Church to be featured on County Road 12
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, June 4, 2003
The First Baptist Church of Georgiana is a local landmark with a lot of history. It is one of the oldest churches in the county, and a source of pride for the church members who have attended services held within its doors for generations.
Sadly, it is about to be torn down.
But the historic church won't go down unnoticed. The church will be featured on WSFA- TV's County Road 12 on June 6.
County Road 12 is a weekly program that focuses on &uot;off-the-beaten-path&uot; type stories that don't normally make the local news, but are of interest to area TV viewers.
&uot;We are always looking for interesting people, places or things for our program,&uot; said County Road 12 correspondent Debbie Willliams. &uot;Like many of our suggestions for program topics, someone e-mailed me with information about the church. After getting more information from my contacts, I scheduled a visit.
Williams said she feels it is important to let people know it's not all gloom and doom.
&uot;In a lot of stories, there are life lessons taught by people who have lived through difficulties and found peace within themselves and their surroundings,&uot; she said. &uot;What struck me most about the church was the stained-glass windows. The artistry has survived for more than a hundred years. It would be such a loss if they were destroyed or lost forever.&uot;
And that's exactly what Pastor Allen Stephenson hopes to avoid.
&uot;If we leave the church standing with the stained-glass windows in place for much longer, they will be damaged more than they are,&uot; Stephenson said. &uot;I have received several calls from people who don't want the church torn down, but restoring the existing building would probably cost millions. We don't have that kind of money. But we can save the stained-glass windows and many other historic items in the church and are in the process of doing so.&uot;
&uot;The effort that is going into saving the windows speaks volumes about the people and the community in that area,&uot; Williams said.
You can view the piece about Georgiana's First Baptist Church, Friday night at the end of the WSFA &uot;Six O'Clock Report&uot; news program.