Christ United Methodist (Baker County, Ga.)

The original Christ United Methodist Church was built in 1850 of hand hewn logs and was located approximately at the junction of county roads S119 and S81. The church served the entire community, white people and enslaved black people, with both groups included in the membership. In 1861, the Civil War descended upon the land with all its attendant hardships. The church sometimes served as shelter and campground for the soldiers, particularly during the winter months. After the war, the lives of the people changed drastically, and the community adjusted as well as they could. The old church still served as a place of worship and community but finally fell into disuse in the 1880's. The existing church was then erected on the site of the present cemetery, which had been established in 1870. The site was chosen because it was the highest ground in the territory suitable for burials without groundwater problems. In the late 1800's, the cemetery property was under the ownership of Clarence D. Brown, who donated an acres to "G.W. Riley, J.W. Calhoun and others, their heirs and assigns" and provided the cemetery henceforth would be known as the Calhoun Cemetery. Shortly thereafter, plans were made for a new church which was completed in the latter part of 1900. The deed for the new church specified that the property would be used for a church, but the timber would remain the property of the owner, Clarence Brown, and that the name of the church would be forever that selected by Mr. Brown i.e. Christ Church.