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Christians for Change Baptist Church (Riverdale, Ga.) records

 Collection
Identifier: aarl-96-011

Scope and Contents

Christians for Change Baptist Church is located in Riverdale, GA and was officially established in 1995. The church continues to serve as a house of worship for its community, and is currently under the leadership of Reverend Michael Wayne Baldwin.

This collection includes programs, photographs, and ephemera materials. Majority of the collection was donated by member Gloria Strong.

Dates

  • Majority of material found within 2002 - 2023

Biographical / Historical

In 1993, a group from the Friendship Baptist Church of College Park, left the church and organized a new congregation under the name of Christians for Change (CFC). The first worship service was held on February 5, 1994 at Christian Missionary Baptist Church, where the Reverend Henry White of Christian Missionary Baptist agreed to host Christians for Change members. Over the course of a year, the group invited multiple ministers to lead services, and by June 23, 1995, Christians for Change Baptist Church was officially organized.

At the founding the Reverend Charles J. Sargent served as interim pastor of Christians for Change Baptist Church. In 1996, the desire to find a permanent place to worship led member Verna Banks to present an opportunity to raise funds for purchase of a property, and that idea was to operate a concession stand at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. This effort raised a significant amount of money that was used as part of the down payment for the property that is now 2110 Bethsaida Road.

Christians for Change Baptist Church is led by Reverend Michael Wayne Baldwin, who has led the church since 1998. Under Baldwin’s leadership the church has experienced tremendous growth, from the expansion of ministries to the creation of tutorial programs and remodeling to the Family Life Center. According to CFC’s mission “Christians for Change equips followers for Christ through the teaching of God's word, exalting the Savior, nurturing and caring for the saints, and evangelizing the sinners for the building of the kingdom of God. We believe in God the father, the son, and the Holy Spirit.”

CFC remains a pillar within its community, its leadership and members continue to serve those around them with their mission and continued vision in mind. CFC states its "A Friendly Church, With a Friendly Pastor."

Extent

1 Linear Feet

Language

English

Processing Information

Processed by Shanshan Wang and Kayla Morris, 2022

Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Auburn Avenue Research Library on African-American Culture and History Repository

Contact:
101 Auburn Avenue NE
Atlanta GA 30303
404-613-4032