Faith takes root

Churches and religious sites celebrate devotion

Georgia has strong Baptist, Catholic and Episcopal heritage

{ ABOVE: CHRIST CHURCH FREDERICA, ST. SIMONS ISlAND }

Every week, many Georgians gather together for a Sunday service, Friday night prayer service or midweek Mass. They go to find peace amid busy times and to honor their faith commitments.

Time-honored traditions

Many congregations welcome visitors into their midst. Former president Jimmy Carter still teaches Sunday school regularly at Maranatha Baptist Church in plains.

Kiokee Baptist Church in Appling is proud to be Georgia’s oldest continuing Baptist church. The congregation near the South Carolina state line traces its roots to 1772 and remains active today.

Springfield Baptist Church has been a part of the Conyers community since 1879. its first members were former slaves and sharecroppers. in the decades since, the church has grown and flourished with more than 3,500 members.

Conyers is a popular destination for religious tours, as it is the home of Monastery of the Holy Spirit. The resident Trappist monks welcome visitors for tours, overnight retreats and daily prayers. The site, located 35 miles outside of Atlanta, includes rolling hills, a prayer walk, Stations of the Cross and walking trails.

Diversity reigns

A diverse group of Georgians worships at Atlanta’s Shrine of the immaculate Conception, which holds Mass once daily and twice on Sunday. The Catholic parish is eager to work with groups to schedule tours at other times.

Two locations have connections to religious history dating far before Georgia became a state. The ocmulgee National Monument in Macon preserves millennia of Native American culture, including the Great Temple Mound and other earthworks. in LaGrange, explorations in Antiquity Center takes groups back to the world of the Bible with an authentic Passover meal, archaeological replicas and items from daily life. The newly opened Biblical Life Artifacts Gallery is the only museum in the Southeast to have a long-term collection of artifacts on loan from the israel Antiquities Authority.

Kiokee Baptist Church, Appling

Coastal concepts

The Georgia Coast fosters its connections to places and people of faith. Savannah’s historic houses of worship include the First African Baptist Church, founded in 1775, and Congregation Mickve israel, the third-oldest Jewish congregation in the united States.

Religious tours also visit the friendly Golden isles Church of God in Brunswick and Christ Church Frederica. The Episcopal house of worship on St. Simons island dates back to the mid 18th-century when the Rev. Charles Wesley served the people of Fort Frederica. His brother, John, visited in 1736 before founding Methodism.

The church weathered war and hard times. Today, the active congregation welcomes visitors to experience the beauty of the architecture, live oaks and stained-glass windows.