141 years and more to come: the anniversary service and celebration via Poplar Hill Baptist Church

A number of people remember the 21st night of September (a reference to the song "September" by the legendary group Earth, Wind, and Fire). However, a date which carries a 141 year lineage and legacy takes place the very next day (September 22, 2024 at 10am), as it's a celebration of faith, service, stewardship, and community outreach.

Poplar Hill Baptist Church (located at 234 E. Shadburn Avenue in Buford, GA) is doing more than taking a look back at their inception, which evolves from just after the Civil War (1865) to improved organization efforts (1860's and 1870's) to its earliest documented services administered by Reverend Frank Wells in 1883. Through a myriad of efforts, including those of the Nehemiah Project (in 1988) to the current leadership of Reverend Avery Headd (since 1995), the church is more than just a space and place to worship and give thanks and praise.

Thanks to contemporary efforts ranging from (but not limited to) virtual and in-person ministries to community engagement, the church is a key presence in the immediate Buford and interlocking communities (N Fulton, Gwinnett, and Hall Counties). Featured speaker Reverend Ferne Sapp is primed to deliver a timely message to acknowledge the history, speak to the present, and leave a charge far to keep for the future in the work which remains in making our communities and society better spaces and places.

The service is open to the public as attendees are asked to dress in Navy blue, light blue, or gold attire. Afterward, lunch is provided.

As is the case with the church, taking time to pause and reflect is part of the day-to-day, but even bigger is to embrace its role as a persistent and positive presence to impact lives in an empowering and enriching manner.

Taking time to celebrate and feeding off the positive energy is simply a part of Poplar Hill Baptist Church and why it is the community presence and resource it is historically, at present, and beyond.

And it makes a day other than the 21st a day to remember.