Bibb Association church marks 180 years of service to surrounding rural community

Massive ax-hewn cedar logs cut years ago to support the sanctuary floor of Mount Moriah Baptist Church, West Blocton, still sit each in its place, a visual testimony to the church’s long history.
  
But it’s the stories of people like Thelma Watts that bring that history to life.
  
Watts, church historian and pianist, was saved at 17 during a revival at Mount Moriah Baptist in 1952 and baptized in the small creek behind the church. So for her, gathering her church’s history for its recent 180th anniversary celebration was more like a walk down memory lane.
  
Current and former members and staff celebrated Mount Moriah’s milestone anniversary March 18 with special all-day services.
  
“Hearing about the many memories and the love and faithfulness of the members made the anniversary really special,” said Shane Cochran, who has served as pastor since August 2006.
  
The Bibb Baptist Association church was founded just eight years after Alabama became a state. 
  
Early records that Watts obtained on microfilm at Samford University in Birmingham show Mount Moriah began with “a few scattered members.” 
  
One of those first members, John Goodson, donated about 4.5 acres for the building, and the men of the church used timbers from the land to build the original one-room sanctuary.
  
In the years since, church membership has mimicked the economy of the surrounding rural area as it swelled and decreased, Watts explained. But the good of the community and the “spiritual welfare” of the church and area residents have always been foremost at Mount Moriah, she added.
  
And Cochran and Watts agreed the church’s biggest goal continues to be reaching out in Christian love to the community. 
  
“We have a lot of older folks and a lot of children. We really want to reach out to the young marrieds and to the teenagers in our area,” Watts said. (TAB)