At Northbrook Baptist Church, Cullman, there are a lot of baptisms.
But members of the congregation, led by Pastor Steve Britt, will quickly tell you that some of the most special baptism services of all take place outside the walls of Northbrook Baptist and inside the walls of a nearby prison.
Every week, women from the church visit Cullman County Detention Center to lead Bible study, according to Dorothy Frady, Northbrook’s director of education ministries. Throughout the week, they write letters to the inmates and pray for them.
And many receive Christ as Savior, Frady said. “I believe God honors the prayers and ministry of the ladies in the church. We have been ministering there for a decade.”
The inmates are baptized into the church in long washtubs, and when they emerge from the water and from the prison, oftentimes they become an active part of Northbrook.
“The baptisms are a very moving experience, and the life that follows is wonderful, too,” Frady said. “There are so many (inmates who are baptized) who have gotten out, been to rehab, come home and are attending church and doing great.”
Northbrook was one of 14 Alabama Baptist churches and about 200 congregations nationwide recognized recently by LifeWay Christian Resources for leading the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) in baptisms in 2006.
The churches — from 25 states — account for 47,195, or 13 percent, of all SBC baptisms in 2006. The two categories were total baptisms and baptisms by churches with 400 or less in worship attendance.
Florida led all states, with 39 churches that made one or both lists.
Seven Alabama churches made the list of top churches in total baptisms:
- CrossPoint Community, Gadsden, with 208 baptisms;
- Hill Crest Baptist, Anniston, with 172 baptisms;
- Gardendale’s First Baptist with 172 baptisms;
- Whitesburg Baptist, Huntsville, with 168 baptisms;
- Vaughn Forest Baptist, Montgomery, with 164 baptisms;
- Northbrook Baptist, Cullman, with 159 baptisms; and
- Cottage Hill Baptist, Mobile, with 156 baptisms.
Four churches in the list baptized more than 1,000, and two baptized more than 2,000.
Seven other state Baptist churches made the list of top baptizing churches with 400 or fewer in worship:
- Mount Mariah Missionary Baptist, Birmingham, with 77 baptisms;
- Hepzibah Baptist, McCalla, with 74 baptisms;
- Sharon Heights Baptist, Birmingham, with 63 baptisms;
- Salem Baptist, Enterprise, with 58 baptisms;
- Southside Baptist, Opp, with 55 baptisms;
- Memphis Baptist, Dothan, with 53 baptisms; and
- First Baptist, Slocomb, with 52 baptisms.
Tommy Fountain, pastor of Southside, said the recognition was a “great honor” for his congregation.
“After 15 years of steady decline, in the last two years, our church got on board with evangelism. People got excited about weekly visitation,” he said.
Southside and the other churches were encouraged in their efforts at a recognition luncheon held by LifeWay’s pastoral ministries department June 11 in conjunction with the SBC annual meeting in San Antonio.
“I’m moved knowing that there are thousands of people out there who have recently come to Christ because of all you’ve done to do the work of an evangelist,” Tom Hellams, LifeWay’s vice president of executive communications and relations, said to the pastors gathered at the luncheon. (TAB, BP)
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