Christian City…A City Within A City

Nestled on a 500 acre campus among stately pines and pleasant walkways, sits a beacon of light to many…Christian City. With the humble motto of “Loving people…loving people” Christian City reaches out to young and old and those in-between by providing safe homes to abandoned and abused children, affordable housing to seniors on limited income, as well as providing professional care to those in need of assisted living, nursing and rehabilitation, Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. Additionally, Christian City is a well respected community for active retirees. Seniors can live out their latter years in a secure neighborhood setting with opportunities to participate in fun activities, to make new friends, to attend worship, to do their banking, socializing, and to get involved helping others through volunteer work. Christian City is affectionately referred to as a “City within a City” because of all the conveniences it offers and the strong sense of community that the residents feel.

It all started around a kitchen table. Back in the early 1960’s Ms. Millard Price was looking for a way to provide a safe place for homeless children. She met with her Minister at Southwest Christian church, Jim Dyer, who agreed that this was a worthy endeavor and a calling from God. Others began to get involved and share the vision, especially members from numerous independent Christian Churches throughout Georgia and beyond. Ms. Price offered to bear the cost of the first cottage, and Dr. and Mrs. Byron Harper, Jr., central participants in the visionary team, offered to donate the first 50 acres. The dream was becoming a reality, and the mission was clear: To minister to the needs of families with particular emphasis on children, the aged, and the infirm, by providing residential, health and social services in accordance with the principles of the Christian Faith.

The first of eight cottages opened on Valentine’s Day in 1965 with eight little boys. Full time houseparents provide a nurturing family environment complete with sit down dinners, household responsibilities and traditions that create a sense of belonging. The funds to provide this care are raised through individuals, civic and professional groups, corporate sponsors, and the faith community, along with some support from the Department of Family and Children’s Services. Over the past 43 years, Christian City has been “home” to over 1,000 abandoned, abused, and neglected children. Licensed for up to 64 children, Christian City also provides foster care placement with well qualified Christian families.

A few years following completion of the Home for Children, construction began on hundreds of patio homes for active seniors followed by nearly 300 apartments for seniors on limited incomes.

As the needs of the residents continued to grow, so did Christian City! It was a natural progression to begin construction of an assisted living facility, a skilled nursing facility and rehabilitation center, and eventually a full continuum of care for the aging all on one campus.

At Christian City, the “future is now” and the needs of many are at our doorstep. A brand new state-of-the-art Children’s Village will be completed this summer. When the original children’s cottages are vacated, they will be renovated to make room for a new ministry for developmentally disabled “adult” children.

Over the past 43 years, Christian City’s campus has grown from 50 acres down a quiet country road, to 500 acres bustling with life and filled with hope for over 1,000 residents. The dreamers keep dreaming… and God keeps providing.

Christian City is a nonprofit, nondenominational organization. For more information, please visit our website at http://www.christiancity.org/ or call at 770-703-2636.