A Church Born in the Thomasville Community
Mt. Nebo Baptist Church & Life Center sits on Panola Road in Ellenwood, just southeast of Atlanta, where it has grown from a small gathering place in the Thomasville neighborhood into a multi-campus ministry anchored by a full Life Center. Organized between 1898 and 1900, it was the first Baptist church in the Thomasville community, and today it is known for a worship offering its members simply call The Nebo Experience.
Those first services were held in a building called Mount Nebo Lodge Hall, located roughly a mile and a half below the Federal Prison, where about fifteen members met under Reverend Zimmerman on the first and third Sundays. The members soon purchased that building and grounds, and through the early twentieth century a succession of pastors guided a slowly growing flock. In 1936 Reverend P. J. Dotson was called to serve, and with Deacon Sherman he later acquired the parcel at 1043 Kipling Street, where the congregation would worship for decades.
Reverend Anthony J. McMichael, B.A., M.Div., arrived in the spring of 1971 as co-pastor and was installed as sole pastor in November 1981. Across forty-eight years he led the church through a sweeping expansion that brought a new church bus, a baby grand piano, renovations, tripled membership, and the purchase of two houses along with eight and a half acres in the Thomasville area. The groundbreaking for the present edifice was held on October 4, 1987. The two-level building includes a sanctuary with balcony, sound system, and stained-glass windows, a multi-purpose room, pastoral and administrative offices, a fellowship hall with a commercially equipped kitchen, two restrooms, and a large mall with a water fountain and winding staircases. The second level holds a conference room and ten additional rooms.
Two Locations, One Family
Pastor McMichael's vision extended beyond Thomasville, and on January 4, 2004 the church dedicated a second campus, Mount Nebo Cathedral South, in Jonesboro, in neighboring Clayton County. Sunday worship at Cathedral South begins at noon, and a Family-to-Family Bible Study along with a New Members class gather each Friday at 7:00 p.m. Together the two campuses carry one vision across two counties.
Pastor Aaron Jones, III
In February 2019 Pastor Aaron Jones, III became the successor to Reverend McMichael. A Macon, Georgia native and 1993 graduate of Charles Lincoln Harper High School, he attended Savannah State College and currently studies at Luther Rice College and Seminary, where he is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religion and Ministry. Licensed to preach in August 1997 and ordained in November 1998, he previously served as Senior Pastor of Old Pleasant Hill Baptist Church and Rehoboth Baptist Church in Conyers, Georgia, and of Mount Calvary Missionary Baptist Church in Moreland, Georgia.
At Old Pleasant Hill he founded a Summer Challenge Camp that served fifty children ages five to fifteen and culminated in a back-to-school book bag giveaway. At Rehoboth he led a $75,000 build-out of a 6,000-square-foot warehouse into a sanctuary, offices, and classrooms, and he piloted a "Starting Over" program offering spiritual support to people re-entering community from incarceration or rehabilitation. He also launched Praise in the Park, an annual outdoor service that drew attention in the Rockdale Citizen. At Mount Calvary he led the church to pay off a $60,000 loan.
The First Lady
Tamara Hope-Jones grew up in Atlanta and graduated Salutatorian of Charles Lincoln Harper High School. After earning a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Paine College, where she joined Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and graduated magna cum laude, she returned to school for a Master of Education in Special Education: General Curriculum. She now teaches students with disabilities and pours her love of sewing into Maker Spaces she hopes to build for youth and adults. She and Pastor Jones, the best friends of high school, have been married since 1998 and are the parents of Taylor Denise, Aaron IV, and Joshua Elijah.
The Nebo Experience
The Nebo Experience is the weekly gathering the church calls a "dynamic worship experience," and it happens in the sanctuary and online at the same time. Sunday worship begins at 10:00 a.m., and a midweek worship and Bible study hour convenes on Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. Both services are livestreamed on YouTube and Facebook so members and guests can join from wherever they are. Visitors who want to stay in the loop can text @mtnebome to 81010, fill out the online Connect Card, or stop by the office at 984 Panola Road.
Family-2-Family on Wednesday Nights
The Wednesday gathering anchors the church's Family-2-Family ministry, an evening built around a shared community dinner followed by Bible study for nearly every stage of life. Tracks include classes for youth and pre-teens, a Teen Peer Pressure Group, Men-to-Men, Women in Spiritual Action, Young Adult Singles, and a New Members class. A Christian Education Department oversees teaching through the rest of the week, and a Big Brothers Program serves children in the surrounding community.
The Life Center and the Christian Academy
Built in 1997 next to the sanctuary, the Life Center is a two-story multipurpose facility that houses a Christian Academy with a Georgia Pre-K Program, a computer lab, an indoor track, a fitness center with Jacuzzis and steam rooms, a full commercial kitchen, and a full basketball court with bleachers and a stage. The same building hosts weekday school, youth programs, community dinners, and fitness offerings for neighboring families.
The Serenity Club and Community Outreach
Beside the church stands the Serenity Club, a rehabilitation facility the congregation converted from a former liquor store. The Club offers free counseling, group sessions, and referrals to psychological professionals for people working through addiction. A long-running Outreach Program also visits the church's Sick and Shut-in members, and for many years Mt. Nebo broadcast its services on two local radio stations.
Stewardship and Connection
Tithes and offerings can be given online or through the Givelify mobile app, and cash and checks are received in the Sunday offering basket. Members can update their information and stay linked through the church's Realm community. Those who want a deeper step will find Baby Dedication, New Members Orientation, and Bereavement forms online, and anyone ready to explore faith can request salvation, restoration, or connection from the same page.