Church, community and family members gathered at Westmont Baptist Church, Birmingham, the first three Sundays in November to celebrate. Their “Golden Celebration” culminated Nov. 22, the 50th anniversary of the church’s founding.
Several special presentations were made to Westmont Baptist, including ones from the Alabama Baptist Historical Commission, Birmingham Baptist Association and the governor’s office.
“It was really good to see people that started this church together come back,” Pastor C.B. Scott said. “I was thankful to get to be a part of this in this time of my life with Westmont Baptist Church.”
Noting that most of the church’s baptisms in the last two years have come as a result of Sunday School, Scott added, “The church started as a Sunday School church, and 50 years later, they are still doing what worked for them back then.”
Following the Nov. 1 service, church members took time for a celebration walk to the home of church members Orville and Doris Gaye, where the congregation began meeting in 1959. In 1961, the church built its first building, which serves as the sanctuary today.
Speakers throughout the four-week celebration were Benny Jackson of the Benny Jackson Evangelistic Association; Mark Gallups, director of missions for Marion Baptist Association; Stan Prewett, chaplain at Alabama Regional Hospice in Birmingham; Bill Jackson, a retired pastor now serving as an interim pastor; and Billy Duncan, pastor of Beallwood Baptist Church, Columbus, Ga.
Claiming for the celebration Psalm 102:18 — “Let this be written for future generations that a people not yet created will praise the Lord” — Scott said he looks forward to the ministry the church will carry out in the coming years.
“If this church is going to meet the challenge of a transitioning community, it’s going to have to approach it with the same gospel that the church was birthed on, because the gospel transcends all generations,” Scott said.
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