On November 29, 1829, a presbytery of elders met in what is now Dunwoody, Georgia to constitute Ebenezer Baptist Church. It was the first church established in this part of Dekalb and Fulton Counties. According to the handwritten minutes of this meeting, there were eight male members and twelve female members. The Articles of Faith are the first items mentioned in the constitution. Our people were not called “primitive’ then, because this was before the division with the mission movement. However, the statements of belief are clearly the unmistakable doctrine of Primitive Baptists.
This is an illustration of that fact copied from the minutes that were written at the constitution of the church in 1829:
“In the fall of Adam and the imputation of his sin to his posterity in the corruption of human nature and the impotency of man to recover himself by his own free will ability. For the everlasting love of God to his people and the eternal election of a definite number of the human race to grace and glory and that there was a covenant of grace and redemption made between the Father and Son before the world began in which their salvation is secure and they in particular are redeemed.”
The first building was diagonally across the intersection from where the church sits today at the northwest corner of Spalding Drive and Roberts Drive. During the Civil War, Ebenezer was commandeered as a Union Army Hospital. The church’s cemetery is home to Union and Confederate soldiers. Another interesting historical note is that during the Civil War, after the Confederates burned the bridge over the Chattahoochee River, boards were taken from the original building by Union soldiers and used to build a pontoon bridge. There have been three buildings in the history of the church, and the current structure was formed by placing bricks over the third building.
At the church’s centennial, a 1929 newspaper article titled “Old Ebenezer Begins its Second 100 Years” was written by Emory Waldrip. He describes the church as being located on Shallowford Road, a name still used at that time, because the road led to the “shallow ford” area of the Chattahoochee River. According to the article, 1000 people were in attendance for the centennial celebration at morning and afternoon services, as well as a picnic luncheon on the church grounds. Elder L.M. Ball, who had been pastor for 30 years, told the crowd the history of the church and delivered a message on the grace of God.
Over the years different pastors have served Ebenezer. Several years ago, the church had fallen on hard times. Many of the older members had passed away, and others, because of age or infirmity, had been unable to attend. Elder R. E. Cagle, 87, was the only active member. He was meeting weekly with the church praying that God would revive it. In 2014, a group from Bethany Church in Suwanee joined Ebenezer. The church has taken on new life. The Lord Jesus Christ is praised and the truth of God’s word is proclaimed. The life changing effect of the gospel of Jesus Christ is front and center.
The message of the love and mercy of God gives hope for the future.
You are invited to come and see!
We ask for your prayers and attendance for the future of Ebenezer Church.