When I first moved to The BIG CANOE® Community in 1975 a man named Sam Rothermel was the activities director. Dr. Vernon Broyles, Jr. had a weekend place at The BIG CANOE® Community. Sam began having church services wherever he could find a place. I remember a service one time in an 800 square foot treetopper. There was room for the speaker, the lady that played the piano, a couple of the security guards, Sam and a handful more. Soon, two marvelous events happened. Dr. Broyles retired from North Ave. Presbyterian Church in Atlanta and Tom Cousins, the developer of The BIG CANOE® Community, donated six acres for a church.
Sam and Dr. Broyles had a set of plans drawn for the little Chapel and put them out for bid. The low bid was $155,000.00 in 1975. I exclaimed to Dr. Broyles "where on earth are we going to get that kind of money? Wash cars - sell cakes?" He just kinda yuk, yuk, yuked like he so often did and said "31 years I've been in the church and I have never seen a project fail for lack of money, "where is your faith anyway?" I surmised that I must have left it outside in my jeep! The money came!
I saw Sam the other day at the flea market fund raiser and he said Dr. Broyles set it up that 50% of its income would go to the benevolent fund. It is still that way to this day.
I don't see how those people that founded that little Chapel with nothing but an old upright piano and the theme song "Come to My Church in the Wildwood" could have possibly known that one day the little tiny Chapel would cast a shadow around the world. Somehow, I think they knew.
Dr. Broyles told me one day that he couldn't understand why anyone would stay in Atlanta when everyone knew that "God Lives At Big Canoe."
"We Live In The Neighborhood. . ."
Terrell Griffin REALTORS® (706) 579-2259
When I first moved to The BIG CANOE® Community in 1975 a man named Sam Rothermel was the activities director. Dr. Vernon Broyles, Jr. had a weekend place at The BIG CANOE® Community. Sam began having church services wherever he could find a place. I remember a service one time in an 800 square foot treetopper. There was room for the speaker, the lady that played the piano, a couple of the security guards, Sam and a handful more. Soon, two marvelous events happened. Dr. Broyles retired from North Ave. Presbyterian Church in Atlanta and Tom Cousins, the developer of The BIG CANOE® Community, donated six acres for a church.
I don't see how those people that founded that little Chapel with nothing but an old upright piano and the theme song "Come to My Church in the Wildwood" could have possibly known that one day the little tiny Chapel would cast a shadow around the world. Somehow, I think they knew.