Spring Hill Baptist Church in Mobile has found a way forward through a problem many Alabama Baptist churches are facing: how to not merely repair deteriorating buildings but reactivate them for future ministry.
The chapel at Spring Hill is one of five houses of worship in Mobile designed by architect Thomas Cooper Van Antwerp, who followed the examples of Frank Lloyd Wright to establish a new Gulf Coast style in the mid-20th Century.
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Spring Hill’s chapel opened in 1957 and served as the primary worship space for two decades, “the first place that the church really grew,” said Jason Pedersen, Spring Hill’s business administrator and minister of adult education.
When a larger sanctuary was built in 1977, the more intimate chapel became a place for smaller gatherings such as weddings, funerals and Sunday school classes. Years of water intrusion plagued the space, however, and there was never an easy answer for how to repair it for ongoing use.
The chapel has been closed for about seven years, and a younger church member commented, “It’s always been closed,” acknowledging that a building that held so many key memories for previous generations is completely unknown to their descendants.
“Our current generations are missing the significance of it, the spiritual formation that happened there,” Pedersen said. “They’re missing that, and we don’t want that to happen any longer.”
A contemporary service has been meeting in the church’s dining hall for a decade, and that was never intended to be a permanent worship venue, Pedersen said.
Needing to act
Years of studying the problem and possible solutions led the church to realize they needed to act or they would lose the historic chapel and tremendous ministry potential. Doing nothing would not be neutral, and if they settled for temporary fixes, they would spend those dollars again.
“Let’s just say we would have a big problem if we tore down the building,” Pedersen said. “Our older folks absolutely love it, and they had baptisms and salvation stories and weddings and funerals and choir rehearsals.
“It was a place of significant ministry milestones for so many people, and they love it. They cherish it, and they’re eager to get it back and put it back to work.”
In April of last year, Pedersen received permission from the church’s leadership to begin studying the chapel again. This past May, the church overwhelmingly approved a plan to renovate the chapel and upgrade aging HVAC systems across the campus.
To cover the cost, the church will rely on cash reserves built by years of faithful giving as well as a capital campaign launching in October.
About 700 people attend Spring Hill’s two services now, including 240 to 280 in the contemporary service with 300 chairs in the dining hall. After the chapel is gutted and rebuilt, it will accommodate about 450 people for that service.
Looking ahead
Plans for the new chapel, which is expected to open by next Easter, include chairs that can be moved out to make space for various kinds of activities in a clean, updated environment. The space is “likely going to be a workhorse on the weekends and during the week for many different ministries,” Pedersen said.
“Since its founding in 1949, Spring Hill Baptist Church has faithfully proclaimed the gospel, made disciples and served the Mobile community,” Pedersen said. “Throughout our history, one question has guided each generation: How do we make space for the people of God?”
The congregation first gathered in a home before members built a simple concrete block chapel with their own hands. Then came the chapel designed by Van Antwerp, making this project “both a restoration of an important ministry space and the preservation of a meaningful part of Mobile’s architectural heritage,” Pedersen said.
“Our desire is to restore this historic space so future generations can hear the gospel, worship Christ, grow as disciples and declare God’s mighty works.”
As other Alabama church leaders grapple with similar building challenges, Pedersen welcomes conversations. Contact him at jpedersen@shbc.cc.
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