Church History
107 years of Joyful Triumphs, Disaster and Disappointment, Perseverance, Unconditional Love, and Caring for God’s People. Little did this small group of individuals, who set out in the year of our Lord, 1914, realize that they were embarking upon a mission that would carry over into the year 2019. The Genesis of the Lovejoy Baptist Church was the result of a small group of Christian believers becoming disgruntled with their present place of worship and desiring another place of worship. Therefore, they chose to leave their parent church, Mount Olive Baptist Church, which, at the time, was experiencing a great upheaval in its body of worship. 
Serving as pastor of Mount Olive at the time was Reverend C.H. Richardson who led this exodus.
This small group of individuals began to worship in the various homes and finally at the home of Deacon Duncan Johnson, sought to organize the Lovejoy Baptist Church. Among those present were Ed Montgomery; Mr. and Mrs. Perry Hunter; Mr. and Mrs. William Mead; Deacon Alfred Montgomery; Sisters Flora Johnson, Frances, and Hattie Montgomery and Sister Jose; Sisters Rachel Fallen, Lula Harper, Hattie Lewis, Lula Watson (Great Grandmother of Mother Janice Chatman Watkins and Linda Carter); Mary McNeil, Julia Zinnerman (Grandmother of Sharon Zinnerman Sublett) and Adeline Bailey; Brother and Mrs. Luke Lewis; Brother Hunter Neal and Sister Alice Neal.
The first pastor to serve this body of worshippers was Reverend Johnson Harris. This small group continued to hold fireside prayer meetings in the
various homes. They had the vision to lead the congregation into building an organized place of worship; oversaw a fund-raising of $400 to pu
rchase the present site for the Lovejoy Baptist Church at the corner of Branham Avenue and Grover Street. Note: A Mr. Ed holder built the first little frame church.
Three pastors served the church between 1914-1920. In 1920, the Reverend John Lawson Vaughn from Alabama City, Alabama was recommended to the Lovejoy Church, and later the congregation prayerfully called him to be the new pastor.
When the original church burned in March 1955, Reverend Vaughn oversaw the building of a larger place to worship for an increased number of worshippers. For 50 years, Reverend Vaughn served, not only Lovejoy, but also churches in Alabama, the Rome community, and eventually impacted the State and National Convention.
In the span of some 16 years after Rev. Vaughn retired, the church was served by three different pastors. In October 1987, the current pastor, Reverend Carey N. Ingram, a native Roman, was called to pastor Lovejoy Baptist Church. Church growth has increased by leaps and bounds. His leadership has been a tremendous blessing, not only in his church congregation, but to his community, state, and nation.
