Historical Beginnings
of the Jasper Seventh-day Adventist Church

On May 19, 1987, Leonard Tessier's 65th birthday, Jasper's first pastor decided to retire from the New York Conference of Seventh-day Adventists in Syracuse, NY. For three years Leonard and his wife, Carolyn, had been building their retirement home on a rural mountain lot in Ellijay, Georgia. But when the home was completed and paid for the following year, Leonard got restless to build again, this time a church in a new area. Even though he was head elder, Pathfinder leader and a Sabbath School teacher in Ellijay, Leonard looked at nearby communities for the possibilities of a new outreach. He dismissed Jasper, Blue Ridge was already covered, and Chatsworth wasn't ready yet. Finally, the Tessier's visited Jasper and spoke with a few families and learned that a church had been tried there before and never went anywhere. Then they visited Madora Weems.

After sharing their desire to build up a new congregation and their willingness to use the strength and means that they still had, Madora started to cry. "I've been praying for three years that we could do just what you have outlined. I am with it 100%!" On January 6, 1990 the Jasper group was born. The first meeting was in Madora Weems' home and the building fund started with $25.