FBC Bayou La Batre celebrates 125th anniversary

God left us here for a reason through the storm,” said Derrall Marshall, pastor of First Baptist Church, Bayou La Batre — and the church is ready, he added, to spend its next 125 years living up to that mandate.
   
The Mobile Baptist Association church marked its 125th anniversary Oct. 8, just a little more than a month after rededicating its sanctuary, which received a $250,000 face-lift after sustaining major damage during Hurricane Katrina last year.
   
First, Bayou La Batre, was full for the celebration service, during which former pastor Garry Harred brought the message. After dinner on the grounds, the crowd reassembled in the sanctuary and former staff and those from the church who have been called into the ministry shared testimonies.
   
“The anniversary was a day full of celebration and challenging the folks of the church not only to look back to the past and celebrate but also look to the future and see what God has in store for us,” