When nine churches in Birmingham Baptist Association came together March 16 for a musical worship program, cooperation wasn’t the problem. The problem was figuring out where to put everyone.
Ron Pate, pastor of Hilldale Baptist Church, Center Point, initially planned the program with George Weeks, Hilldale Baptist’s minister of worship.
Then Pate asked four churches — Centercrest Baptist, Center Point; First Baptist, Center Point; First Baptist, Chalkville, in Birmingham; and First Baptist, Pinson — which meet with his congregation for evening worship each July, about their interest in participating in the program.
Not only were they interested but four other churches in the northeast Birmingham area — Eastside Baptist, Huffman Baptist, McElwain Baptist and Ridgecrest Baptist — also expressed an interest when they learned about the program. The nine churches were joined by three members of Gardendale’s First Baptist Church, who were part of the 15-piece orchestra.
The combined congregations — which provided a combined choir of more than 150 — meant there would be a large number of church members attending, and Pate wanted the program to also be an outreach event to nonchurch members. He and other pastors worried that Hilldale, which seats 750, would not be large enough and considered using Huffman Baptist, which seats 1,000. But as church members began to invite family and friends, the pastors soon realized Huffman Baptist also wasn’t large enough.
That’s when they turned to the largest church in the area, Cathedral of the Cross, an Assembly of God congregation.
Hopes for a large turnout were realized, with approximately 4,000 showing up for the program in a sanctuary that seats more than 7,000. Springdale and Brewster Road Baptist churches, both in Birmingham, cancelled their evening services and encouraged their members to attend the program.
Pate said the total eclipsed the combined Sunday morning attendance of the nine churches, which is 2,500.
“I think the community responded extremely well,” he said. “The worship experience was wonderful.”
Pate said though he didn’t necessarily intend for the program, held on Palm Sunday, to be an Easter musical, it offered the same message of hope.
The program, “3:16: The Numbers of Hope,” is based on the book by Christian author Max Lucado, which discusses how 9/11 has come to represent numbers of defeat and fear but the numbers of hope are all wrapped up in John 3:16.
Pate pointed out that March 16 was also 3/16.
Judy Marsh, a member of Eastside, said she enjoyed seeing her congregation cooperating with the other churches on the program. “It was very inspirational,” she said. “It was really special to see how the churches worked together.”
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