Haddock Baptist Church has stood at 180 Ethridge Road in Haddock, Georgia, since April 1907, when nine faithful members first organized a congregation in what was then one of the larger communities of Jones County. Tucked a half mile north of the downtown caution light just off State Highway 22, between Milledgeville and Macon, the church continues to anchor the life of a small central Georgia crossroads town. Its vision remains simple and unchanged across more than a century: "Sharing Christ through a caring church for a changing world."
A Congregation Founded in 1907
Haddock Baptist was organized in April 1907 with nine members. For nearly sixty years the church was pastored by bi-vocational ministers and full-time Mercer University ministerial students, with more than twenty-five pastors serving in that role before 1964. That year, the church called its first seminary-trained and full-time pastor, beginning an era of longer tenures. The current pastor has now served for over twenty-eight years. Dr. Ron McClung, who led Haddock Baptist from August 1992 until his retirement on January 15, 2023, was honored with the title of Pastor Emeritus.
The early congregation worshipped in the local Methodist building for its first several years before purchasing property at the corner of Ethridge Road and Haddock Drive in 1909. A first sanctuary was built on that site in 1913 and served the church until 1978, when a donated former schoolhouse was transformed into a new worship space. Transepts added in 1984 expanded the sanctuary, and a two-story education building and fellowship hall followed in 1996-1997. The current sanctuary, built in 2005 and connected to the rest of the campus by a bell tower, houses the church offices and additional adult classrooms.
Sunday Mornings: Sunday School and Blended Worship
Sunday School for all ages begins at 9:30 a.m., followed by worship at 10:30 a.m. The service blends traditional and contemporary music, anchored by the Sanctuary Choir with organ and piano and supported by a praise band, praise team, and the occasional handbell choir selection. Congregational singing draws from contemporary songs and traditional and modern hymns in the Celebrating Grace hymnal, with instrumental and vocal soloists featured throughout. Childcare is provided during the service, and worship is livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube.
There is no dress code. Members arrive in everything from suits and dresses to jeans, khakis, and golf shirts, and visitors are encouraged to dress for comfort. Guests are invited to park in one of the rear lots near the sanctuary or fellowship hall, where church signage guides first-time visitors inside.
Wednesday Nights Around the Table
The weekly Wednesday rhythm at Haddock Baptist centers on a shared table. A church supper is served at 5:30 p.m. in the fellowship hall, followed by a full slate of activities at 6:30 p.m. Adults gather for prayer meeting and Bible study, children rotate through Mission Friends and music in Faith Village, and youth meet for their own Bible study and fellowship. Children's activities end at 7:30 p.m. Menus for the Wednesday supper are published in advance, and reservations are made through a meal reservation form posted on the church's online calendar; permanent-list participants do not need to make a reservation.
Children and Youth
Children's Sunday School meets at 9:30 a.m. on the first floor of the Education Hall for preschoolers and on the second floor in Faith Village for first through fifth graders, under the direction of Jolynn Aubry and a team of volunteer teachers including Len and Rebekah Aubry, Rob Cross, Lori Buchanan, and Lori Herndon. Wednesday nights add missions education through Mission Friends, GA's, and RA's, plus a music component led by Sara Tyer, Chris Mayo, and Harley Faulkner.
Youth ministry focuses on helping students develop a strong relationship with the Lord through scripture, prayer, worship, and missions. Sunday School, currently led by Cathy and Jessica, rotates between large-group study and smaller breakout discussions. Wednesday nights offer a time of praise, worship, and Bible study, along with recreation for fellowship. Summer brings pool parties, trivia nights, lake days, and game nights, with the high point of the year being church camp, where Haddock students join other youth from across the southeast for shared missions and worship. Annual fundraisers such as the BBQ plate sale prepared by Bubba Grills help send students to camp and on trips throughout the year.
Music at the Heart of Worship
Music ministry is described as vital to the life of Haddock Baptist. Rev. Amedeo Tritto has served as Associate Pastor of Music since August 2006, and under his leadership the program includes a Sanctuary Choir, praise band, praise team, and a handbell choir. The Sanctuary Choir rehearses on Wednesday evenings, the Handbell Choir meets seasonally using a three-octave set of bells and performs during Lent and Advent, and a Summer Choir gathers between Sunday School and worship during the warmer months. Each year the Sanctuary Choir and soloists collaborate with a string quartet to present a Christmas Cantata.
Senior Adults, Men, and Women
The JOY Ministry (Just Older Youth) gathers senior adults for a monthly potluck fellowship and program on the fourth Thursday of each month, supplemented by field trips such as a fall outing to Reece Apple Orchard in Ellijay. The ministry visits shut-ins of the church and provides encouragement across the congregation, anchored by the words of Psalm 71:18: "Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your power to the next generation."
The Men's Ministry meets monthly for a covered-dish supper and prayer time on the first Monday evening, prays faithfully for the congregation, and is developing a ministry to widows and widowers of the church family. The Women's Ministry hosts fellowship events such as the Fellowship Tea, a time of coffee, food, singing, and testimonies from women across several generations.
Lives on Mission Near and Far
Haddock Baptist has long been mission-minded. The church supports field personnel around the world through the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and the Southern Baptist Convention, with additional long-term partnerships serving stateside and overseas, including Sustainable Liberia and Blue Mountain Church in Blairsville, Georgia. The congregation supports Operation Christmas Child, student internships, and missions education through Mission Friends, GA's, and RA's.
Closer to home, the church partners with Greater Jordan Chapel Church AME in a monthly community food bank, provides Christmas gifts to teenagers in foster care, addresses occasional benevolence needs for families in financial crisis, supplies materials for local teachers, and stocks food for needy students during school breaks. The youth regularly volunteer at the Haddock Food Bank and serve alongside the AME congregation in monthly food distribution.
A Campus of Three Buildings
The Haddock Baptist campus is built around three major structures connected by a bell tower. The older brick building facing Ethridge Road is the former Haddock School, now serving as the Youth Center, with parking in front. Behind it stands the two-story fellowship hall and education building, added in 1996-1997. The 2005 sanctuary anchors the other end of the property and houses the church offices and adult classrooms. Ample parking is available both in front of the youth center and sanctuary and at the rear of the fellowship hall and education building, with green space in between for outdoor fellowship and seasonal events such as the Back-to-School Splash on the front lawn.
Beliefs Rooted in Baptist Heritage
Haddock Baptist affirms the Bible as the inspired word of God and the basis for its beliefs and ministry. The congregation embraces the Baptist heritage of the autonomy of the local church and the priesthood of the believer, and affirms the 1963 version of The Baptist Faith and Message. The church teaches that every person has equal access to God and equal responsibility to God, that both men and women are called to gospel ministry, and that neither race, gender, nor marital status limits who may serve. Both men and women serve as deacons, and divorce does not disqualify one from church service. On the relationship between church and state, the congregation affirms separation and religious liberty, believing that "in the essentials of faith we believe in unity; in the non-essentials we believe in freedom, and, in all things, we believe we must demonstrate love."
Giving and Getting Connected
Members and guests can support the work of Haddock Baptist through online giving, Venmo (@HaddockBaptistChurch), checks mailed to the church address, gifts placed in the Sunday offering plate, or online bill pay through a personal bank. Designated funds include a Legacy Endowment that continues to give long after the donor is gone, Memorial Gifts honoring loved ones, a Building Fund for future expansion and renovations, and direct support for CBF and other mission personnel. Visitors interested in attending can reach the church office at (478) 932-5470, by email at haddockbc@gmail.com, or simply by stopping by at 180 Ethridge Road in Haddock, where the doors open Sunday morning and the supper table is set Wednesday night.