Marker Unveiled at Barney Creek Site

General Overseer Gary Lewis leads the prayer of dedication

August 19, 2025—On the 139th birthday of the founding of the Church of God, General Overseer Gary Lewis, members of the Executive Committee, and representatives from the Church of God Historical Commission, dedicated a historic marker on the site of the location of the Barney Creek Meeting House, the place where in 1886 a small group of believers began what would become the Church of God.

Barney Creek is in the southeast corner of Tennessee and in the vicinity of small towns connected with the early history of the Church of God, such as Coker Creek and Camp Creek. It was on August 19, 1886, when a handful of people searching for a deeper relationship with Christ banded together in discussion and prayer for divine direction. Eight persons came forward to form the Christian Union and church historians point to the gathering at Barney Creek as the initial event that sparked what would develop into the establishment of the Church of God of today.

The Tuesday dedication was symbolically chosen to coincide with the anniversary of the event, and on the property which is now owned by the Church of God. The field trip was part of the agenda of the monthly Executive Committee meeting and of the Church of God Historical Commission, who took the day prior to their annual meeting to join in the ceremony.

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Members of the Executive Committee and Historical Commission admire the newly-installed sign

The 45-minute celebration included a welcome and opening prayer by First Assistant General Overseer Tony Stewart, and comments and prayers by Third Assistant General Overseer Mark Williams, Secretary General Tom Madden, Youth and Discipleship Director Brian Yaun, Assistant Director of the Ministry of Evangelism Scott Sheppard, and former Assistant Director of World Missions Victor Pagan. They were joined by Dr. David Roebuck, Church of God Historian who gave an in-depth history of the Barney Creek site and the events of that day on August 19, 1886.
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“This is a special occasion,” Roebuck stated. “In a mill house, a small group of people formed a congregation called Christian Union, a very important name when we consider the history of the Church of God. What remains unmistakable from that day is that the deepest root of the Church of God is a desire to be God’s church.”

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General Overseer Lewis moderated the ceremony’s events and stated in his closing comments and prayer that, “…to see what He (God) has done for our church from these humble beginnings and how he continues to bless our church. Since the last General Assembly, we have had over 1.5 million conversions to Jesus Christ. From Barney Creek, God is still using our church to win the lost and win the Harvest.”

The climax of the morning ceremony was the unveiling of an historic marker that tells the story of Barney Creek for passersby along the remote road. The area remains largely unchanged from 139 years ago, except for the absence of a grist mill that also served as a meeting house.

As the event concluded, Dr. James Cossey, chairman of the Historical Commission offered some final thoughts to those gathered at the site.

“The people who brought us the Church of God walked where we are walking today. Their praises echoed in this valley as our praises echoed this morning. Thank God for our heritage!”
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A recap video of the ceremony is available on Facebook Live (@COGHQ) starting at 2:30 pm EST on Wednesday, August 20, 2025.
—Cameron Fisher, Church of God Communications