CULLODEN, Ga. — In Monroe County, members of Culloden Baptist Church are finding other places to worship, after their church held their final service Sunday morning.
That final service brought together current and former church members as people said their goodbyes, and congregated one last time.
Marianne Ellis was one of the people in attendance.
"I started coming here as a baby in my mom and dad's arms. I'm the youngest of four," Ellis said.
Ellis grew up in the church, attending all the holiday parties and getting baptized there when she was 8-years-old.
"I remember being baptized. My dad brought hot water to the Baptist pew, 'cause we didn't have hot water here," Ellis said.
She lives in High Falls now, but when she heard the church's services were ending, she knew she had to return.
The church recently had four remaining members, but you couldn't tell by the dozens in the pews on the final Sunday service.
Chris Parker is one of the last four members.
"Well, I think the memory of Culloden Baptist Church is going to live in the hearts of everybody that grew up in this community," Parker said.
His dad, Rev. Albert Parker preached at the church for about six decades.
"I'm sure he's in heaven shaking hands with Jesus right now, and 'yeah man, I've been talking about you for years,'" Parker said.
His dad passed away last year, but he said his influence never left the church.
"How daddy preached, he preached love. He preached joy. He preached, he preached community, he preached family," Parker said.
They found another pastor to take over, but over the years, people moved away and the congregation dwindled.
"We just need a community to [contribute] to keep the body going," Parker said.
Back in the day, the church used to have about 70 members.
"Daddy was the person who would go door to door as a salesman in a sense, but he was serving the word of God. He was bringing people to Culloden Baptist Church, he was bringing communities together," Parker said.
Today, Culloden's population is about 200 people, according to the United States Census Bureau.
As they held their final service, people shared their memories, told stories, and worshipped one last time, under the name of Culloden Baptist Church.
The church is a member of the Centennial Association of Georgia. Parker said that means the building will stay a church, but it may operate under a different name in the future,