New Life Apostolic Church sits along Hog Mountain Road on the eastern edge of Watkinsville, Georgia, the seat of Oconee County. Its congregation describes itself with the phrase "where every story matters," and the rhythm of the week is built around that idea. Adults gather for Sunday morning worship at 10:00 a.m. and Wednesday evening Bible study at 7:00 p.m., while students and children meet in age-specific classes during both services. The church building, an extended campus that has grown from a converted garage in the early 1970s, also houses a Family Life Center with a gymnasium, kitchen, and game room, and a separate Event Center where the monthly First Wednesday Dinner is served.
From a Garage to the Family Life Center
In 1971, a group of Apostolic worshippers began meeting in the home of Reverend Douglas C. Hammond and at other locations around Oconee County. The following year, in 1972, the group formally organized as the Watkinsville Church of the Lord Jesus Christ with thirteen charter members. Reverend Douglas C. Hammond was the founding pastor, with Reverend Obie C. Hammond serving as assistant pastor until his death in 1980. The first services were held in a converted garage on property purchased from the Raymond Moon, Sr. estate near Butler's Crossing, the same general location the church occupies today. Later in 1972 a new forty-foot by eighty-foot auditorium with a basement Sunday school wing was constructed on the site.
As attendance grew, the church added space. In 1984 the Family Life Center, a forty-foot wide, one-hundred-forty-four-foot long building that includes a gymnasium, kitchen, and game room, was completed. A thirty-foot by forty-foot dining hall was also built between the original auditorium and the new center. In 1987, Reverend Timothy D. Hammond married Dorcas Bishop and stepped into the role of assistant pastor, with Dorcas Hammond serving as Minister of Music. The congregation continued to expand under their leadership, and Tim and Dorcas Hammond now serve as the lead pastors of New Life Apostolic Church.
Sunday Mornings at 10
Sunday morning worship at New Life is described by the pastors as "dynamic and power packed," centered on lifting up the name of Jesus. The service takes place in the main auditorium on the Hog Mountain Road campus. Children from age one through fifth grade have their own classrooms during both Sunday and Wednesday services, so parents can worship while their children are engaged in age-appropriate teaching and activities.
Two regular Sunday morning offerings surround the main 10:00 a.m. service. Be Free meets every Sunday from 8:45 to 9:45 a.m. and is a faith-based recovery class for adults working through hurts, habits, and hang-ups. Its curriculum walks through topics such as relapse prevention and fifteen character-building qualities, and is designed for both individual and group settings. A second offering, Growth Track, runs every other month and walks new members through a three-step journey covering the church's story and vision, personal gifts and personality, and joining a ministry team.
Wednesday Nights and the First Wednesday Dinner
Wednesday evening Bible study is described as "a time of enrichment for the whole family," with a class available for every age group from the youngest preschoolers through adults. The service begins at 7:00 p.m. On the first Wednesday of each month the schedule expands. A free community dinner is served in the Event Center from 5:45 to 6:45 p.m., with the meal provided by the church. The 7:00 p.m. service that follows is dedicated to the student ministry. While the service is student-led and student-focused, everyone is invited to attend for worship and the Word together.
The Nehemiah Project
The church's recent building program is known as "The Nehemiah Project." Named by the congregation after the Old Testament figure who led the rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls, the project has expanded the facilities and sanctuary from their previous capacity. Phases one and two are complete. The congregation is currently praying through Phase three, which includes a renovated parking lot, a green space, and additional improvements.
Adultish: For the Eighteen to Thirty Crowd
Adultish is the ministry for young adults aged eighteen to thirty, including college students and single young people launching their careers. The program meets weekly and addresses the specific pressures of that life stage, from managing school and work to navigating relationships and career decisions. Sessions combine practical guidance with spiritual teaching, and topics range from personal growth to faith in the workplace. Beyond the lessons, Adultish is meant to be a community where young adults can find encouragement, friendship, and support as they step into independence. The ministry is led by Student Pastors Derrick and Jennifer Barnett and Jason and Deesha Hagwood, with Jason Hagwood bringing more than twenty-five years of service to the students and families of New Life.
