Union Baptist Church on Guinea Road in Hayes will hold its Re-Union Homecoming this Sunday, celebrating 225 years. A full day of service will begin at 10 a.m. with a concert by Streets of Gold Quartet, followed by speakers, special music and the message: Washed, Sanctified and Justified given by former pastor J.D. Moore. A meal will follow at the Abingdon Ruritan Club building, also located on Guinea Road. Union Baptist Church was established in 1801 by a traveling pastor who preached a saved-by-grace, or born again, theology, explained Hamilton Williams, a deacon at Union. The preacher, Iverson Lewis, won over the heavily Anglican area with his kindness and gentleness, and the people in Guinea began to listen to his teachings. The name Union was selected because it was a coming together of the people, Williams said. From 1837 until 1994 Union took on a number of projects to build daughter churches throughout the area. By 1948 the church had outgrown its own facility, and an expansion ...