Three Atlanta churches merge for new possibilities in ministry

CLARKSTON — Faced with a declining membership, Clarkston Baptist Church had to make a decision.

Located just outside the perimeter on the east side of Atlanta, the church had enjoyed substantial growth in the 1970’s before another spike in attendance in the late ‘80’s and early ‘90’s. Shortly thereafter, however, young families began moving to the suburbs and attendance slipped. Membership roles of more than 600 in 1990 had dwindled to 150 in 2003.

Members of the church began looking for answers to questions in how to reach the surrounding area. One lay in the fact that Clarkston had become a multi-cultural community as refugees from around the world moved into its neighborhoods. During those years of transition Clarkston Baptist became the mother church to several ethnic congregations who met in its building throughout the week.

“Starting in the late ‘80’s we ended up starting six different missions,” reflects Charles Griffin, a member of Clarkston Church for 33 years. “Those missions reached out particularly to Vietnamese, Filipinos, Sudanese, Liberians, East Africans, and Ethiopians. All of them met in our building.”

These dynamics prompted the church to merge over the past year with two of the congregations, Philippine International Bible Church and New African Baptist Mission, and thus become Clarkston International Bible Church, SBC.

On May 22 members of the newly-formed congregation came together for an open house inaugural celebration and to introduce the community to various ministries sponsored by the church.

“People are absolutely ecstatic about it,” says Bill Perrin, chairman of elders at CIBC. Perrin started attending Clarkston Church as an infant in the 1930’s. Except for a thirty-year stint in the army, he has been a mainstay with the congregation.

“We want to get everyone involved. This will be the strongest Baptist church I’ve ever been associated with,” he adds.

According to Ken Tan, interim pastor at Philippine International Bible Church before the merge, the congregation at PIBC had started to grow around 1997. “People had a desire to be more cultural,” says Tan, who is director for recruitment in the Church Planting Group at the North American Mission Board.

“This is a city that seems to welcome refugees. In a three-mile radius of the church lives 105,000 people from all over the world. This provides a lot of opportunities for ministry.”

A few years ago, Clarkston Church was an aging, Anglo congregation with a heart for reaching its community. Its Filipino church consisted of younger couples 20-30 years old while its African mission included immigrants and refugees in their 20’s and 30’s from countries such as Ghana, Nigeria, and Zaire.

Femi Bab-Oke, pastor of New African Baptist Mission at the time of the merge, says there is a statement to be made in the establishment of CIBC.

“In coming together, the point is that we were no longer going to be seen as a people of a certain color, but people of God,” says Bab-Oke, who himself came to America 20 years ago from Nigeria. “In order to build the kingdom of God,

churches and people in all cultures need to mingle with each other in order to understand each other.”

J. Allen Hill was called in April of 2003 to be the first interim pastor of CIBC. Being a missionary in the Philippines for 25 years helped him in his new role.

“From my time in the Philippines, I knew some people already in the church,” says Hill, who serves as a specialist with Cooperative Program, Stewardship, and State Missions Development of the Georgia Baptist Convention. “It’s been a long process to get this together.”

In order to ensure equal ownership from all groups, every member of the three churches became charter members of Clarkston International Bible Church. The fact that all three congregations were meeting at the mother church cultivated a sense of familiarity in the facility.

Input from all groups is accomplished through six standing committees overseeing the ministries of the church. Deacons watch over families, while a group of elders assist in administrative matters.

“All members are represented in the committees,” says Perrin. “They cover worship; discipleship; fellowship; outreach and missions; ministry, which covers our benevolence programs; and administration. There are enough areas for each member to be a part of the overall church ministry according to their gifts.”

Hill admits that the merge has consisted of people from different cultures “getting used to each other,” but that even bumps in the road have resulted in excitement and new ideas.

“Several ministries are now thriving in the church,” he says. “English is taught as a second language. A bread ministry gives out food. “Another ministry called ‘Home Sweet Home’ takes good furniture donated to the church and distributes it to refugees living in the 700 or so apartment buildings in Clarkston. One of our members, Pat Maddox, has started a ministry called Friends of Refugees, which operates out of, but independent of, the church.

“In our services, we have people who grew up with all types of music in church and ways of expression. When we say we have a blended worship service, people don’t know the half of it.” he says with a laugh.

Hill sees CIBC as a church that can break down walls. “We want to show that it’s worth the effort for churches to become inclusive regarding other groups and ethnicities.”

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Interim Pastor Allen Hill greets guests at the International Food Fest, shaking hands with Manijeh Zareh, an immigrant from Iran. Looking on are, left to right, Aziza Salek, from Afghanistan, and Rouhiweh Zareh, Manijeh's daughter.

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Ray An Fuentes, one of the Philippines' foremost singing artists, performs at the evangelistic concert held in the main sanctuary of the church May 22. Much of Clarkston International Bible Church's congregation is made up of young Filipino couples.

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Monirh Zareh, age 12, is all smiles as she shows off her newly painted face by one of the clowns at the event.

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Oluwaseyi Onafowohan shows off his Spiderman face paint during a May 22 open house celebrating the merger of three Georgia Baptist churches in Clarkston. Zareh is symbolic of the state's growing immigrant population and the challenge Georgia Baptists face to spread the good news among all ethnic groups. The eight-year-old is among hundreds hearing the gospel through newly formed Clarkston International Bible Church, SBC. The new congregation was birthed through combining Clarkston Baptist Church, Philippine International Bible Church, and New African Baptist Mission.

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Celebrants gathered together to enjoy foods from other cultures at the Food Fest sponsored by the church. Clarkston's reputation has grown as a city that welcomes refugees from around the world, resulting in a great influx of cultures.

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A new sign represents a new day for the members of CIBC. "In coming together ... we were no longer going to be seen as a people of a certain color," says Femi Bab-Oke, a member who was pastor of New African Baptist Mission. "In order to build the kingdom of God, churches and people in all cultures need to mingle with each other."