When I moved to Cartersville in 1996, I don’t think the downtown area had a single bar. As I recall, there was an ordinance about not serving alcohol within so many feet of a church. At that time, Tabernacle Baptist, Gilmer Street Baptist, First Baptist, Sam Jones Memorial United Methodist, First Presbyterian, the Church of the Ascension were all downtown. That didn’t leave a lot of room for bars. When Appalachian Grill opened up under the bridge, there was some controversy as to whether or not it was okay for it to sell glasses of wine so close to Tabernacle.
Things have changed.
Of the three Baptist churches mentioned above, only Tabernacle remains in the downtown area. There are now quite a few bars and eateries which feature bar service in the downtown area. In fact, there are so many drinking establishments that the Downtown Devlopement Authority (DDA) can sponsor a Pub Crawl through downtown Cartersville on September 14th and 15th..
Some might call that progress. This Baptist doesn’t see it that way. Bartow County is 80% unchurched. While consuming alcohol isn’t a sin, many Baptist churches in the area forbid their members from consuming or selling beverage alcohol. It appears that church membership is trending downward while the frequenting of bars is trending upward, so much so that the DDA is putting on an event promoting drunkness (sober people don’t have to crawl). The residents of Cartersville, Georiga would do well to reconsider what they are doing on their Saturday nights and Sunday mornings.
*Please note that the preceding is my personal opinion. It is not necessarily the opinion of any entity by which I am employed, any church at which I am a member, any church which I attend, or the educational institution at which I am enrolled. Any copyrighted material displayed or referenced is done under the doctrine of fair use.
Seth Dunn 