One Church on Church Street
Set along Church Street in the small Houston County town of Bonaire, Georgia, the congregation simply called Bonaire Church meets under a banner it has shaped around a single sentence: one church, one God, one mission, transforming the surrounding community with the love of Jesus. The motto is the through-line that ties the two Sunday services, the student ministry, the food pantry, and the small groups together.
The address is 221 Church Street, and the building sits on a campus that has both a main sanctuary and a separate Elm Street Building used by the student ministry. Sunday morning draws neighbors from Bonaire, from nearby Warner Robins, and from the wider middle Georgia area. Visitors are told they can come as they are. Casual dress is the norm, parking is adjacent to the campus, and handicap parking is reserved in front of the main sanctuary.
Two Sunday Gatherings, Two Worship Styles
Bonaire Church runs two distinct Sunday services so that people with very different musical tastes can worship under one roof. Each gathering typically runs 50 to 60 minutes.
The 9:00 a.m. service is the Traditional Worship. For those who enjoy a standard order of worship and singing out of a hymnbook, this is the morning designed for them. The adult choir, directed by Minister of Choral Music Jeremy Fermin, helps shape the music. Pianist Larry Anderson, who has served since 2015 and previously served as organist and pianist at Northbrook UMC in Roswell, Georgia, supports the service.
The 10:30 a.m. service is the Contemporary Worship. Modern praise and worship music opens and closes the service, with the sermon in the middle. Melissa Dickerson leads worship as Interim Worship Leader during the church's search for a permanent Worship Leader, a part-time role that will direct the Praise Band and technical team.
Between and around those services sits a full Sunday School hour. Children's Church for kindergarten through fifth grade meets at 9:00, and Sunday School for the same ages meets at 10:30. Youth Sunday School for grades 6 through 12 meets at 9:00 in the Elm Street Building. Adult Sunday School classes fill out the hour: a PreK-2nd grade class, a 3rd-5th grade class, a 6th-12th grade class, the Unity Class, the Journey Class, the College & Career Class, all at 9:00 or 9:15, and the Friendship Class, Fan Alice Class, and the women's Faithful Followers Class at 10:15. Nursery care is offered at both 9:00 and 10:30 for children as young as eight weeks old.
The Wick Student Ministry
Middle and high school students have their own ministry called The Wick. Its name comes from the image of a flame that needs fuel, and the program is built around the verse, "Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think" (Romans 12:2).
The Wick meets in the Elm Street Building. Sunday mornings from 9:00 to 10:15 a.m. are set aside for Bible study and fellowship. Sunday evenings from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. add games, hang time, and a deeper look at Scripture. Wednesday nights from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. give students something practical to carry into the rest of their week, with real-life applications of the Gospel. Once a month, on every third Wednesday, students head out for a fun outing the ministry calls Mid-Month.
The Wick's stated aim is to be a home where students can come freely, fan the flame of their faith, and leave transformed, then head into college and the workforce on fire for Christ. The church is hiring a full-time Youth Minister to lead grades 6 through 12, including Sunday and Wednesday gatherings plus retreats and family ministry.
Bonaire Kids from Eight Weeks to Fifth Grade
Bonaire Kids is the umbrella for everything the church offers families with young children, from eight-week-old infants through fifth grade. The ministry's heartbeat is partnership with parents, helping children encounter Jesus and grow in relationship with Him through relationships, meaningful play, learning God's Word, and plenty of fun.
During the Sunday services, Bonaire Kids offers nursery care for the youngest children and Children's Church at 9:00 for kindergarten through fifth grade, followed by Sunday School at 10:30. Age-appropriate rooms, lessons, and volunteers meet each child where they are. Dee Dee Wooley serves as Children's Ministry Coordinator, and volunteers who love children are always being recruited through the church office.
Table Groups, Connection Groups, and the Adult Discipleship Path
The church's adult discipleship strategy runs through small groups, and the language used in the materials suggests a deliberate pathway. Table Groups are designed for accountability and spiritual growth. The path typically begins with a period of one-on-one discipleship, after which a person is invited into a Table Group. The goal is to keep growing there and eventually lead someone else into the same process.
Connection Groups are a parallel track, organized around shared interests or a study topic. These tend to be shorter-term commitments and meet in a variety of styles and settings, including the traditional Sunday School slot at 9:15 or 10:15 on Sunday mornings. Together, Table Groups and Connection Groups form the backbone of adult formation at Bonaire.
