Byne Memorial Baptist Church was constituted on January 24, 1910 in a chapel on the corner of North Washington Street and Second Avenue in Albany , Georgia , and was known as Byneville Mission.  There were 33 charter members who adopted the New Testament as their guide in Faith and Conduct, and pledged their allegiance to Almighty God.  The Baptist Church Covenant was also adopted.  After a few months in the chapel, a lot was purchased at Society and North Jackson Streets.  A tent was used until the new church building was completed.  This building came as a gift from Mrs. G. M. Byne and her daughter, Mary Lou, in memory of their husband and father, Mr. G. M. Byne.

 
The organizing presbytery was composed of two ministers, Rev. O. T. Moncrief and Rev. Bryson Collier, and two deacons, Mr. E. R. West and Mr. J. S. Crews.  Rev. Moncrief was called as the first pastor.  Sunday School was first held in the afternoon and later changed to Sunday morning.  A Baptist Young People’s Union was soon organized along with Cradle Roll Work (ministering in the homes of new babies).  In 1913, the Woman’s Missionary Union was started.

In 1920, a Church Choir was organized.  In 1923, a lot was purchased at First Avenue and Jackson Streets where a pastorium was built.  The first educational worker was employed in March 1926, and in the summer of the same year, Byne held its first day Vacation Bible School Byne continued to grow…the White Building was built in 1928, and church membership reached 549 in 1931.  In June of 1932, a Finance Committee was elected and a definite budget was adopted.

 

In February of 1934, a mission was started in the Cotton Mill Village , which was to become the Tabernacle Baptist Church .

 

In 1945, the church purchased a house north of the White Building and enlarged the Sunday School space.  An organ was purchased in 1948 for the Church Sanctuary. 

 God continued to bless and more space was needed.  On January 30, 1952, Mrs. A. W. Barrett, the former Mary Lou Byne, broke ground for a new Education Building , which faces North Jackson Street.  The dedication of this building, costing $114,000, was held on November 23, 1952.

 

In 1954, Byne organized a mission in the Five Points area which was to become the Sunnyside Baptist Church .  A new pastorium was built in 1953 at 1149 Benjamin Avenue.  In 1965 a new sanctuary was build, and it was dedicated on February 6, 1966.

 
Rev. E. A. Abbott came as our pastor in summer of 1966.  A bus ministry was begun, library enlarged, and music ministry expanded to include choirs for all ages.  The Family Life Center was occupied in 1979.

 
Dr. Michael McBride was called as pastor in September 1979.  Two additional pieces of property were added to the main facility.  Byne Memorial Baptist School opened in 1983, with grades Kindergarten through twelfth.

A cooperative ministry with five of the downtown churches opened the Albany Outreach Center in 1985.  Three more pieces of property have been added. 

Dr. William T. Higgins came as pastor in January 1987.  The Sunday School enrollment was 1350 and church membership was 1975.  The budget provided for five ministers and approximately 110 supporting staff.

 
The 1991 church complex included a two-story sanctuary, a three-story education building, a three room “school house,” and three dwellings, all situated on 7.5 acres and appraised at two million dollars.  The church owns a 21-acre site on the Liberty Expressway in Albany and a 10-acre site on Interstate Highway 75 in Tifton.  The church was debt-free.  Fiscal year 1990-91 ended with a balanced budget, approximately $150,000 in its checking account, and savings totaling approximately $250,000.

 

Dr. C. Michael Gravette, Sr. came as pastor in 1992, and led the church in the relocation process to the Ledo property. The first church service at the new loaction took place in July of 1997. Three phases of building are now complete and the school was able to relocated to the Ledo campus in the 2006. The old church property was sold to Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital.

  

Dr. William H. Sims III was called as pastor in 2005. The next year a Family Life Center was constructed at the Ledo campus in an attempt to reach more young families for Christ. In 2007 the church hired its first Director of Recreational Outreach.

 

The church celebrated 10 years at the new Ledo campus in July of 2007. The church stands poised to reach the people of Albany and Lee County for many years  to come.