OUR HISTORY
Old Macedonia came into existence as a result of dedicated Christian leaders who dreamed of a sanctuary ten miles northeast of Augusta, Georgia.
This church is a daughter of Mt. Canaan Baptist Church. Rev. Alexander Bettis organized the church and was her first pastor who served from 1870 - 1878.
The first members were: Lucy Harris, Joe Williams, Harrison Spinnil, Annie Randall, Berry Key, and Winnie Wooden.
At least two churches in the surrounding area were formed out of Old Macedonia - Mims Grove Baptist Church and Young Macedonia Baptist Church.
Since the formation of OMBC in a brush arbor, we have had several buildings and over the years we have been blessed with facilities to support different ministries in the community. These include, but not limited to: an after-school program, a food bank, a wellness program, and many more. Old Macedonia prides itself on community outreach.
1870 - 1964
Not much history was recorded or passed down from this time period in the church's existence. Rev. Alexander Bettis, Rev. Thomas Key, Rev. John McKie, Rev. N. Griffin, Rev. George Briggs, and Rev. Thomas Nobles all served from 1870 - 1915. In 1916, Rev. A. C. Johnson became pastor and served for 48 years! Rev. Johnson passed away in 1964. His gravesite is located in Old Macedonia Baptist Church cemetery in North Augusta, SC.
1965 - 1970
Rev. Joseph Vaughn, Sr. became pastor of Old Macedonia Baptist Church in 1965. During Pastor Vaughn's tenure, a Baptist Training Union (BTU) was established. He led the church during its Centennial celebration - the church's 100th church anniversary which was held on April 19, 1970.
Rev. Vaughn ended up resigning later in 1970. He passed away December 8, 1992. His gravesite is located in Mount Harris Cemetery in Aiken, SC.
1974 - 1987
During the tenure of Pastor Willar H. Hightower, a big emphasis was placed on the youth of the church. A newly formed youth choir was named the W. H. Hightower Youth Choir. Rev. Hightower also was a big champion of Vacation Bible School. He was known for always bringing big baskets of peaches to VBS to connect with the children. Pastor Hightower encouraged the youth to participate in church services and allowed them room to learn and grow.
Until Rev. Hightower came to OMBC, we had worship service eleven times PER YEAR - each 3rd Sunday of the month except during the month of October. Under Rev. Hightower's leadership, OMBC started having service twice per month - the 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month. On the first Sundays, one of the Associate Ministers of the house, Rev. William Brightharp, presided over services. Rev. Hightower presided on the third Sundays.
In 1987, Pastor Hightower became ill and passed away on February 7, 1988. His gravesite is located in Bettis Academy Memorial Park in Trenton, SC.
1988 - 2021
In September 1988, Rev. Limuer Myers was elected the 11th pastor of Old Macedonia Baptist Church.
One of the first orders of business for Rev. Myers was to go to every Sunday services. Eventually the congregation grew to two services each Sunday. Being willing to adapt, after approximately 20 years, OMBC moved back to having one service each Sunday with the new worship time of 9:30 a.m.
During the tenure of Pastor Limuer Myers, a new sanctuary was built. The former sanctuary was torn down on November 17, 2003 and on August 15, 2004, a ground breaking ceremony was held for the construction of the Family Life Center.
After the Family Center was completed, Old Macedonia formed a basketball team and joined the Augusta Christian Athletic Association. The teams were made up of young girls and boys from OMBC and the community. The goal was to allow them to play basketball while mentoring them spiritually. At the ground breaking, Pastor Myers was quoted as saying "We are not only constructing a building, but we are constructing lives".
We also started participating in the annual Angel Tree Christmas program. Members of the congregation provide under-privileged children in the area gifts from their wish lists that otherwise may not be available to them. We have also been involved in Relay for Life events - which helps fund life-saving cancer research. The women of Old Macedonia have donated purses, toiletries, and clothing to abused women in the area.
On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. On March 13, 2020, then-President Donald Trump declared a nationwide emergency. For safety purposes and with the best interests of his congregation in mind, Pastor Myers showed why he was considered a leader in the community. He made the decision to cancel worship service for March 15, 2020. Many area churches followed suit in the following weeks. What many thought would be a week or two pause, turned into FOURTEEN months of virtual worship. Recorded video sermons on YouTube held the congregation together.
In April 2021, OMBC opened its doors and, in partnership with University Hospital, hosted a vaccination clinic for the community. This proved to be the beginning of our effort to return safely to in-person worship.
On May 16, 2021, Old Macedonia had "Welcome Back Sunday" - the first in-person worship service since March 2020 - in the gymnasium of the Family Life Center with socially distanced chairs, temperature checks, and face masks required for entrance.
In March 2021, Pastor Limuer Myers announced his retirement from pastoring. On June 27, 2021, Pastor Myers brought his last message as pastor of OMBC in front of a packed gymnasium. After service, the title of "Pastor Emeritus" was officially bestowed upon Rev. Myers.
The search for our new pastor commenced on July 1, 2021.
2022
On March 6, 2022, with 86.8% of the vote, Old Macedonia elected Rev. Leonard O. Griffin, Ed.D. to succeed Pastor Emeritus Limuer Myers. On July 24, 2022, Dr. Griffin was installed as the 12th pastor of Old Macedonia Baptist Church!
Our continuous goal is to reach new people, renew the church, and rejoice in what God can, and will, do through us.
The longest serving pastor in the church's history was Rev. A.C. Johnson who served from 1916 - 1964. The 2nd longest serving pastor is Rev. Limuer Myers who served from 1988 - 2021. Between the two, they served Old Macedonia for over HALF of the church's history!
Old Macedonia as it was during the 100th church anniversary celebration in 1970
