GET TO KNOW OUR LEADERS
Our church is full of friendly faces. Here are a few of them that work at the church and love pointing you to Jesus.
Joey Thompson
Senior Pastor & Elder
Preaches the word.
Crazy about his wife and family.
Bulldogs & Star Wars fan.
Joel Peters
Lay Elder
Joel Peters is a lay elder at Clayton Baptist Church is the owner of Simpli Move, based in Clayton, GA.
Harry Mangan
Lay Elder
Harry Mangan is a lay elder at Clayton Baptist Church and is the owner of Rabun Glass & Mirror, based in Clayton, GA.
John Jowers
Lay Elder
John Jowers is a lay elder and Sunday School teacher at Clayton Baptist Church and owner of Antique Appliances in Clayton, GA.
Freddie Neal
Church Administrator
Freddie Neal is the church administrator at Clayton Baptist Church, and owner of Above Board Disability Advocates, based in Clayton GA.
Trent Blake
Associate Pastor of Youth
Trent Blake serves as the Associate Pastor of Youth at Clayton Baptist Church. He loves students and has a passion for training up young believers to know and love God.
Jimmy Cash
Facilities Manager
Jimmy Cash is the facilities manager at Clayton Baptist Church. He makes sure the church building is well cared for, so that the church body can worship without distractions.
Charlene Johnson
Administrative Assistant
Charlene was born in Atlanta and came to know Jesus at 10 years old, beginning a lifelong passion for music in church. Now retired, Charlene continues to serve the Lord on staff at CBC.
Torey Vermilya
Director of Children's Ministry
Torey is a daughter, sister, wife, and mother of three. She joined CBC as the Director of Children's Ministry in 2023 where she leads the children for Sunday School, Wednesday night Awana, and Vacation Bible School.
Jared Stephens
Technology Director
Jared Stephens serves as the technology director at Clayton Baptist Church. He makes sure everything technology is running smoothly so that the church can focus on Jesus.
Tony Yang
Interim Worship Pastor
Tony Yang has a special calling to help churches in times of transition. He currently serves in an interim position while Clayton Baptist Church looks for a full time Worship Pastor.
Trent Thompson
Pastoral Intern
Trent Thompson is a certified goofball and an aspiring pastor, and somehow both fit. He brings energy and laughs to Clayton Baptist Youth, along with a real desire to grow in ministry.
A Brief History of
CLAYTON BAPTIST CHURCH
The story of the church family called Clayton Baptist is squarely focused on the goodness and faithfulness of God Himself. Without His hand of guidance and protection, the more than 200 years of history would not be worth telling and would most certainly have already come to an end. The historical markers and brief descriptions below are a simple and very incomplete story of what God has been doing over the last two centuries. A team of Clayton Baptist members put together an exhaustive history a few years ago and published it as a book. Let us know if you'd like a copy, or come to our church library and check out a copy.
1784 - Georgia Baptist Association Formation
Organized by five churches: Kiokee, Fishing Creek , Upton's Creek (Greenwood), Red's Creek (Abilene), and Little Briar Creek.
1814 - Baptist General Convention Formation
First met in Philadelphia in order to pool resources to support foreign missionaries like Adoniram Judson, and to encourage gospel ministry to unreached groups in America like the
Cherokee people.
1817 - Humphrey Posey
Appointed by the Baptist Board of Foreign Missions as a missionary to the Cherokee and frontier settlers, particularly in Western North Carolina and North Georgia. Member of the presbytery that formed Clayton Baptist.
1819 - Rev. Stephen White
Leading member of the first presbytery which would soon form Stekoa United Baptist Church and the new church's first pastor. He wrote the circular letter of Tugalo association in 1820. In this letter he deplored the destitution existing in the mountain sections in the area. He noted the scarcity of ministers in the territory. As an early minister and missionary, he also looked across the border into North Carolina and saw the destitution there. He sent out notice to ministers of other associations to look over the fields at the white harvests in the mountains. One writer says of him: "He was evidently a public, spirited, zealous, and
far-seeing man."
August 14, 1819 - Stekoa United Baptist Church
On Saturday, August 14, 1819, Clayton Baptist Church was constituted as Stekoah United Baptist Church. The date was four months before Rabun became a Georgia county. Only a handful of scattered settlers lived in the rugged wilderness area, an area inhabited by the Cherokee Indians. Written notes indicate that ten men founded the initial church.
1845-84 - Rev. John Coffee
He is the longest tenured pastor in the history of the church at close to 40 years. For many of those years he also served as moderator of the Mountain Baptist Association. He and his wife are both buried in the cemetary directly behind the current Sanctuary building.
Approximately 1870
A new church building was built on the property Clayton Baptist currently occupies. This land had been given by Thomas "Red" Kelly in 1850. After relocating, the members changed the name to Stekoah Baptist Church of Clayton.
1906 - A New Association
The Rabun County Baptist Association was constituted at Clayton Baptist Church with Rev. Charles Ledford, her pastor, named as first moderator. Rev. Ledford pastored until 1909.
1937-40 - A New Auditorium
Under the leadership of Rev. J.B. Brown, and during the Great Depression, the church sacrificed and labored to complete a new auditorium. This is the same auditorium that is still used today for
worship services.
1953-67 - Period of Growth
During the fourteen-year pastorate of J.E. Dillard, Clayton Baptist went through a growth spurt in membership and the yearly church budget nearly tripled during this same time.
1991 - Third Floor Fire
During a Wednesday night revival service led by former CBC Pastor, Sam Letson, a fire broke out in the third floor of the education building. Firefighters from eleven stations responded to put it out.
2002 - Ministry Activities Center (MAC)
Under the leadership of then pastor Mike Campbell, the $1.94 million building was dedicated in May 2002. Soon after current pastor Joey Thompson arrived the bank note was completely paid off in April of 2012. This is where some of our Sunday School classes, Bible studies, special events, sports ministry, and 8:30 am worship services happen.
2019 - Derrick Street House (Place of Hope)
The church members bought this property in 2019 knowing that God would use it somehow. Shortly thereafter, God revealed that this house will be used to care for foster children and families. It is now called "Place of Hope."
2026 - Joey Thompson 19th
In 2007, Clayton Baptist Church called Joey Thompson as her 41st pastor. After he, Marla, and their 4 children came, he set CBC on a path to know and love the Word deeply, and to "glorify God by making disciples of all nations until Jesus returns."
