Sid Nichols, retired Alabama Baptist pastor and director of missions, died today (Dec. 28). He served 30 years as a pastor then 15 as director of missions for Calhoun Baptist Association before retiring from full-time ministry in 2016.
Don Johnson’s 71 years of ministry included 27 years at Tuskegee Lee Association — he retired as director of missions in 2006. He died Dec. 17.
Brenda Lovelady Spahn, who founded The Lovelady Center in Birmingham 20 years ago, died Dec. 18. She was 75. More than 19,600 women have come through the program she started in 2004.
Lee Allen, who served as a history professor at Samford University for 40 years, died Dec. 16. During his time at Samford, he was a prolific writer, particularly of Baptist history. He was also named Life Deacon at Mountain Brook Baptist.
Chette Williams, a longtime Auburn University football chaplain, died Dec. 15 after falling into the water at Lake Martin while getting off his pontoon boat.
Jack Kinley, who served more than 64 years as a pastor, died Nov. 24. Later in life after losing most of his sight, Kinley started Vision Tape Ministry, which distributed Christian materials to visually impaired people around the world.
Elwood Sims — who served in pastoral ministry for 70 years, including 40 years at New Bethel Baptist Church in Braggs — died Oct. 15. He was 92.
Ron Butler – who died Oct. 29 – retired in May after 44 years of serving churches in Alabama, Florida and Mississippi. He served as pastor of Pine Level Baptist in Chatom and Spice Pond Baptist in Eight Mile.
Our mission is to serve the Church through trustworthy journalism.
As a nonprofit Christian news ministry, we seek to provide grace-filled, trustworthy reporting from a Christian worldview while keeping our content freely accessible online.
Support from readers and ministry partners allows us to continue equipping churches, informing individuals, and providing ministry resources at affordable rates. Would you prayerfully consider supporting this work?
