Having grown up near Pickens County as a child, Lonnie Hinton Jr. was returning to his roots when he moved back there about a year ago. But he never dreamed he’d be planting new ones.
Shortly after returning home, Hinton made contact with Pickens Baptist Association Director of Missions Gary Farley to learn about opportunities for him to join in ministry. But Farley had other ideas.
“He moved back to where his parents are from with a passion for his kin people on one hand but also with a passion to have an African-American church that’s nontraditional and would be open to folks that were coming from other places, a more urban kind of church,” Farley said.
And Farley knew with the prison being built nearby, there would be a lot of people coming in from other places in the coming months to fill the prison’s staff positions.
“We really needed to have a church that would be for folks that didn’t already fit,” Farley said. “You get set in your routines, and we say everyone is welcome, but if you’re going to welcome folks, you really have to work at it. It’s got to be a real lifestyle.”
So Hinton and his wife, Kesha, got to work, visiting homes and schools throughout the region to share Christ and assess needs. They made intentional efforts to plug into the surrounding communities with Lonnie Hinton serving as chaplain for the Pickens County High School football team and a hospital in Carrollton and Kesha Hinton serving as a substitute teacher in New Hope.
And in early summer, Covenant of Peace was born. Initially church services were held in the Hintons’ home but soon moved to the associational office, gathering eight members by transfer of letter and a consistent attendance of 15 to 20.
After a generous couple donated some land in Ethelsville, the church was able to set up a mobile chapel provided by the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions and open its doors for the first time at its Skyline Road address Nov. 8. Although unfinished electrical work caused the 46 attendees to worship in darkness at the 11 a.m. service, Lonnie Hinton, who serves as pastor of the church, was anything but discouraged.
“We may not have had light from these,” he said, pointing to the fluorescent illuminators fastened to the ceiling. “But we had the light of the Father and it was awesome.”
Targeting an eclectic group of people, Lonnie Hinton said the church seeks to do more than just host Sunday and Wednesday services. The plan is to eventually develop a seven-day-a-week church, where ministries like after-school programs, a fund-raising flea market and a day-care center can be carried out each day, he explained.
“I don’t believe church should just be on Sundays and Wednesdays,” he said. “It should have a larger impact on the community.”
He pointed out that Covenant of Peace’s motto is “a church serving Christ, serving the whole community.”
One way it is impacting and serving the community is through the R.A.I.N. (Rural Area Instruction and Nurturing) Program, a ministry outreach for second- through 12th-graders that provides mentoring and tutoring after school Mondays through Wednesdays and cooking classes on Saturdays.
“We’re attempting to be a community-based church, so children can have somewhere in the community to come that’s not in the school setting,” Kesha Hinton said. “And if they’re coming Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, they may try to come on Saturday and Sunday when we can introduce them to Jesus or nurture their relationship.”
Situated about 500 yards from the church building is a small store, which the church uses to host a flea market twice a month and the weekend cooking classes.
The Hintons said they hope to see the ministries continue to grow as they plan to build a more permanent facility within the next 12 to 18 months that can serve as a hub for both weekday and weekend activities.
“The possibilities are endless when we focus on and listen to God and His guidance. … We didn’t come here to be some sort of a savior to the community. We just want to be a part of the community,” Kesha Hinton said.
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