comfort, strength, and hope during difficult times in their lives. Friendships have been forged here that reach beyond this life. Joy and happiness have come to many as God's people have worshipped and served Him together in this place. The full impact of this aspect of Liberty's history is known only by the Lord.

-excerpt from Liberty Baptist Church, A History of 50 Years of Service 1949-1999, by Harold Price