South Georgia Dedicates Rebuilt Tabernacle
Tifton, GA–As the Administrative Bishop, Dr. Gary Lewis watched helplessly as the South Georgia Church of God Tabernacle burned to the ground 2½ years ago.
On Thursday night, December 5, Dr. Lewis returned to Tifton as the General Overseer, this time preaching powerfully from the stage of the newly built Tabernacle at its much-anticipated Dedication Service.
Lewis was joined by the International Executive Committee, including Tony Stewart, Wayne Dority, Mark Williams, and Tom Madden, and the current South Georgia Administrative Bishop Dr. Tony Cooper as they celebrated this monumental moment with an estimated crowd of 1,200 pastors, laity and state leaders.
General Overseer Gary Lewis addresses the crowd at the dedication of the new South Georgia Tabernacle (click photo to enlarge)
“This is about generations,” Lewis said as he paced around the pulpit. “I am believing for greater things for our children and our children’s children, that God is going to do again in this place what He did in the last place.
“Look at what God has done!”
The 1,800-seat worship center features a state-of-the-art sanctuary with three giant LED walls, a second-floor media center and a spacious lobby. It replaces a historic Tabernacle that was built in 1972 but was lost to a tragic fire on April 21, 2022.
Lewis and the South Georgia State Council immediately began plans to rebuild an even greater facility. His successor, Dr. David Gosnell continued the project for two years before
Dr. Cooper arrived in August to oversee the final steps and open the Tabernacle in time for Friday’s biennial Minister’s Meeting.
Not even three years later, the Tabernacle is reopened for a new generation of camps, women’s conferences, camp meetings and more – just as Lewis envisioned on that tragic April afternoon.
“I knew then, that if it’s burnt down, God will rebuild it. That’s the kind of God we serve.”
To those who would like to give toward this building project, you may visit www.sgacog.org.
–By David White, South Georgia Director of Youth and Discipleship
The exterior of the new South Georgia Tabernacle, dedicated on December 5, 2024.
