First Baptist Church of Augusta, Georgia was founded in 1817 under its first pastor Doctor William T. Brantly. On March 25th of that year, eighteen men and women met and formed the “Baptist Praying Society of Augusta” and with Doctor Brantly’s leadership, this small flock of Baptists formally organized the church on January 20, 1820. The church dedicated its first sanctuary on the corner of Eighth and Greene Streets in downtown Augusta, becoming the birthplace of the Southern Baptist Convention. The first television broadcast of the Sunday morning service began in 1955, making it the first church in the Augusta area to have a televised ministry. In May of 1968, First Baptist voted to move to its new location at 3500 Walton Way Extension, and moved its campus in the summer of 1975 with services held in the gymnasium of the activities center. With Adult, Children and Preschool educational buildings in place, a fourth educational building was added in the 1980’s and named The Walton Building.