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Black churches in Wilkes reflectlong history, work by African Americans
In his publication entitled "A History of New Ford Church," Rev. J. H. Fortson suggests in 1882 that the church acquired its name because of its nearness to New Ford Creek. Founded in 1795, New Ford is one of the oldest churches in Wilkes County. When the original New Ford Baptist church was built in 1795, George Washington was still in officeas the first president of the United States. Congress had ratified the United States Constitution a mere six years earlier. Georgia had been admitted to the Union a mere seven years earlier. The first U.S. census ever taken (1790) had revealed that people of color made up 19.3% of the country's population. Eli Whitney had introduced the cotton gin two years earlier, which would make Wilkes County the "Cotton Capital of the World" and would make cotton growing profitablein many other places throughout the South thus instilling new life into the slave economy. Native Americans would soon be forced to endure the Trail of Tears and be "ethnically cleansed" from Georgia and other parts of the southeast portion of the country. Descendants of Africa had been in bondage in this country for more than 175 years and would not be free or counted as American citizens until after the Civil War - some 75 years later.
At the same time, these descendants of the builders of the Sphinx and Pyramids of Africa; these offspring of those who taught mathematics and science to the Greeks and the rest of the world; these inventors of the world's first large scale irrigation system were expected to and did build the many gigantic antebellum homes found all over Wilkes County. With their own hands, they built New Ford Baptist Church and many other churches in Wilkes County, even though they could not join them and could only sit on the back pew or in the balcony while white Christians carried on the services. But this didn't stop them from believing in the concept of one omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient God who is creator of all of us. For in Mother Africa, our ancestors had been a deeply spiritual people. They had lived on the same continent inhabited by Abraham after he and his wife, Sarah, came up out of Ur of the Chaldenes; and where Joseph had been first a slave, then a prisoner, and later second in charge of the entire country. The persecuted ancestors were from the land where Mary and Joseph had taken the baby Jesus to fleefrom Herod's order to kill all the boy babies under two years old. They were from the land where God told Moses to go and tell old Pharaoh to "let my people go." New Ford's early attendees of color identified greatly, as do blacks today, with the concept of God delivering the oppressed people from the shackles of slavery and oppression and this story would inspire them and us, as no other, in our fight for freedom and justice in this land. And so, while our foreparents sat on the back pews or in balconies as they worshipped and began to live Christianity, their descendants would learn and teach the rest of the story - that Mother Africa is the physical setting for a large portion of the Old Testament and some of the New Testament. Their descendants would know that many of the early church fathers, such as St. Augustine, Origen, Tertullian, and many others were actually born in, lived in, and taught the Scriptures in Africa. In fact, the foremost and official catechism school of the first 200 years of Christianity was located on the continent of Africa. Many studied at the Alexandrian School, in Egypt. Origen studied at the school under Clement and was later head of the school. So you see, God in his infinitewisdom worked through our African ancestors in forging and shaping the Christian faith from the first century to the present. The July 25, 1936, report of the committee of the history of New Ford Baptist Church states that when New Ford moved to its present location in 1832 (on land donated by William McLendon), people of color were for the first time allowed to unite as members of New Ford. In his compilation entitled "Minutes of Danburg Baptist Church, (formerly New Ford Baptist Church) Wilkes County, Georgia," Ray B. Stevens presents a summary of the minutes of the New Ford Baptist Church conference on November 30, 1834, and thereafter. These minutes reflectthat a special church conference was convened each month for people of color rather than have them participate with the white congregation. In the September 1857 minutes is found the church statistics. New Ford had 125 members of whom 49 were white and 86 were people of color. Black members were in a majority before the Civil War. In the July 10, 1858, minutes, the white congregation in their church conference discussed moving to a new church, as did they again in the August 1858 and September 1858 conference. In the November 11, 1866, minutes, a specific request was made that the colored members of the congregation be allowed to have separate worship services at New Ford. In the January 7, 1871, minutes, the white congregation in church conference voted to "adopt a motion to let the colored members of the church have the use of the house…" And so, the minutes make it clear that the transition from the original congregation to the present congregation did not occur in a single month or even a single year. The transition evolved over a period of time. All things considered, the present congregation, for more than a century, has been comfortable with 1870 as the time frame in which the present era of the church began. The argument could very well be made that it was earlier. In fact, it could be asserted in 1795, believers erected New Ford to the glory and honor of God the Father and it matters not whether God's people are black or white. We all are children of the most High God. Nevertheless, a new social order had begun to evolve inside the church prior to the Civil War and the personalities and demographics would strongly favor people of color. And so, a building use and occupancy policy based on the demographics and leadership of the Holy Spirit was reasonable. The August 9, 1878, minutes reflectthat the "committee made arrangements to sell this house and build a new one in Danburg. Report that they made the following arrangement with white Danburg merchant, Mr. John L. Anderson, that he agreed to take this house and build us a new one in Danburg as good or better than this one, free of costs, to us and the committee reserves the burying grounds here." In 1879, the people of color of New Ford began their purchase of the church and approximately six acres of land on which it stands from the John L. Anderson family. They continued to call their church New Ford. The first Board of Trustees of the new New Ford consisted of Bro. Moses Standard; Bro. Anderson Sutton; Bro. Edmund Tate, Sr.; Bro. Raff Jones; and Bro. Peter Walton. An additional 1 ½ acres was purchased in 1913. Clearly, occupancy, use, and leadership of the present congregation by people of color occurred many years before transfer of title to the church building. The present congregation of New Ford stands alone in northeast Wilkes County as a church where the descendants of loyal, faithful, and dedicated church members rose to leadership within the walls of the church of their enslaved ancestors through their love for the church, love for their brethren, and the love of God through Jesus. Their foreparents once worshipped from the back pews, but they seized the time and circumstances and rose up and purchased the church and they have maintained it for the ensuing decades to the glory and honor of God the Father. God has brought them a mighty long way. In an article which appeared in the Washington News-Reporter commemorating the bicentennial of New Ford/Danburg Baptist (dated October 5, 1995), Mrs. Mildred Sisson states that "The usual separation saw blacks building churches. Most whites can name a black church started by former members of their church." In the case of New Ford, it is the mother church.
Pastor James White Jr. has served as pastor since 2000. Under his leadership, New Ford Baptist Church is growing spiritually, numerically, and physically. As New Ford proceeds into the 21st century, many new members and ministries are coming into being. New Ford welcomes you to visit and when you get tired of visiting, you are welcomed to join.
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