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Editor’s Note: This feature originally ran on February 26, 2025 in the 2025 Progress edition (Chambers County Is…). The Progress edition is a publication produced annually by the Valley Times News. If you would like to pick up a copy of the 2025 Progress edition, please visit our office at 4002 20th Ave Suite E in Valley.

In the midst of a global pandemic, Kelsey Barnes was assigned to a double charge; to serve as the Reverend for not one but two churches in Chambers County. 

Goodsell United Methodist in Lanett and Powell Chapel United Methodist in LaFayette are two of the county’s historic churches. Every Sunday, Barnes gives his first sermon in Lanett on Eastern time, then drives 12 miles down the road and does it all again with a whole new sermon. 

Though it can be demanding, Barnes said it is a calling that he is glad to do. 

“It’s really rewarding work, because both churches are historic in nature, and they both have great people that I serve,” Barnes said. He praised the communities as containing fabulous people that are a pleasure to serve. 

But unlike some preachers, the job doesn’t stop there for Barnes. He wants to be known for more than just the Sunday morning service and often spends time in the local school systems. 

It’s not uncommon for families to see “Pastor Barnes” at sporting events and community events in both communities. 

Though Barnes is from Five Points in the northeastern part of the county, he has found a home in Lanett and LaFayette. What makes it special, Barnes said, are “the possibilities to be found here.”

Barnes said where others may see problems, he sees opportunities for growth and support in the rural community. 

“Here I find home with the poor, the oppressed, the marginalized, with the widows and the orphans and the incarcerated, and I believe that it is part of my calling. I didn’t choose this as a career path,” Barnes said. “I wouldn’t do it if it was a career, but it is a calling, and to show the love and compassion of Jesus Christ in those areas, in the underserved areas, is my calling, and it’s a charge I have to keep, and a god to glorify.”

Barnes said he had to give credit to his wife Teri Barnes for helping him be capable of devoting so much time to the community.

“She sacrifices so much of our time, in that she allows me to go out and to minister and to be in all of these other areas,” Barnes said. “So I love her for that, and I appreciate her for that. I couldn’t do and be me in the community without her okaying it and supporting me in it.”

Barnes isn’t just present but active in organizing community service. His nonprofit #Limitless works to help thread unity into the fabric of Chambers County, sewing the two sides of the county together as its motto, “strength woven in,” states. 

In fact, that strength is most exemplified through the county’s rich and protected history. On a tour of the county, Barnes’ first stop would be to visit some of its most historic churches. Goodsell United Methodist, where he preaches, was first built by formerly enslaved people in 1866, the same year that the Civil Rights Act defined and protected the rights of African American citizens. 

Though the original building was damaged in a flood from the nearby Chattahoochee River and West Point Lake, some of the original brick-and-mortar still survives, according to Barnes. 

“This church, and many of the churches, have been so resilient through the test of time and racism and bias and all of those other challenges that the world has faced,” Barnes said. 

Barnes said he would also visit the Circle of Care to highlight the many programs that the organization provides to families. His next stop would be to the Lanett Senior Center, where director Sandra Thornton is always planning an event. 

One of the people in the community that Barnes himself looks up to as a good representative of the community is Lanett Mayor Jamie Heard, who serves on many committees and as a part of the board of directors for organizations such as Circle of Care. 

“Just to be around him and see how he exemplifies leadership and integrity and love of community, he is definitely a model,” Barnes said. 

Other community members that Barnes crosses paths with in LaFayette are Fire Chief Jim Doody and Equitable Neighborhood Initiative Community Liaison Adrian Holloway. Both are active in LaFayette, volunteering for health and community events. 

As much as he’s done in the past five years, Barnes is not done yet. He recently joined the inaugural class of Leadership Chambers County, a program sponsored by the Chambers County Development Authority. 

Looking five to ten years into the future, Barnes hopes to see more unity in the community, which he works toward through #Limitless.