Collinsville Baptist celebrates 175th anniversary

Several months of preparation went into the 175th anniversary of Collinsville Baptist Church celebrated Aug. 11–12.

Nine church anniversary committee members, including Jennifer Wilkins, worked countless hours to help the event come to fruition, send out formal invitations and compile and print a church history book for attendees.

“Several decades of bulletins had been saved,” Wilkins said. “We put them together and pulled out excerpts from … church newsletters. We searched (through) many records we had in minutes and annual reports at the [Alabama Baptist Historical Commission] and included a lot of pictures.”

More than 200 people attended the Aug. 12 celebration and were given a book, according to Collinsville Baptist Pastor John E. Morgan, while more than 100 attended a casual reception Aug. 11.

During the two-hour service Aug. 12 there was “lots of special music,” Morgan said. Former pastor Fred Grissom presented a message based around his experience at Collinsville and how he was blessed by how gracious the church, his first pastorate, had been and how members had provided him with valuable guidance. 

Alabama Baptist Historical Commission representative Wendell Dutton presented the DeKalb Baptist Association church with a certificate commemorating its 175 years. 

Before a covered-dish lunch and fellowship, attendees stood outside the church for a group picture. 

To conclude the event the children were invited to the front of the sanctuary to lead the congregation in singing “Jesus Loves Me.”

Wilkins said she felt as though the Holy Spirit was moving in and throughout the entire weekend. 

“(The anniversary celebration was) a major event in my life that I will always look back on in a positive way,” she said.

Morgan said he hopes the church will continue to fulfill the anniversary’s theme and be “A Light on a Hill” to the community.

“[I hope that] we would live (as) Jesus said in Matthew 5 about being a light … and that we would work to always build everything we do on Jesus as our foundation,” Morgan said.