Snapshot: Willeo Baptist Church

Web site: www.willeobaptist.org

Services: 11 a.m.

Worship style: Traditional

Average Sunday attendance: 50

Minister: Dr. Ron Wilson

Denomination affiliation: Southern Baptist

Mission statement: "We have been building relationships for Christ and God's kingdom since 1835," Wilson said.

History: In 1835 when Willeo was organized, the Southern Baptist Convention was still 10 years away from being formed. Legend has it that the church was named after Chief Willeo, a local Cherokee Indian. Throughout the years, church members have been active in community affairs, and have been instrumental in forming and supporting other local churches and missions.

Pastor's path: Wilson has been in ministry for the last 25 years, serving churches in Texas, Georgia and Alabama. He's a bi-vocational pastor now, working in Atlanta as the director of development for Mercer University's McAfee School of Theology and College of Continuing and Professional Studies. He was a full-time pastor until August 2002. The pastor has been at Willeo a little more than a year.

In 1976, Wilson earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in religion from Samford University in Birmingham. He graduated from Southwestern Baptist Seminary in Texas in 1980, with a Master of Divinity degree, emphasis on church history, theology and ethics. The pastor has done graduate work in ethics at Baylor University and in Clinical Pastoral Education at Emory University affiliated hospitals.

In 2001, Wilson received a Doctor of Ministry degree from Columbia Theological Seminary with a major area of study and research focused on congregational leadership and administration.

Ministries: It's been a busy year for Willeo's congregation and their new pastor, who is … reaching out to the community.

“Everyone has their gifts and talents. My strength is that I'm a pastor to people, but I also know how to build some initiatives,” Wilson said. “Our church is trying to reconnect and reach back out in ministry to the community.

One goal is to build a strong youth program, which is just getting off the ground. Forming a men’s softball team is another focus.

Currently, church members volunteer with the Drake House in Roswell, and host a quarterly gospel concert. “Music is a large part of our identity,” said the pastor.

Thoughts from the pastor: "I think the strength of our church is that we are a caring, hospitable congregation of Christian believers. If a person were to come to our church, they would know they're cared for and there would be a place and a space made for them in our congregation."