West Union Church

"I had a great time visiting West Union Church! A wall in the small foyer featured the portraits of every former minister of the church. There was also a large candy dish that kids enjoyed picking from as they came upstairs from their Sunday School classrooms. On the Sunday I visited there were about 55 folks in attendance. There were no bulletins or screens. The foyer included photocopies of a handwritten church member directory. There was also plenty of hand sanitizer available. Multiple people welcomed me. Rev. Paul Ray Morgan greeted folks in the sanctuary before the service started. The church bell rang at 11:05 a.m. and service began two minutes after that. Twelve choir members assembled in the front of the sanctuary to sing three hymns with piano accompaniment. The congregation sat during the hymns and, though hymnals were available in the pews, singing along seemed optional. Rev. Morgan, hoary and bespectacled, had the strongest voice in the choir. From the pulpit, the pastor welcomed visitors multiple times. The congregation stood for a prayer over the offering, then Rev. Morgan sang a solo from the platform. After that he accepted prayer requests. Some people spoke theirs aloud, but most raised their hands when the pastor asked if anyone had any “unspoken” requests. When he invited anyone up to the altar to pray, eleven folks went forward. The homily began at 11:34 a.m. Pastor Morgan preached from John 3. He told the story of the woman caught in adultery and shared how God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son to save us, no matter what we’ve done. Rev. Morgan preached with sincere passion and conviction. He had a strong voice, approaching shouting at times, and could easily be heard and understood from the back of the sanctuary. That’s a very good thing because this was the loudest sanctuary I’ve been in yet. Though the kids attended Sunday School separately, they stayed in the sanctuary for the service and made plenty of noise. Children were talking, parents were whispering “Shh!”, children were walking back and forth to the foyer. Even a car alarm blared from the parking lot at one point during the service. On the one hand, having so many families and children attending a church is a fantastic sign for the vitality and the life of the church. On the other hand, I felt like Rev. Morgan’s good sermon deserved better than the cacophonous atmosphere he constantly had to contend with. Perhaps this was just an out-of-the-ordinary Sunday. After the sermon the pianist played “Yes, Jesus Loves Me” during an altar call. Rev. Morgan inquired whether anyone wanted to share a testimony (a few people did, briefly), and a closing prayer concluded the service exactly one hour after the service began. The congregation held Sunday lunch in the basement fellowship hall afterwards, followed by an Easter egg hunt. Overall, I liked the church, felt welcome, and would gladly return. It’s a nice little congregation in the North Georgia mountains."

"It was good church. Located in Young Harris Georgia. Friendly and nice people. I sang there on Saturday August 13th. Very good people."

"Super nice people and very helpful loving and help in any way they can."

"It’s awesome it’s in the mountains away from everything and everyone"