Lottie Moon Honoring Georgia connections at Christmas

Georgia Baptists have long heard of their local connection to Lottie Moon - the namesake of the international missions offering.

The young woman taught school in Cartersville and announced her call to be a missionary in China while she lived there.

But there is another Georgia connection. Farmington sits amidst the rolling hills of north Georgia, between Athens and Madison. It was there, during the 1860s, that Lottie Moon lived at a cotton plantation owned by wealthy Baptist planters, the Middlebrooks.

Lottie was hired as a tutor for the Middlebrooks' only child, Percy. According to her contract, she was guaranteed two hours every afternoon for Bible study and meditation.

Lottie taught an enterprising young man. One afternoon during her study time geese from the barn escaped and disturbed her. Lottie paid Percy a nickel to drive them away. After that, Percy arranged for the geese to disturb her regularly so he could earn a little money.

That story is still told by 101-year-old Nell Carson, a relative of the Middlebrooks who remembers Lottie Moon. Her niece, Martha Jean Giles, still attends the church that Lottie attended, Freeman's Creek Baptist Church in Farmington.

In 1988 the church held a missionary memorial service and, along with a group of visiting Chinese Christians, dedicated a memorial stone in honor of Lottie Moon.

This year the church will take up the offering named in honor of one of their most famous members, Lottie Moon.

Information for this story was also provided by Margie Black.