Antioch-Lithonia Missionary Baptist Church

Website: www.antiochlithonia.org

Services: 7:30 and 10:30 a.m., American Sign Language at second service

Worship style: Traditional

Average Sunday attendance: 1,200

Minister: James C. Ward

Denomination affiliation: Missionary Baptist

Mission statement:

The church “exists to glorify God by pursuing excellence in all that we do, for the expressed purposes of winning souls and leading each member to become a fully committed, fully equipped, completely devoted follower of Jesus Christ.”

History:

The church was started in 1869 by a dozen people who spent $2.50 to build a brush arbor on what is now Covington Road, constituting what the church’s history records as the first African-American Baptist congregation in Lithonia. Within two years, members bought three acres for $150 for a permanent building. On June 20, 1985, the Antioch-Lithonia Missionary Baptist Church was incorporated. Several property purchases were made over the years until 2001, when 23 acres on Rock Chapel Road were purchased, and three years later, members began worshipping in a new state-of-the-art facility, still in use today.

Pastor's path:

The Alabama native became a pastor after working in the corporate world as a public relations manager at Exxon and a regional systems manager at AT&T. His musical skills were refined as he began learning shape note singing in rural Alabama, and sang in the Morehouse Glee Club and performed with the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir once while he was in New York City for a conference.

Ward earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and German literature from Morehouse College, with a minor in music to go with that double major. He earned a Bachelor of Science in accounting from the University of New Orleans and a Master of Divinity from the New Orleans Baptist Seminary. He has an honorary doctorate from the Mississippi Baptist Seminary.

For Ward’s extensive community and civic involvement, President Bill Clinton cited him for Dedicated Community Service on Feb. 17, 1999, and he was invited to the White House in 2001. Ward was among 10 metropolitan Atlanta pastors to receive the “Chosen” award, presented by the Atlanta Gospel Choice Awards in 2005. Ward came to Antioch in March 1995, where he has led the congregation through the purchase of the current site and 2004 completion of a $6.2 million worship center, the first phase of a strategic building plan that will eventually add a family life center.

Ministries:

Music is a very important part of congregational life at Antioch. Each Sunday, a different musical group is featured, from the mass choir and choral ensembles to praise teams. Ward said the sanctuary, which they call a worshiptorium, was built with the same acoustic specifications as Carnegie Hall.

A special night of spirituals, hymns and anthems is planned for 6 p.m. Oct. 21 featuring concert pianist Mark Hayes, performing with the James C. Ward Chorale.

Children and youths lead the services on the second Sunday of each month, taking care of every detail from offertory prayer to special music. At Christmas and Easter, children are given a chance to showcase their talents individually, which includes reciting poems or playing a hymn on the piano.

Antioch’s members are committed to taking care of one another. Deacons contact church members on a regular basis, and through a strong membership care program, they customize help according to needs that can range from financial to counseling. Classes offered include crocheting and other recreational activities, as well as support for married couples. Never Too Old is a group of seniors that is very active, according to the pastor. The emphasis for all activities — whether shopping excursions or movie nights — is to provide good, clean fun.

Health fairs are held as needed, and food and clothing drives ramp up at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Active community outreach programs include mentoring for young men, and feeding the hungry.

“Some have said we are a big little church,” Ward said. “We are big by some people’s standards, but pretty much everybody knows everybody, and if you are missing for a few weeks, somebody’s going to notice and call you. We are like a family.”

Thoughts from the pastor:

“I believe that in our modern world, we have lost personal contact with each other. There is a lot of contact through texting and Facebook, but I believe that as human beings, we have a need for personal contact. I never want to lose the personal touch, because the incarnate Jesus became a man so we could have personal contact with God. I never want to lose that.”