Clinton’s Bullock constructs homes as well as sermons

Charlie Bullock is a modern renaissance man. He not only constructs weekly sermons at Clinton Baptist Church, Eutaw, he also preserves stately antebellum homes and performs living history in clothing from the 1800s.
   
Bullock’s company, U.S. Commercial Contracting, is a historical restoration company that is known throughout the United States for its quality work in preserving historic churches and buildings. Bullock firmly believes his work has a spiritual purpose.
   
“We need these buildings to remind us to get back to the basics,” he said. “There are many of the older churches that are in good shape, and could still be used. Community churches are important in rural areas. We came from small congregations, and we should remember our spiritual background.” 
   
Robert Gamble, state architectural historian for the Alabama Historical Commission, says Bullock’s contribution has proven him one of the premier restoration contractors in the state.
   
“I didn’t realize for a long time that Charlie was a minister,” Gamble said. “That may explain his attitude, for he treats his historic preservation efforts as if they were a true calling. I have never heard him preach, but seeing the respect with which Charlie treats his fellow man and the care and concern he brings to his preservation projects is a sermon in itself.”
   
Bullock and his wife, Jan, even restored their own home, Twin Oaks, an antebellum building with white columns and antique furnishings. The Bullocks are originally from Ohio, but after coming South on business they decided to stay. Captain Nathan Carpenter, once a deacon at Clinton Baptist, built Twin Oaks in 1853, and the Bullocks began its restoration in 1995.
   
Ed Hooker, president of Alabama Preservation Alliance, has worked with Bullock on “Places in Peril: Alabama’s Most Endangered Historic Places.”
   
“Charlie has been instrumental in restoring several of Alabama’s important historic religious structures, including the Pleasant Hill Presbyterian Church in Dallas County,” Hooker said. “Charlie’s involvement with Clinton Baptist Church has not only rescued an important historic building, but has on a higher level renewed a religious presence in the area.”
   
Not content to rest there, the Bullocks also minister through giving living history presentations to schoolchildren and other groups.
   
Jan also serves as historian for the Greene County Historical Society.
   
Under Bullock’s ministry, Clinton Baptist now has more than 60 people in attendance. He believes God spared his life for a chance to serve as pastor and build a Christian school at Clinton.
   
“I was scheduled to go with my dad on a contracting job, and my pastor reminded me of an important meeting at church,” Bullock said.
   
“I told Dad I would be there later. His helicopter crashed and Dad was killed instantly. I believe God spared me for his service.”