Max Snell — a member of Bay Springs Baptist Church, Dothan, for more than 50 years — may never forget the lesson learned during one building project of the church.
“We solicited money from outside the church,” Snell said.
During the construction, the top of the church sagged and cables had to be used to hold up the roof.
“Then, termites ate the floor. During a service, the association director (who was delivering a sermon) fell through the floor. We learned a lesson. The Lord had a way for us to lead the church,” Snell said, explaining that construction and funding should have been handled by the church.
And as this church in Columbia Baptist Association makes plans for a new Family Life Center, the intent is to do things a little differently this time around.
On Oct. 5, as the church celebrated its 125th anniversary, a record-breaking special offering was collected to go toward construction of the new building.
That day, “we raised $101,836.59. That was the largest-ever offering the church has taken up,” Pastor Scott Wyatt said.
Other highlights of the anniversary celebration included a sermon delivered by Coley Holloway, a former pastor of Bay Springs, and special music by Bay Springs Quartet. Lonette Berg, executive director of the Alabama Baptist Historical Commission, presented the church with a plaque recognizing its 125 years.
The church was founded in 1883 by Silas Williford and two families. Williford became Bay Springs’ first pastor. At first, the church met in a schoolhouse. Then in 1900, it moved into its own facility. In 1967, Bay Springs relocated across the street to its current location.
The church has continued to grow and, today, has 220 active members.
Wyatt credits the church families and the staff for Bay Spring’s growth and impact.
“Bay Springs is the best kept secret of Dothan, Alabama, because it’s so far out west of Dothan that people who have lived here all their lives haven’t even heard of (it),” he said. “It is a sweet atmosphere.”
Snell agrees that the members are what make the church special.
“I honestly think the people, with the Lord’s help, make Bay Springs a place (where) people want to stay. We’ve got a spirit of the Lord in our church that makes people not want to leave,” he said.
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