Church History

The history of Beech Haven Baptist Church is an eloquent testimony to God's power and the ways he uses people to do his work.

In 1955, the Athens First Baptist Church adopted a deacon recommendation to establish a mission on the south side of Athens. The Lesser Home in Five Points (the present site of the Five Points Fire Station was leased on a monthly basis to serve as a meeting place for those interested in gathering there for regular Sunday School and Worship Services.

Discussions revealed that there were two locations being considered for a permanent home, one on the south side and one on the west side of Athens. Therefore, two churches were born--Milledge Avenue and Beech Haven.

On October 1, 1958, Rev. M. P. Harrison became the mission pastor, the first building was built (the present youth building). On February 22, 1959, Beech Haven was chartered as a Baptist Church with 140 members and many "charter babies".

Beech Haven continued to grow with the first education unit being dedicated November 26, 1961. The completed educational unit was dedicated on October 3, 1965. An additional educational unit was completed in 1994. The youth multi-purpose building was completed in the fall of 2001.

On May 1, 1966, Dr. James N. Griffith was called as pastor. On August 17, 1969, the first worship service was held in the new sanctuary building. In January 1988, the new education building was opened. In July, 1981, Dr. Stewart B. Simms, Jr. was called as the third pastor of Beech Haven. The completed Youth-Multipurpose Building was occupied in late 2002 and was most useful in the outreach program Upward Basketball and Cheering.

Beech Haven has its roots in missions and has continued in that tradition with a special ministry to the deaf and hearing impaired beginning in October, 1980; a mission trip to Granada in 1981; the first Mexico Mission Trip was held in July 1984, a commitment which continues today with over 14 trips having been completed. This summer placed more than 75 youth and adults in missions work around the globe.

In 1988, Beech Haven was a co-sponsor of West Athens Baptist Chapel which became Cleveland Road Baptist Church in 1990. In January 1994, the deaf and hearing impaired ministry became the North East Georgia Deaf Church which began meeting as a mission church. It continues today as Athens Deaf Church.

The commitment to missions is evident in the Beech Haven Support of the Cooperative Program of Giving through the Georgia Baptist Convention and the Southern Baptist Convention. Beech Haven is consistently among the top 40 churches in the State of Georgia.