NEW ANGLICAN CHURCH, HOLY TRINITY, LOCATES IN PERMANENT HOME

Anglican Church of the Holy Trinity of Flowery Branch, Georgia, celebrated its fourth anniversary on October 28, 2007, in a big way. Along with the congregation gathered under the giant oak tree in the front yard of the church, Bishop T. J. Johnston began the consecration of the new church home. He opened the service with the words from the Book of Common Prayer: "Let the door be opened!" Then, the Bishop officially blessed the threshold, making the sign of the cross with the cross of celebration in his hand.

Organized in October of 2003 at a home meeting, the church found hospitality at McEver Road United Methodist Church where the Methodist congregation shared their facilities with the newly birthed Anglican Church. By Christmas, Anglican Church of the Holy Trinity had found a new home that would welcome them for two and-a-half years in the chapel of a funeral home.

While the church prospered in these quarters, the time came when the congregation recognized the need to relocate to a nearby high growth area. When Spout Springs Elementary School became available, the church moved into a new frontier of a larger mission field. New worshippers began to discover the church and the congregation experienced slow but sustained growth.

The pastor, Reverend George Ivey, comments, “Many times we have been reminded that even though we have found the right location, it is the Lord who builds the church." A church growth consultant, Conrad Lowe, assisted Holy Trinity in finding the right location for a permanent home and after worshipping at the school for five months, the church leadership located a site on Spout Springs Road about a mile south of the school. After a 10-month stay at the school, the church had acquired property, renovated two existing buildings on that property and celebrated its first Eucharist on July 8, 2007 in its new home.

The main house and an adjacent building were thoroughly renovated to create Christian Education areas and a sanctuary able to accommodate 75 or more worshippers per service. The main building was rewired and two central heating and air conditioning units and comfortable seating for worshippers were installed. The congregation sacrificially gave of their energies and resources to make this old homestead a warm and inviting place of worship.

The worship center is composed of two sections. The front portion of the main house is more than 100 years old and the larger area where the sanctuary is located was added after 1994. The side house now serves as the youth ministry center. There is room to grow with 7.30 acres of beautiful, hill-top property for future expansion.

The location is in the heart of one of America's hottest growth nodes. Sitting in the triangle formed by I-85 and I-985 and Georgia Highway 53, it is highly accessible. Large subdivisions are nearby and/or adjacent to the church's property. A 4,000-home development, Sterling On The Lake, is a mile and a half north on Spout Springs Road. A John Weiland development named Reunion is adjacent to the rear of the church's property. The famous North Georgia retreat and upscale subdivision, Chateau Elan, is three and-a-half miles to the southeast. In less than two miles is Deaton Creek, the well known Dell Webb retirement village.

Anglican Church of the Holy Trinity now offers two Sunday morning worship celebrations, a graded Sunday School and weekly Bible Study Groups. The objective of the church is to bring people into faith in Christ and to disciple and equip believers to be active and productive Christians.

As Bishop T. J. Johnston moved the congregation from a consecration service to a confirmation service, it appears that the church is producing fruit. A long range planning committee is now in place to implement intentional outreach and continued growth both in spiritual lives and in the growth of the congregation.

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