COLUMBIA COUNTY, Ga. (WJBF)- More than 100 years ago a local church started. And with the help of the community, it continues.

“As one of the seniors of the church, I go back in history. This event started like, back in the 1800s through our ancestors. Our ancestors would get together once a year and that month would always be August,” Dorothy McCladdie said.

Members of Solid Rock Baptist Church filled the lawn at Pine Knolls Farms for their annual Family and Friends Day reunion. It’s a chance to honor their faith in hopes of seeing Jesus Christ one day.

“This down here is more so what we call a dress rehearsal. It’s an opportunity for us to come together, to love one another, fellowship, have plenty of food, activities and just experience one another,” Solid Rock Baptist Church Pastor Larry B. Sims Jr. said.

This year the group had one main message.

“Our theme this year was God’s Family Matter, and that theme came from the book of Hebrew chapter 10 verse 24 through 25. We love fellowshipping and this was a community event,” Co-Chair for Event Tammy Pollard said.

And members such as Dorothy McCladdie who have spent decades at Solid Rock believe their goal is to remind folks why they gather each year.

“They would fix boxes, they would kill chickens, pigs or whatever gift they had to bring, and they would pack it in their wagons or in the trunk of their cars. However way, it was the best that ever happened. And today we celebrate our ancestors from back in the 1800s up until the present.”