The Rev. Dr. Bill Coates, senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Gainesville on Green Street, was awarded the Louie D. Newton Award for Service on Aug. 18 by Mercer University. The award was given at the Founders Day convocation for the James and Carolyn McAfee School of Theology on the university’s Atlanta campus. Coates, a native of South Carolina, is a current member of the university’s Board of Trustees and a life member of the Mercer President’s Club.