Not many churches can claim that they have celebrated their 200th anniversary, but White Plains Baptist Church in White Plains, Georgia can. On Sept. 13, 1806 the White Plains church was established and for two hundred years this Georgia Baptist congregation has been preaching the gospel, giving witness of their faith in Jesus Christ, and supporting missions.

Sept. 13, 2006 marked the 200th anniversary and I had the distinct privilege of participating in the celebration by preaching the message for the anniversary worship service. The white-framed church building that stands on the original site does not date to the nineteenth century. It was constructed in the early twentieth century, but it is a beautiful building, very well cared for, and representative of the architecture of the earliest years of the 1900’s.

As I arrived at the church on Wednesday evening, Charles Drummond, Georgia Baptist ministry resource consultant, and I were greeted by a group of the men standing out in front of the church. The parking lot was filled to overflowing and I could tell that we were in for a wonderful evening. We were escorted to the area right behind the sanctuary where various pictures and memorabilia from the church’s history were displayed.

I enjoyed taking a pictorial tour of the church’s past and noticed that one pastor had stayed for fifty-four years. This was certainly a good sign of a faithful pastorate and a healthy church.

It was pointed out to me that the African-American congregation in the community, Second Baptist Church, would be joining us for the worship service and their choir would be singing. I was told that the African American congregation met with the White Plains congregation from September 13, 1806 until 1867, when they departed White Plains Baptist to start their own church that they named Second Baptist Church. The Second Baptist church facility is very near the mother church and the two churches have enjoyed a close fellowship through the years.

The sanctuary of the church was filled nearly to capacity. The spirit was one of unity and joy. The blended congregation and the excitement of celebrating a 200th anniversary made the worship time electric with enthusiasm. I felt and shared with the congregation that the spirit we were feeling was probably as close to the joy of heaven as can be found on earth. We had a wonderful time. We sang; we greeted one another with handshakes and hugs; we prayed; and, we celebrated the salvation of Chelsea Epps, an eleven-year-old girl who came forward at the invitation to profess faith in Christ.

Also, worshiping with us was a group of fifty men from Penfield who packed quite a few pews and at the end of the service sang together the most rousing rendition of “Victory In Jesus” I have ever heard. One of the men, James, came forward at the invitation to publicly profess his faith in Jesus.

I was so pleased that White Plains invited me to preach for their 200th anniversary. It was one of the finest worship services I have ever been a part of. It was one of those experiences that you just know you will never forget. Thank you White Plains for the joy of being with you. You have demonstrated in a great way that a church can remain happy and healthy for two hundred years. You have demonstrated that, as in heaven, different races of believers can enjoy one another’s company and lift voices in unison to praise the Lord. You have demonstrated that after two hundred years you can keep filling your sanctuary to capacity and continue seeing people coming to faith in Christ.