07/09/2025
Memorials in Savannah, Georgia
First Bryan Baptist Church, 575 W Bryan St, Savannah, Ga 31401, USA
• [email protected]
• A monument to Rev. George Liele stands on the church grounds — the site of the first Black Baptist congregation that Liele helped launch in the 1770s.
• This monument was erected in 1916 by the National Baptist Convention to honor his pioneering ministry First African Baptist Church
• A state historical marker commemorates Liele’s role in founding this congregation in 1773 on Brampton Plantation.
• Organized in 1777, this church is the oldest Black congregation in North America
Why It Matters for Our Story
• Georgia roots: Before his mission to Jamaica, Liele preached in Savannah and helped build some of the first Black Baptist communities in the U.S. — the spiritual anchor for his later global work.
• Living legacy: These memorials serve as tangible reminders that the same gospel-driven vision that launched Liele’s mission in 1782 still connects Savannah to Kingston and now to Atlanta.
• A bridge across time: As Calabar alumni like Professor John Paul Clarke return to Georgia, they stand on the shoulders of a faith legacy memorialized here — the very foundation that later undergirded the Baptist-led mission in Jamaica and the PNBC’s awakening in Atlanta.
