James Claude grimes was born August 9th, 1884 in Coweta County nine miles
west of the city of Newnan, Georgia. His boyhood days were spent on the farm
doing the real work of the farm and attending a small country school a few
months each year. In his early manhood he felt the call of God to preach the
Gospel of His Son, Jesus Christ. He, being a very timid and ignorant boy
refrained from yielding to this call until he could do so no longer. After
making a public announcement of his call and preaching his first sermon in old
Elim Baptist Church, where he had grown up, he entered Locust Grove Institute,
Locust Grove, Georgia, in the fall of 1905, to prepare himself for college.
After two years at Locust Grove he was called in 1907 to four country churches
and was ordained to the full work of a Gospel minister in December. In addition
to his work as pastor he taught schools to help pay expenses incurred while in
college. He matriculated at Mercer University in the fall of 1909. After much
self-denial and sacrifice he was rewarded with a diploma from Mercer in 1913.
While a student at Mercer he served churches, among which were the Baptist
Church at Milner, Georgia, Union Church, St. Marks, Georgia and Mountville
Baptist Church, Mountville, Georgia.
While pastor of the last named church he met the young lady, Miss Ruth Bird, who
later became his wife.
After graduating from Mercer he spent several months on the farm with his
parents and serving churches. In June 1914 he accepted a call to the First
Baptist Church, Boston, Georgia and began his ministry there. In October 1914 he
returned to Mountville and married. He and his bride established their first
home in Boston and there their only child, Esther Jane Grimes, was born July 3,
1916.
In November 1918 he resigned the pastorate in Boston and went under the
direction of the State Mission Board to organize a church and erect a building,
which is now known as Norwich Street Baptist Church, Brunswick, Georgia.
Two years later he was called to the Brinson Baptist Church, Brinson, Georgia
where for two years he served Brinson and a number of nearby churches, being
pastor of six churches at one time.
In 1923 he was called to the Colquitt Baptist Church; where for two years he
served Colquitt as a full time church and four other nearby churches on Sunday
afternoons.
In 1925 he was called to the Shellman Baptist Church and he began his ministry
in April. Soon he had been called to four other nearby churches for Saturday
morning and Sunday afternoon services. These churches, Elim, Carnegie,
Friendship and Rehoboth he now serves in addition to his work in Shellman.
Brother Grimes is a strong, forceful preacher, a splendid pastor and is much
beloved by his churches.
This file contributed by:
Charlene Parker
<laurel43@bellsouth.net> Sep 2002
Tuesday, April 22, 2025