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"Found Faithful for 234 years!" That's our rally cry when it comes to faithfully following in the footsteps of the saints who have come before us and preserving the rich heritage which we, the Abilene Baptist Church of today, enjoy. Abilene Baptist Church is one of the oldest Baptist Churches in Georgia. It was founded in 1774 by Daniel Marshal and was originally know as Red's (pronounced Reed) Creek Baptist Church. The first Pastor was Rev. Loveless Savage and he served the church from it's founding in 1774 to 1791. He was also a Chaplain in the Revolutionary Army. The church stayed in it's original location off Old Petersburg Road in Martinez, GA. until 1828 when it moved to a new location on Old Evans Road in Martinez. A large cemetery still can be found at the sight of the second location. Many of the people buried at this sight were born in the 1700's and lived through the revolution. Unfortunately, fire destroyed a majority of the old church's record. However, some still remain and pages can be found on display in the pastor's study. Abilene remained at this location until 1952 when it moved again. This time it moved to 3917 Washington Road in Martinez and it now occupies this third location. Abilene, like all churches, has had it's prosperous times and it's times of decline, but it has persevered for nearly 234 years and has seen many people come to the Lord under it's ministry. At the present time, Abilene has over 2700 members. The church completely renovated it's sanctuary and built a new educational building in 1993. Five hundred seats were added to the sanctuary during this complete redesign and renovation. The Sunday School attendance is now at 800+, in house. The annual budget of the church is $2,674,000.00 and this Budget is always met and exceeded by the faithful giving of the people. The future is bright for this vibrant group of Christians. More land has been purchased and paved, providing additional parking for our guests and members. New programs are envisioned and the Church has an enthusiastic desire to expand and win more people to the Lord Jesus. Each Sunday people are Baptized into the fellowship during our Worship Services and lives are changed by the Lord as they allow Him to be the Lord of their lives.
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