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This history leads to the old stone church at the corner of Mount Vernon Highway and Glenridge Drive. First Baptist Church of Sandy Springs across the road is also part of the history. The church began in Dunwoody and sat in the area where Caldwell Banker Real Estate, KinderCare and New Hop Cemetery are located today along Chamblee Dunwoody Road.
The history of Providence Baptist Church starts with Reverend William G. Akin, who donated a portion of land in Dunwoody for the church in 1853. Akin’s land was along what is now Chamblee Dunwoody Road and Roberts Drive. Some of his land is now part of Dunwoody Nature Center. Akins is remembered in local history books as a tall, broad shouldered man with a coal black beard.
This map shows not only Providence Church, but identifies the area by the name of Providence.
Providence Church was constructed of logs and hand split shingles. Civil War maps drawn by Union soldiers show the name Providence for the Dunwoody area and indicate a church named Providence.
There were eleven charter members of Providence Baptist Church: W. G. Akin, Elizabeth Cochran Akin, W. M. Johnson, W. C. Johnston, Joseph E. Walker, Samuel Johnson, Elizabeth Johnson, Nancy Johnston, Mary Walker, Harriet Densmore, and Mary Reeves.
Following the Civil War, the members of Providence went different directions and the church was no longer active. However, in 1876, Reverend S. S. Bailey suggested a brush arbor church, an area set up outdoors for worship, be established along what is now Mount Vernon Highway to encourage Baptists from Sandy Springs and Dunwoody to attend.
Following the brush arbor, a frame church was built at Glenridge Drive (then known as Old Roswell Road) and Mount Vernon Highway (then known as Lawrenceville Road) in 1878. A second wood frame church was built on the same property in 1884.
In 1886, the congregation of Providence decided that Dunwoody should have their own church and eleven members of Providence were given letters to start the Dunwoody Baptist Church. Bunyan Cheek and his sister Myra Cheek Martin were two of the founding members and gave the land along Chamblee Dunwoody Road for the church to be built in 1903.
The stone church in Sandy Springs began in May of 1938, when a groundbreaking ceremony was held. The new Providence Baptist Church was consecrated in 1942 and served the community, until the brick church was built across the road in May 1967 and the name became First Baptist Church of Sandy Springs. Reverend E. B. Shivers, Jr. was pastor at the stone church beginning in 1958 and continued at the new First Baptist Church of Sandy Springs until 1979.
Rev. David Shivers, son of Rev. E. B. Shivers, later became pastor of First Baptist Church of Sandy Springs. He grew up with the church and in a house on the opposite corner, the southwest corner of Glenridge Drive and Mount Vernon Road. Rev. Shivers shared his memories and gave me a tour of the old stone church building in 2018.
Rev. Shivers also attended the kindergarten of Annie Houze Cook, which operated out of the old Providence Church. He graduated from that program in 1965. The kindergarten program began in 1949 and continued until the early 1980’s. Annie Houze Cook taught at Crossroads Elementary and Hammond Elementary Schools before opening her popular kindergarten.
Since then Rev. Shivers has retired and in September of 2021, Mitch Hagins became Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church of Sandy Springs.
The Baptist church continued to own the older stone building until 1973, when it became Northside Independent Methodist Church. Then, in 2014, the First Baptist Church of Sandy Springs bought the church back. They began a project to restore the old church and Sunday School and kindergarten buildings behind the church. The building became known as Providence Place.
In 2021, First Baptist Church of Sandy Springs sold the old stone church and buildings to Misty Creek Community Church. Misty Creek Community Church is led by Rev. Stephen Streett.
Providence Church is identified on this map drawn by Union soldiers. Ebenezer Church (Ebenezer Primitive Baptist Church) also appears on the map, just north of Providence.