Holiness unto the Lord ...

Our Mission Statement:

The mission of the Church remains unchanged throughout history. Christ has charged the Church to make disciples on a global scale. Who we are and what we do is summed up in the Great Commission and the Great Commandment. We are to live out and speak forth the word of God in order to reach others for Jesus Christ. Our acceptance and execution of that assignment calls for a Great Commitment.

We Believe:

To live is Christ and to die is gain (Philippians 1:21).

Christ is our Master - we are His servants.

His command: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.... Love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:37, 39).
His commission: "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:19, 20).

Christ is our Model - we are to follow Him.

In submission to God's will: "Father... not my will, but yours be done" (Luke 22:42).

In service to people's needs: "The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45).

To love as Jesus loved, to live as Jesus lived, is our purpose as a church and as individuals within the church.

As worshippers we tap His resources for our lives.
As witnesses we seek to enlist others in His kingdom.

Our History:

First Church of the Nazarene of Gainesville, Ga was organized on January 6, 1946, by District Superintendent Bill Davis, with fourteen charter members. Rev. Hugh Mincey was the first pastor of the church, and the meeting for organization was held in his home in Chicopee at 3:00 in the afternoon. The church was named Chicopee Church of the Nazarene. The first church building was a house across the bridge on Atlanta Highway, north of Chicopee, purchased for around $2,000. This building served as the worship and education center for the church until the spring of 1956.

In the fall of 1955, under the pastoral leadership of
Rev. Fletcher Digby, property was purchased and construction begun at 953 Washington Street. The first services were held in the basement of the new building in the spring of 1956, but services were not held upstairs until December 22, 1957. On January 26, 1958, the new building was dedicated by District Superintendent Mack Anderson. Rev. Paul Barnes was the pastor. At that time the name of the church was changed to Gainesville First Church of the Nazarene.

Under the leadership of Rev. Thomas E. Rash, the current nine-acre campus on Otlia Drive, just off of Highway 53, was purchased in 1991. A beautiful brick structure that can accommodate up to 300 worshipers in the sanctuary and 150 people in the Christian Education rooms was dedicated on June 27, 1993. Future plans include the expansion of ministerial and support staff, along with a Family Life Center and recreational areas.

Charter Members:

• Mrs. A.J. Brooks
• Mrs. J.C. Chambers
• Mr. J.C. Chambers
• Muriel Cook
• Mary Alma Chambers
• Rev. H.R. Mincey
• Mr. W.H. Grice
• Rudolph H. Propes
• Mrs. H.C. Mincey
• Mr. A.J. Brooks
• P.M. Propes
• Mr. Eugene Brooks
• Mrs. Benjamin Cook
• Mrs. Lisbon James

Pastor Roster:

• 1946 - 1948 Rev. Hugh R. Mincey
• 1948 - 1949 Rev. Dorance W. Nichols
• 1949 - 1957 Rev. Fletcher M. Digby, Jr.
• 1957 - 1959 Rev. Paul Barnes
• 1959 - 1962 Rev. Hugh R. Mincey
• 1962 - 1973 Rev. Terry Soles
• 1973 - 1975 Rev. Robert E. Maner
• 1975 - 1978 Rev. Ray D. Moore
• 1978 - 1983 Rev. Howard Porter, Jr.
• 1983 - 1989 Rev. Gary J. Gulley
• 1989 - 1993 Rev. Thomas E. Rash
• 1994 - 2001 Rev. Lon Heighton
• 2001 - 2002 Rev. W.E. McCumber (Interim)
• 2002 - 2004 Rev. Jason Daye
• 2004 -          Rev. W.E. McCumber