Women's ministry offers table groups, connection groups, retreats, fellowship opportunities, and worship times, all built around helping women grow in their identity in Christ and in their relationships with one another. Men's ministry mirrors that approach through retreats, work days, steak dinners, table groups, and connection groups, with the stated goal of encouraging men to stand boldly for Christ. A College & Career Sunday School class meets at 9:15 a.m. and gives that demographic its own space.
Prayer, Care, and Showing Up for Each Other
Prayer and pastoral care are woven into the weekly rhythm. The prayer team gathers on Tuesdays for corporate prayer over specified topics and prayer requests submitted through connect cards and email. A prayer room at the back of the sanctuary stays open for anyone who wants to pray privately, and members of the prayer team are available during services to pray with anyone who asks.
Brittany Butler serves as Minister of Care and leads a ministry called the Care Team, which supports the congregation by sending meals, assembling care packages, and arranging visits. Those who want to be part of the prayer team or care team can connect through the Get Connected form.
Food Pantry, Backpack Buddies, Reading on My Mind, and GriefShare
Bonaire Church runs one of the more visible community ministries in the area: a church food pantry that supplies USDA distributions alongside grocery items to households who apply. The Food Pantry opens every second and fourth Friday of the month from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. and feeds approximately 140 to 150 families each month. Volunteers staff the pantry, and donations are accepted in worship, online, or in person at the church. Monthly needs include canned meat, fruit, and soup, boxed or bagged rice, pasta, and cereal, hygiene items such as baby wipes, soap, and deodorant, and clothing with new packages of undergarments and socks always welcome.
Backpack Buddies partners with several area schools to fill backpacks with snacks and food for local school-age families. Reading on My Mind is a free book ministry that operates out of the Elm Street Building in connection with the Food Pantry and at other times to share books with local children and families.
GriefShare is a 13-week support program for people grieving the death of a family member or friend. The group meets on Tuesdays from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the Friendship Room in the Main Building, and there is no fee to participate. The leadership team has personal experience with loss and offers a place to walk through one of life's hardest seasons.
Beliefs Centered on Connection
The church's beliefs page organizes everything around four words: worship, groups, ministries, and missions. Worship connects the congregation to God. Groups connect people to their faith through connection groups, mentoring, and spiritual disciplines. Ministries connect people to one another as each believer uses the gifts God has given. Missions connect the church to the needs of the world through intentional outreach, community service, and making disciples.
The statement of faith and the by-Laws are published as downloadable PDFs and spell out the congregation's theological commitments in more detail. Theologically, the church sits within the Methodist tradition, and the leadership team has roots in Asbury University and Asbury Theological Seminary.
A Staff Built Around Worship and Pastoral Care
Pastor Jason Dickerson has led Bonaire Church since 2020. Originally from Ripon, Wisconsin, he studied at Asbury University and Asbury Theological Seminary and has served churches in Wisconsin and Georgia since 1999. He and his wife, Melissa, have two daughters, Hannah (married to Eli) and Rebekah, both pursuing careers in music education.
Jeremy Fermin has served as Minister of Choral Music since 2021, directing the adult choir and helping create a Christ-centered worship experience through music. He is also the Marketing & Communications Specialist for the City of Warner Robins, a former Teacher of the Year at both Veterans High School and Bradwell Institute, a University of Georgia graduate, and a former Drum Major of the Redcoat Marching Band. Brittany Butler, the Minister of Care, grew up in the area and brings a background in children's and adult ministry, along with a love of writing poetry, crafting, and crocheting. Dee Dee Wooley serves as Children's Ministry Coordinator. Larry Anderson has been the pianist since 2015. Melissa Dickerson currently serves as Interim Worship Leader. The church is actively hiring a full-time Youth Minister and a part-time Worship Leader.
Planning a First Visit
Sunday morning is the front door. Plan to arrive in time for either 9:00 a.m. Traditional Worship or 10:30 a.m. Contemporary Worship, both held in the main sanctuary on the campus at 221 Church Street, Bonaire, GA 31005. Services last 50 to 60 minutes. Parking is adjacent to the campus, with handicap parking in front of the sanctuary. Dress is casual. Nursery is available at both services, Children's Church is at 9:00, and Sunday School runs through the morning.
Office hours are Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The phone number is 478.923.7317 and the email is info@bonairechurch.com. Online giving is available through a secure Vanco system, and Sunday messages are livestreamed on YouTube and archived under Video Teachings and the Teaching Archive. The church's Facebook page is at facebook.com/BonaireChurchGA, and its Instagram is at instagram.com/bonairechurch.