About Us

Flagg Chapel Baptist Church was organized in 1830 by a small group of freedmen under the leadership of a newly freed slave, Wilkes Flagg, Sr. Rev. Milus Wilbun was the first pastor, and Brother Flagg was the first Deacon. In 1845, Deacon Flagg was ordained as a preacher and succeeded Rev. Wilbun as pastor of Flagg Chapel.

Rev. Flagg organized Shiloh Baptist Church in the Harrisburg Community because it was too far for those who lived there to travel to attend service at Flagg Chapel Baptist Church. Rev. Flagg died on November 15, 1878. Rev. Edward Pace succeeded him as pastor of Flagg Chapel. Other churches that branched off Flagg Chapel include El Bethel Baptist, Union Baptist, and Trinity CME.

Flagg Chapel has always served as a resource, especially for Baldwin County (GA) blacks. After Eddy High School burned, Flagg Chapel was used as the public school for the black population for many years. Although there have been some disastrous times at the church, its members have kept the doors open except on two occasions. The first time was in 1909, when the doors were closed by the city’s law enforcement; the second time was on October 25, 1973, when the church was destroyed by fire. At this time, a beautiful educational building that housed a daycare center was also burned.

Following the destruction of the church, the members of Ebenezer Seventh Day Adventist Church, on the corner of N. Liberty and Habersham Streets, opened their doors to allow Flagg Chapel members to hold services at their facility until 1976. On Sunday morning, January 1, 1976, Flagg Chapel members were led by the pastor, Rev. H.L. McColumn, and the associate pastor (late) Rev. Payton B. Cook, in a march from Ebenezer to the newly constructed building on the original site (corner of W. Franklin and Clark Streets). This was indeed a glorious morning!

During the pastorate of (late) Rev. Raymond Buford, the mortgage to this new building was burned. In 1993, (late) Rev. Peyton B. Cook served as the interim pastor.

Dr. Omer M. Reid serves as pastor and has been in this capacity since 1993. Under his leadership, the church’s Annex was dedicated (1996), consisting of classrooms, a nursery, a library, a conference room, a finance room, a music room, a full kitchen, and a large banquet hall. In addition, the church has regained control of its property from the Baldwin County Board of Education and has added a gymnasium, a Pavilion, and a Multi-Purpose Building. Rev. Reid has continued to work to educate the membership by holding weekly Bible Studies, encouraging participation in Sunday school, regular church service, and many other spiritual training and educational opportunities. Over the past years, along with the owners of Campus Crest, Rev. Reid has provided services to those in the community during the holiday season. At Thanksgiving, approximately 200 turkeys were given to families, and at Christmas, approximately 150 bicycles were given to the area children who would not otherwise have received them. Rev. Reid also has support from his (current) associate ministers, including Rev. Anderson Bentley, Jr., Rev. Tommy Clark, Rev. Loria Boone, Rev. Deborah D. Arnold Boyd, and Minister Rhonda Griffin.

Each year, Flagg Chapel celebrates its Church Anniversary on the 4th Sunday of February, Vacation Bible School and Family Fun Day in June, Revival during the week following the third Sunday of September, and Homecoming on the 4th Sunday of September. The members of Flagg Chapel invite one and all to join in with worship and spiritual education whenever its doors are open. We are a church where everybody is somebody, and God is everything!