NLAC Youth for Middle and High Schoolers
NLAC Youth serves middle school and high school students with weekly classes that aim to be both relevant and engaging. Lessons are built around topics students actually face, and the program adds monthly events, from game nights and outdoor adventures to service projects, that mix fun with devotion. The student pastors, Frank and Taylor Kitchens and Samuel and Katie Vaughn, plan the calendar together. Samuel Vaughn, who grew up in the church's Dash youth group, has been named Youth President for the local district by ministers in the state of Georgia and holds a local ministry license through the Apostolic Light and Jesus Christ (ALJC). The high school youth group and Adultish travel together to National Youth Conference each year.
Life Kids and Little Life Kids
Children's ministry at New Life is split into two programs that meet during both Sunday and Wednesday services. Life Kids serves children in kindergarten through fifth grade, with weekly Bible lessons designed to be age-appropriate and interactive. Classes use storytelling, hands-on activities, music, and games to make faith memorable for elementary-age students. Kevin and Rebekah Hammond direct the program.
Little Life Kids is for the youngest members of the congregation, ages one through four. Specially designed classrooms are set up with colorful visuals, sensory activities, and simple crafts that introduce toddlers and preschoolers to biblical themes through stories, songs, and play. The program also emphasizes the beginnings of community, helping children build early relationships with peers and teachers in a warm, supervised environment.
Adult Classes: Growth Track, Be Free, and Disciples Indeed
Beyond the Sunday morning recovery class, adult formation at New Life centers on three offerings. Growth Track, offered every other month, is the church's introduction for newcomers and newer members, a three-step path through the church's story, personal discovery, and joining a serving team. Be Free is the Sunday morning recovery ministry already described. Disciples Indeed is the current small-group study, walking through a book by Pastor Matthew Ball that examines five key principles of true discipleship rooted in the simple invitation of "Follow Me." Small groups meet in semesters and are designed to be the relational context in which "life change happens," the church's own way of putting it.
Small Groups and the Church Center App
Small groups are the connective tissue between Sundays. Groups are organized through the Church Center platform and meet in semesters, with both open sign-up and request-to-join options depending on the group. The same Church Center app serves as the church's mobile hub for connecting, registering for events, giving, and accessing church resources. Past recorded services are available on demand through the church's livestream page, with new Sunday morning and Wednesday evening services added weekly.
What New Life Believes
New Life holds to the classical Oneness Apostolic faith. The church teaches that the Bible is inspired truth, without error even to the very words. Salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, and a believer is called to repent of sinful living, to be baptized in water in the name of Jesus Christ, and to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit with the initial sign of speaking with other tongues, in keeping with Acts chapter two.
The church teaches the oneness of God: the one God who revealed Himself in the Old Testament as Jehovah revealed Himself in His Son, Jesus Christ, who is therefore the one true God manifested in flesh. Jesus was both fully God and fully man, and the Holy Spirit is God with us and in us. The Father is seen in creation, the Son in redemption, and the Holy Spirit in regeneration. The church also stresses a holy life lived in relationship with God, the family unit as God's primary institution, and a present sense of awaiting the soon return of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Pastors and Staff
Tim and Dorcas Hammond lead the church as senior pastor and Minister of Music. Andy and Tammy Wilson serve as Associate Pastor and CFO; both have been actively involved in ministry at New Life for more than fifteen years. Keith Wall serves as Music Minister, with Kendall Wall assisting him on the music team and in administration; together they focus on bringing "excellence to the music department and facilitating the presence and power of God" in worship.
The student ministry team includes Derrick and Jennifer Barnett and Jason and Deesha Hagwood, who share oversight of Adultish, and Frank and Taylor Kitchens and Samuel and Katie Vaughn, who share oversight of NLAC Youth. Life Kids is directed by Kevin and Rebekah Hammond. The church is affiliated with the Apostolic Light and Jesus Christ (ALJC), and the building continues to serve as the home base for the ministries of New Life Apostolic Church along Hog Mountain Road.