The following excerpt is from an article in the August 14, 2012 edition of BET.com.
It is said to be the country’s oldest continuously operating Black church with a storied history that includes the founding of Morehouse College and the establishment of the Georgia Education Commission.
Springfield Baptist Church in Augusta, Georgia, recently celebrated its 225th anniversary with a large celebration that included choirs, speeches and sermons
Rev. Hardy S. Bennings III, who has been pastor of the church since 2009, referred to the 225th anniversary celebration as one of the biggest moments in church history.
“This is a momentous occasion for us,” Bennings said. “Everybody’s excited. This is one of the biggest events in the history of Springfield.”
Springfield Baptist was officially organized in 1787, although its congregation is believed to date as far back as 1773, two years before the American Revolution. The church’s first pastor was the Rev. Jesse Peters Galphin, a slave whose master allowed him to receive training as a minister.
