POWDER SPRINGS, Ga. — The year 1876 brought baseball’s National League, Alexander Graham Bell’s first telephone call, Thomas Edison’s patent for autographic printing, and a disputed presidential election that eventually sent Rutherford B. Hayes to the White House.
But northwest of Atlanta, something else was beginning. On Sept. 29, 17 believers gathered to constitute a Baptist church that would become Lost Mountain Baptist Church.
In God’s economy, the birth of a church carries a significance far beyond the other events of that year.
A century and a half later, Lost Mountain Baptist Church gathered Sunday, Sept. 13, to honor that heritage and prepare for the future. Pictures of past events and successes were shown, and the motivating Scripture passage for the anniversary was Psalm 145:4: “One generation commends Your works to another; they tell of Your mighty acts.”
Leading up to the 150th anniversary, the congregation packed and delivered 150 backpacks to students at three elementary schools at the beginning of the current school year.
Robert Baber was the church’s first pastor, and Zedekiah Land was the first clerk. The church’s founding convictions included belief in the one true God, trust in the Old and New Testaments as the Word of God, and commitment to baptism and the Lord’s Supper as ordinances of Jesus Christ.
Those convictions shaped the church as it sought to reach its “Jerusalem” for Christ.
Lost Mountain Baptist Church worshiped for the first time in its newly constructed building and joined the Noonday Baptist Association in 1877. In succeeding years, membership grew, and additions and improvements to the church facility were made possible by the generosity of its members. It was not until 1966 that the church called its first full-time pastor.
In 2000, Lost Mountain Baptist Church purchased land on Old Dallas Road and broke ground for a new church complex in 2003. The church now meets on its Old Dallas Road campus in Powder Springs.
Several legends about the naming of Lost Mountain have been passed down from generation to generation, including stories of romance and tragedy.
One bit of lore tells of Nickajack’s daughter, Oolalee, who left with a Sawnee Indian. A search was initiated, and those looking for the young couple “followed by the old beaver dam, and on by the rock mound, and up the mountain.” They were never found, and for years and years Nickajack sat by his wigwam, looked toward the mountain, and murmured, “Lost! Lost! Lost!”
The growth of metro Atlanta and subsequent development have resulted in much of the mountain being removed, but Lost Mountain Baptist Church remains active today, a place where many could say, “Found! Found! Found!” because that is where they found the Lord.
As part of the anniversary celebration, Ty Salter, chief financial officer of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, presented David McGinnis, chairman of the church’s elder board, with a commemorative plaque on behalf of GBMB Executive Director Thomas Hammond and the convention staff.
“This plaque represents your 150 years of wonderful service to this area of Georgia, to the state of Georgia, and to the world through your gifts to the Cooperative Program, the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering, and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering,” Salter said. “It is a great time to look back and see all that God has done through Lost Mountain; and should the Lord tarry, we look for great ministries from this church in the future.”
David Smith, the church’s interim pastor, preached from Colossians 3:12-17, highlighting the apostle Paul’s admonition to embrace the Christian virtues that should characterize believers.
He challenged the church to look ahead.
“Our best days as a church are not behind us, but ahead of us,” Smith said. “And the operative word here is the word ‘our.’”
Smith emphasized the importance of relationships within the church.
“We must be a ‘one another’ people,” he said. “In this passage in Colossians 3, God gives us the resources to build healthy relationships.”
Greg Dukes, who has been at Lost Mountain for 40 years and serves on the creative arts team, said the worship service began with the song “What He’s Done.”
“The words to that song point us to Calvary and the blood of Jesus that set us free, and because of that, all glory and honor go to the Son,” Dukes explained.
“Then at the end of the service,” he said, “the choir and vocal team sang the great hymn ‘Holy, Holy, Holy.’ During the hymn, the praise band began silencing their instruments, and the last verse was sung a cappella. The service ended in a holy hush. It was amazing.”
A luncheon followed the worship service, giving current and former members time to visit and fellowship. Judy Holley, coordinator of the special events crew, helped organize the gathering.
“This was a day to remember,” Holley said. “Some of our former older members came. It was great to see them and sense the harmony that prevailed on our special anniversary day.”
Jake Turner, the church’s executive pastor, thanked those who worked to make the anniversary celebration possible. He gave special recognition to Judy and her husband, Tim, who was working with the sound technology, for their 30 years of service to the church.
The Holleys had another anniversary to celebrate that day: Their 40th wedding anniversary coincided with the church’s 150th anniversary.
Jon Fallis, director of communications and creative, reflected on the church’s history and God’s faithfulness.
“Another year of ministry is certainly something we are grateful for,” Fallis said. “While we recognize that we stand on the shoulders of those who came before us, we give all glory to God, the Provider of every good thing, who has reconciled us to Himself through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ our Lord.”
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