History of the Valdosta Church of Christ:

Efforts to establish a congregation of the Church of Christ in Valdosta date back to the 20's.  In the later part of the 1920's a few members of the church who lived in the area started meeting in homes for worship.  Irvin and Rudell Sherrod (family) and R.C. and Vera Brown (family) are the earliest that is known to have preached in meetings was John Harvey Morris. 

Regular services were then discontinued for a time
In 1933 other attempts were made to establish regular worship services.  Jack Meyer, who preached regularly for the Tuscumbia church offered his assistance.  A number of young men were used in the earlier days under the guidance of Jack Meyer from the Tuscumbia church. 

The Valdosta Elementary school (now Hope Haven) was secured for a meeting place.  On the second Sunday in August 1933 the first services were conducted in the school house.  At this time there were approximately 12 members of the church assisted by others who helped from the Tuscumbia church. 

There were only 2 Bible classes during much of this time.  Later some begin to worship regularly with Valdosta who had previously worshipped at Tuscumbia.  Through the years others moved in.  It was about 1941 when Archie Hester and his family begin worshipping with the church. 

The following is a list of others who worshipped at the school house:  Mr. and Mrs. Dee Inman, Mr. and Mrs. Sam Miller, Mrs. Carroll, Beulah Hand, Mr. and Mrs. Moss, Mrs. Claude Waddell, Mr. and Mrs. Lee Black, Mrs. Dora Jackson, Mr. and Mrs. J.B. Walker, Mr. and Mrs. Roy Jones, Raymond Miller, Mr. and Mrs. Coy Hodges, Maybelle Crittenden, Mr. and Mrs. Crawford Barnes, Mr. and Mrs. Rayford Henry.  Among those who led singing were Roy Jones, J.P. Black, Archie Hester and others.  As late as 1944 there was no regular preacher for the church.  They were using different preachers at the school we able to only recount a few: Claude Smith, George McCorkle, Sim Nagles, Oscar Boggle and Rayford Henry.  The years spent in the school were not easy because most of the men were young.  It was a real struggle for all who desired to faithfully worship God.  Growth was slow for some time but a building was in the mind of the small group thus a fund was started for the purpose of erecting a meeting house.