Ensley Baptist Church closes after 105 years

Ensley Baptist Church closes after 105 years

After 105 years of ministry, Ensley Baptist Church has closed its doors, but its legacy will live on, members say.

Earlier this summer, the Birmingham Baptist Association church, which held its final service Sept. 25, decided to close and sell its building to Abyssinia Missionary Baptist Church, another Baptist church in Ensley that needed to expand its facilities.

The two congregations met in a joint service Oct. 2, marking the end of one era and the beginning of another. “In a way, it’s sad, but in another way, it makes me rejoice because someone’s there that can continue the ministry,” said Ensley Baptist pastor Roy Morgan.

He said in recent years, the church’s membership has dwindled to 32 faithful meeting weekly in a sanctuary that seats around 1,500. Only 13 of those live in the Ensley area, Morgan noted.

Betty Wallis, who has been a member of Ensley since 1936, attributed the church’s decline to changing dynamics in the neighborhood over the past few decades.

“When the freeway came through, a lot of our families had to relocate,” she said of Interstate 20/59.

“And then when the steel mill closed, people left. We’ve run out of manpower to do what needs to be done here,” said Wallis, a resident of Pleasant Grove who served as the church’s education secretary for more than 20 years.

Church secretary Jane Bryant, a lifelong member, said a lack of younger members also signaled the church’s end.

“It’s sad but it’s what we needed to do. We have an old congregation and don’t have the people or the finances to carry on,” Bryant said.

According to church records, Ensley started as a church plant through the Church Extension Society of the Birmingham Association in 1898, when the area was developing. On Feb. 11, 1900, a meeting to constitute the church was held, and within a year, the church had a full-time pastor and had started construction on a building.

“We’re in the process of sending our records to the archives at Samford (University), where they will put the information on microfiche and preserve it,” Bryant said. “There is a lot of history with this church.”

Wallis said she is proud of the work former and current members of the church have contributed over the years.

“We’ve been so blessed,” she said. “There’s a great legacy here.”

Bryant added that the church has made an impact locally and nationally.

“We have missionaries all over the U.S. because at one time, they were members of this church,” she said. “We call everybody who left here a missionary because they are out there serving.”

The church is determined to continue that impact by placing the money from the sale of the building in an endowment managed by The Baptist Foundation of Alabama. The interest will go to help several charities in the state, the majority of which are Southern Baptist entities, according to Ensley deacon Clyde Flynn.

Although the members are looking to relocate to churches closer to their homes, Morgan said they still plan to meet once a month for fellowship at a local restaurant.

For Morgan, the relocation means an end to full-time pastorates, but he plans to supply preach as needed.

Even though his 81 years and his health contributed to his decision, he said, “I still want to serve the Lord in some capacity.”

Morgan said he also plans to stay in touch with the new church that will meet within the walls of Ensley Baptist. “We’re expecting great things from the new church and we’re praying for them,” he said.