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ALBANY, GA. -- The 2^nd Mount Zion Baptist Church on Old Pretoria Road has reached its 146th year milestone and throughout the month of August the church will be celebrating its history.

In 1865 after the slaves were emancipated, one of their first priorities was to build a place of worship. Being in the woods with little resources, they couldn't afford brick and mortar, so they formed what is now known as a brush arbor.

“They put the branches in the ground and covered those branches with leaves and whatever they could find to shield them from the sun and from the rain,” said Dougherty County Commissioner and 2^nd Mount Zion Baptist Church Member Gloria Gaines.

The standing sticks rooted into the ground forming the beginnings of a century long legacy that continues to grow. Gaines says her family goes back five generations, leading back to her great grandfather, Warren Gaines, who helped establish the church.

Members say the rocks that lay on the facade of the building were dug by hand from the grounds of southwest Georgia. They say just as the rocks have stood the test of time so has the church.

“Oh Lord it has changed tremendously because our old church was sitting over there. We didn't have any water,” said Church Member Rovilla Wilson.

Sister Rovilla joined the church in 1933 at the age of 11 and although the church was over 50 years old, they still had little resources.  As she looks back, she remembers those times as the good old days.

“Folks used to sang, path their hands and shout and just have a good time,” said Rovilla Wilson, “We had an iron heater in that church. It was just one heater and that's what we were warmed by, that heater.

She says after 80 years all of those who served with her have gone and passed the torch to the younger generation. Pastor Theodus Drake is now the leader of the church. He says his goal is to keep their legacy alive.

“Leadership has changed but the mission and the commission and the vision has remained the same,” said Pastor Theodus Drake.

Both Gaines and Wilson say they take pride in the history of the 2^nd Mount Zion Baptist Church. For them it's not just a place of worship, it’s a part of their home and family.