Despite bone-chilling winds and soggy, damp days in the Birmingham area over the weekend, Baptists from more than 25 churches reached out to the local communities in a variety of forms.
“The weather hurt us, but we had some really good events,” said Teman Knight, an associate in the office of evangelism at the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions (SBOM). “The volunteers were faithful in everything we did in spite of the weather,” he added.
Knight, who represented the SBOM on the crossover committee, reported 106 professions of faith and more than 100 other decisions. Butch Henderson of the Birmingham Association and Sam Neugent of First Baptist Church, Pelham, chaired the committee.
Crossover Greater Birmingham began in mid-October in Bessemer with a training event and culminated with a block party at Hilldale Baptist Church in Center Point Nov. 17.
“We did things a little differently this year,” Knight said, noting the focus on six associations rather than just the one in which the Alabama Baptist State Convention is held.
This is the third year for crossover in Alabama, which occurs prior to the state convention. The concept is similar to the North American Mission Board’s crossover events.
Targeting Bessemer, Birmingham, Mud Creek, North Jefferson, St. Clair and Shelby associations, Crossover Greater Birmingham volunteers offered a wide range of gifts.
During the “month of crossover,” as Knight called it, 14 block parties took place around the Birmingham area as well as seven prayerwalking events. About 2,500 people attended the block parties, and more than 350 people prayerwalked.
The Nov. 14 block party sponsored by Baptist Campus Ministries (BCM) on the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) campus garnered attention for its inaugural run of the SBOM’s new Block Party Trailer.
Designed by Sammy Gilbreath, director of evangelism for the SBOM, the trailer is the block party host’s dream. It comes fully stocked with block party essentials complete with a 10-by-24-foot stage extension.
“It is designed for block parties and to be flexible,” Gilbreath said, noting Knight will be managing requests for use of the trailer. “From start to finish, the entire trailer can be set up in 40 minutes.”
UAB’s BCM director Bill Morrison was happy to test drive the new trailer.
“It has been a good day,” he said. “We’ve seen a lot of new faces. Our goal [was] to put the gospel in front of students and to demonstrate to the campus and students that we’re here.”
The block party at UAB featured a barbecue lunch, music from the Matt Jackson Band, personal testimonies from students and opportunities to win gifts.
Jennifer Wadsworth, a member of First Baptist Church, Pinson, helped with the BCM event. “The band and the testimonies are helping people understand they can go through anything and God’ll still love them,” she said.
Mello Payne, a UAB senior and member of First Baptist Church, Montevallo, said, “I think it’s great that they’re doing outreach to get more people to come to Christ.”
BCM students from the University of South Alabama and the University of Alabama at Huntsville also participated in crossover block parties and door-to-door surveying.
The surveying took place in nine areas.
Four members of Westwood Baptist Church in Alabaster helped 11 members of Hillview Baptist Church in Birmingham canvas the community around Hillview.
Randy Atkinson, pastor of Hillview, said, “It was a cold, blistering, difficult day, but the teams were determined. We spent several hours out in the community.”
By knocking on 120 doors, the teams from Hillview and Westwood presented the gospel 12 times, Atkinson noted. “We plan to follow up on those 12 presentations.
“Everyone was pleased that we were out in the neighborhood in the [cold] weather and with this kind of concern for the community,” he said.
In the Bessemer Association, more than 5,000 “light bulbs” and gospel tracts were distributed during Crossover Greater Birmingham, Knight noted.
The “light bulb” is really a full-color handout depicting a light bulb and a presentation of the gospel as well as a listing of local church events.
Hilldale Baptist Church and CrossPoint Baptist Church, both in Center Point, also distributed around 5,000 church packets, Knight noted.
The feature presentation of the block party held at the Bessemer Fair Park Arena included a horse and soft-spoken “horse whisperer,” Paul Daily.
Daily, who operates Wild Horse Ministries out of Jena, La., travels the country sharing his testimony in a unique fashion — evidenced by his motto — “As for me and my horse, we will ride for the Lord.”
Daily was provided a three-year-old unbroken stallion for his demonstration by Gilbreath — himself an avid horseman.
While working with the horse during the two-hour presentation, Daily pointed out similarities between man’s relationship with God and a horse’s relationship with his trainer.
The 10 points he illustrated to his audience were: calling, expectation, trust, desire to please, giving full attention, seeking to understand, learning to accept the truth, trials and troubles, accepting and not rebelling, and full release.
At the conclusion of his demonstration, Daily had roped, saddled, ridden and brought the horse to total submission.
Gilbreath said that although the equestrian approach was unusual, he felt it reached a niche, pointing out that people traveled from as far away as east Tennessee, Florence and Gadsden to see Daily.
While the weather affected participation in most of the events, the spirit of those hosting and volunteering did not waver, Knight said.
“Friendships developed in just one day of working together to reach people for Christ,” he said. “I saw volunteers from different parts of the state hugging as they said, ‘Goodbye,’” Knight noted. “We worked across denominational lines with one goal — to reach the state for the gospel.”
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