A Rich History
The story of Hill First Baptist Church begins in 1830 when a group started to worship together in the Presbyterian Church building located on the University of Georgia campus. Their church became known as Athens Baptist Church. The church’s congregation initially consisted of Euro- American Parishioners and the enslaved. In those days, slave religion was taught with a cautious air due to the fear and controversy surrounding the education of slaves. Although the enslaved were quoted passages from the Bible, many did not know how to read the Bible, and their enslavers wanted them to remain illiterate. The enslaved often worshipped outside of church walls in the slave quarters or in the church during a separate service away from the Euro-American Members of the community. Through worship, the enslaved had a taste of freedom by learning to read.
Although the congregation was African – American, Euro-American Ministers directed many worship services to maintain control. Athens Baptist Church was an exception to these rules. At Athens Baptist Church, the enslaved were given enough autonomy to preach to their fellow enslaved. In fact, on September 5, 1846, the first African - American Minister was ordained to preach the gospel to his people. His name was Brother Glaskow.
The idea of a house of worship for African- American people separate from Euro-American people was first explored by the Athens Baptist Church of 1857. At this time, the African American members held a conference to request permission to build a church of their own. Permission was granted and in May 1857 all of the church members built the first church specifically for African American Parishioners The two churches, shared their land and their name.
In March of 1867, four years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, Hill First Baptist Church emerged from Athens Baptist Church. The church was named in honor of its first minister, Reverend Floyd Hill. Reverend Hill led the church without the ability to read or write. He claimed that after one day of prayer in the woods, he emerged with the knowledge of reading.
Since the death of Pastor Hill on October 18, 1888, twenty-five devoted pastors have served the congregation of Hill First Baptist. Those ministers include: Pastor L.T. Smith, Pastor Gardner, Pastor Hall, Pastor A.B. Murden, Pastor L. H. Mills, Pastor J.T. Johnson, Pastor Gamble, Pastor J.H. Brown, Pastor M.L. Fambrough, Pastor W.H. Perry, Pastor A.W. Williams, Pastor McFadden, Pastor Q.L. Jones, Pastor O.M. Collins, Pastor Robert B. Hawk, Pastor William P. King, Pastor Amos J. Jackson, Pastor Prathous C. Land, Pastor Ben Kenneth Willis, Ph.D., Pastor J. Sherman Pelt, Pastor Ronnie Swoopes, Pastor Anthony Hudson, Pastor Benjamin G. Rivers, Pastor John D. Menefee, Jr. and Pastor Allison Henderson-Brooks.
Many associate pastors have provided the needed leadership to keep the congregation faithful in their trust in God and service to mankind; and some of the former pastors, associate pastors and/or their family members who still reside in the Athens, Georgia area are: The Reverend Angel McCoy, The Reverend Lonnie Daniels, The Reverend Clifford Craft, The Reverend David Stanley, The Reverend Larry Blount, The Reverend Renee Daniels, The Reverend Dr. Berry Rice, The Reverend Hope Iglehart, The Reverend Priscilla Bryant, and the Reverend Richard Haynes.
God has shown favor to this church by directing and establishing The Reverend Dr. Allison Henderson - Brooks as the under shepherd. Reverend Dr. Henderson-Brooks’ election adds another first to our rich history as she is the first woman elected to serve as Senior Pastor.
Hill First Baptist is the oldest African – American Church in North Georgia and known as the Freedom Church in Athens-Clarke County. It has been a cornerstone of the Historic Reese Street District since inception. The church is a contributing property for the Reese Street District on the National Register of Historic Places. This illustrious church continues to be a beacon of hope for all who come our way, to God be the Glory.
Our Pastor, Rev. Dr. Allison Henderson-Brooks
Rev. Dr. Allison Henderson-Brooks is a 4th generation licensed and ordained Baptist preacher. She was baptized at the age of ten by the late Rev. Dr. Howard
W. Creecy Sr. and has been proclaiming the good news since she was 15 years old.
The second child of the late Gregory and Cynthia Henderson, Allison is a graduate of Spelman College receiving her Bachelor of Arts in English Literature in 2008 and the Candler School of Theology at Emory University earning a Master of Divinity in 2019. In May of 2024, she earned her Doctor of Ministry from Memphis Theological Seminary in Womanist Preaching. This cohort was the inaugural cohort concentrating on womanist preaching in the country led by the Rev. Dr. Gina Marcia Stewart, Pastor of Christ Missionary Baptist Church in Memphis, TN and the first woman to lead a Black Baptist Denomination.
Currently, Dr. Henderson-Brooks serves as the Assistant Dean of Students at Candler School of Theology at Emory University. Prior to beginning her academic career, she served in three of the world’s iconic hospitality companies in the disciplines of Operations Management, Revenue Management, and Performance Analytics. In November 2022, she was elected to serve as Senior Pastor at the Historic Hill First Baptist Church in Athens, GA. She is the first woman elected to serve North Georgia’s oldest Black Baptist Church in their 159-year history.
She is a sought-after preacher who travels and preaches across the country and abroad. Her ministry and academic accomplishments are too numerous to notate. However, in 2023, she was inducted into The Martin Luther King, Jr. Board of Preachers at Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA and in April of 2025 she was inducted into the Bishop Alford G. Dunston Jr. College of Preachers at Livingstone College in Salisbury, NC. Her greatest joy is being happily married to Andrew Brooks and being the proud mother of their inquisitive and adventurous 14-year-old son.
In addition, Allison is a proud and active member of Nu Lambda Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She embodies her grandmother’s favorite hymn, “Only what you do for Christ for Last” in all her endeavors. Her goals, dreams, and aspirations are captured in the quote by Dr. Benjamin Elijah Mays that states, “In all that you do, strive to do it so well that no man living, no man dead, and no man yet to be born can do it better!”