The Lisbon Baptist Church,

in the Rest community, still counts among its 400 members the last names

of the charter families: Jones, Travis, Adams and Kerlin.

The Kerlin and Fortson families

moved to the area about 1840 from a community in Elbert County called

"Lisbon."

The church began in a schoolhouse

in the 1880s and after 10 years a church building was constructed. The

current sanctuary is its third one.

Early minutes reflect that

a $9.29 railroad fare was paid to the Sunday School superintendent to

attend a meeting in Greenville, S.C. Just 50 years later, the sum of $200

was paid for the preacher to attend a meeting in Texas.

Serving as its 23rd preacher,

the Rev. Randall Harris has been at Lisbon Baptist since April 1999.

He was born in Zebulon and

reared in Spalding County, graduating from Griffin High School in 1969.

Receiving a Dundee Scholarship, he attended North Georgia College, graduating

in 1973 with a degree in psychology. He next served as a captain in the

United States Army for four years in the Chemical Corps.

He first felt the pull into

ministry in high school and decided it was time to do something about

it. He entered Mid-America Theological Seminary in Memphis, graduating

in 1981. He met and married his wife there, and he and Charlotte are the

parents of two boys, Clay, 19, and Thomas, 17. An RN, she is currently

serving as a school nurse.

Harris returned to seminary,

receiving his master's in both marriage family counseling and religious

education at Southwestern Theology Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. Presently

he is waiting to hear if his dissertation topic will be accepted to obtain

his Ph.D.

"My hope for this church,"

he said, "is to raise up ministers and missionaries who will go out

into the world starting new churches and winning new people to Christ.

I would like Lisbon Baptist to be known as the 'sending out' church."

Everyone is invited this Oct.

27, to a celebration festival. Beginning at noon, it is geared toward

children and youth, with free hot dogs, games and a hayride. "If

you're in the neighborhood," said Harris, "we encourage you

to join us."

Lisbon Baptist conducts two

services Sunday, 11 a.m. and 7 p.m., with Sunday School at 9:45 a.m. There

is a special program for youth each Wednesday night at 7 p.m.

The church is at 1662 Ga. Highway

85 south and can be reached at 770-461-1583.

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