The Calvary Holiness Association is a small

holiness Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

body of

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

in south

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. The

Holiness movement The Holiness movement is a Christian movement that emerged chiefly within 19th-century Methodism, and to a lesser extent other traditions such as Quakerism, Anabaptism, and Restorationism. The movement is historically distinguished by its emph ...

among

Baptists Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compe ...

in Georgia began late in the 19th century among ministers in the Little River Baptist Association. Two churches were excluded from the Little River Association in 1893 because of their teachings on holiness. These two churches and two newly formed churches met in 1894 in

Wilcox County, Georgia Wilcox County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 9,255. The county seat is Abbeville. History Wilcox County was formed on December 22, 1857, from parts of Irwin, ...

to organize the

Holiness Baptist Association {{Baptist The Holiness Baptist Association is a holiness body of Christians with Baptist historical roots. Holiness movement In 19th century America, the Holiness movement developed out the "new measures" and teachings of revivalist Charles Grandi ...

. The ''Calvary Holiness Association'' was formed in 1977. Dissatisfied members separated from the ''Holiness Baptist Association'' on January 7, 1977 for what they termed "broken confidence and lack of trust in the trustee committee". On January 15, 1977, nine churches met at Community Holiness Baptist Church in

Cook County, Georgia Cook County is a county located in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,229. The county seat is Adel. The constitutional amendment to create the county was proposed July 30, 1918 ...

and organized a new association, with James A. Harrell as moderator, and Carl H. Carlton as clerk. Four more churches joined on January 29, and a committee of seven was formed to draw up articles of faith, discipline and rules of decorum. On March 26, the articles of faith and by-laws were adopted, the name ''Calvary Holiness Association, Incorporated'' agreed upon, and an application to incorporate made. The Association was incorporated and charter granted by the state of Georgia on October 7, 1977. The faith and order is similar to the parent body. The association's beliefs include sanctification as a second work of grace; Baptism of the

Holy Ghost For the majority of Christian denominations, the Holy Spirit, or Holy Ghost, is believed to be the third person of the Trinity, a Triune God manifested as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, each entity itself being God.Grud ...

, with

glossolalia Speaking in tongues, also known as glossolalia, is a practice in which people utter words or speech-like sounds, often thought by believers to be languages unknown to the speaker. One definition used by linguists is the fluid vocalizing of sp ...

as the initial evidence;

baptism Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost inv ...

by immersion,

Lord's supper The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was instituted ...

and

feet washing Maundy (from Old French ''mandé'', from Latin ''wikt:mandatum, mandatum'' meaning "command"), or Washing of the Saints' Feet, Washing of the Feet, or Pedelavium or Pedilavium, is a religious Rite (Christianity), rite observed by various Chris ...

as ordinances; and tithing. They maintain abstinence from any use of tobacco or intoxicating liquors, excessive use of medicine, use of slang expressions,

gluttony Gluttony ( la, gula, derived from the Latin ''gluttire'' meaning "to gulp down or swallow") means over-indulgence and over-consumption of food, drink, or wealth items, particularly as status symbols. In Christianity, it is considered a sin if ...

, and that ordinary labor and business should not be conducted on Sunday. Membership in secret societies (such as the

Masonic Lodge A Masonic lodge, often termed a private lodge or constituent lodge, is the basic organisational unit of Freemasonry. It is also commonly used as a term for a building in which such a unit meets. Every new lodge must be warranted or chartered ...

) is forbidden. The ''Calvary Holiness Association'' maintains ''Calvary Holiness Campground'' in

Coffee County, Georgia Coffee County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 43,092, up from 37,413 at the 2010 census. The county seat is Douglas. Coffee County comprises the Douglas, GA ...

south of

Jacksonville Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

. Annual association meetings, youth camps and camp meetings are held at the campground. In 1985 the association was made up of 17 churches with 464 members, in 13 counties in the southern part of the state of Georgia. 27 ordained ministers, 4 licensed ministers, and 4 exhorters were serving these churches.

References

*''Minutes'', Calvary Holiness Association, Inc., 1985 Holiness organizations established in the 20th century Baptist denominations established in the 20th century Holiness denominations