In this print from around 1930, the Chicopee Manufacturing Co., foreground, can be seen separated from the Chicopee mill neighborhood by Atlanta Highway.
Johnson & Johnson built the Chicopee Manufacturing Co. Mill village in 1927.
Religion was an important part of life in the Chicopee Community. In the early development of the community, there was much enthusiasm and interest among both the residents and plant management to organize religious services.
The Church history records state that on September 4,1927 the working men’s Bible Class of St. Paul’s Methodist Church of Gainesville met with residents of the Chicopee Community in the cloth room of the newly completed Chicopee Plant to organize a Sunday School. This was the first religious service of any kind ever held at Chicopee. The first sermon was delivered the following Sunday, September 11, 1927 by the pastor of St. Paul Methodist Church, Rev. A.A. Sullivan. The organization of Chicopee Methodist Church and Chicopee Baptist Church began immediately.
Entrance to the plant from Atlanta Hwy.
The Rev. Dr. Ronald Q. Leavell, who was the Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Gainesville, delivered the organizational sermon of Chicopee Baptist Church on February 12, 1928, the day the church was constituted.
On February 26, 1928 the church met in regular conference and selected Rev. L. P. McNeal as their pastor. He served for one year and was replaced by Rev. Bunyan Collins who served until June of 1932.
The church was founded to minister to the workers at the Chicopee Mill who were also residents of Chicopee Village in Gainesville Georgia.
The first services of the church were actually held in the cloth room of the Chicopee Plant. The congregation also met in the gymnasium and in the old school building before a $20,000 structure was built.
For the first eight years the church met in one of the rooms in the mill itself. The actual church building was made possible through the joint efforts of the church members and Chicopee Manufacturing Company. Construction of the present older church building began in 1936 and the church building was dedicated February 28, 1937.
The Sunday School annex building on sixth Street was loaned to the church by the Chicopee Manufacturing Company from 1936 to 1956, when the company deeded the building to the church.
Chicopee Manufacturing Company provided various houses in the Chicopee village to the church for the use as a Pastorium from 1929 to 1974. In 1973 the company deeded the present office on First Street to the church and it was used as the Pastorium.
The Educational Building was built by the church in 1958 and financed by the sale of construction bonds.
Remodeling of the older church Sanctuary and Pastorium was completed in 1975. The heating and air conditioning systems were completed in 1976 and carpet added in 1977.
The steeple on the older church was installed December 18, 1985 and was a project of the Winsome Sunday School Class (Adult Ladies Class).
By 1998 the church had outgrown the first building and built across the street where the current worship center is located. The old sanctuary is now being used for our Youth Ministry and fellowship hall.
Obviously much has changed since that time in the world and in this area. However, we love the community around us and the rich heritage that brought us here. We strive to serve our community with care and compassion. Since most of our church family drives in from outside the Chicopee community now, we are a Communting Church that Reaches Our Community.
