History
In 1963, a small group of believers caught a vision through their eyes of faith. This vision became a ministry on February 9, 1964, when Savannah Christian Church met for the first time in the Penthouse atop the First Federal Savings and Loan Association building at the corner of Broughton and Abercorn streets. Carl Sack and Hugo Baker served as the first Pastors, but the first full-time Pastor was not long in coming; on March 29, 1964, Charles Raum accepted the call. The Charter Membership Roll closed on May 24, 1964, with an official count of 149 members.
Within a year, the church purchased five acres of property on Tibet Avenue. On July 11, 1965, the first building was completed with the sanctuary, nursery, and children’s classrooms. It was not long before the building needed expansion, and on March 20, 1966, the east Educational Unit was dedicated containing more classrooms. Charles Raum died in July of 1968, and the church welcomed its next Pastor, Elbert Lilley. In early 1969, another expansion of the Educational Unit was approved and a new 400-seat sanctuary was constructed.
In August of 1971, Elbert Lilley moved on to another ministry and was replaced by Fred Brown, who served as Senior Pastor until February of 1976. In June of that year, Charles Turner answered the call and began his ministry that saw expansion of the west wing and a new Fellowship Hall, both dedicated in 1983.
Accepting a ministry with Atlanta Christian College in August of 1984, Charles Turner resigned as Senior Pastor. Within one month the Lord sent Cam Huxford to serve in his place. Cam has devoted two decades of service at Savannah Christian Church and has helped to build a strong pastoral staff dedicated to developing exciting programs for all ages–toddlers to seniors.
The pattern of growth continued under Cam’s leadership and on February 9, 1992, a new worship center seating 800 was dedicated. The entire church could once again meet for worship at one time. However, continued growth required multiple worship services, and Sunday morning classes for all ages required dual sessions. Beginning in 2001, the church offered a Saturday evening service along with three services on Sunday mornings. In 2002, simulcast services were held in the Fellowship Hall during two of the services on Sundays. Hundreds of families gathered for the Fellowship Meal prior to the Wednesday night Celebration Service and over 350 youth met for ministry in classrooms and clubhouses.
In continuing the tradition of growth, Savannah Christian is now a multi-site church. Savannah Christian Church’s main campus is located on 52-acres and welcomes over 5,000 each week to four weekend services. The Worship Center, which seats 1,300, classrooms, Administrative offices, The Source Bookstore, and The Coffee Bar are located in the first of three planned phases of construction. In 2006, The LINK, the new youth building, was dedicated and holds programs for junior high, senior high, college and young adults. The East Campus, which meets at Hesse Elementary School, has two services and LateCHURCH meets downtown on Sunday evenings.
The history of the Savannah Christian Church family has been shaped by faithful pioneers who have sought God’s leading and have given sacrificially of their time and resources to fulfill the mission of “Leading People to a Life-changing Connection with Jesus Christ.”
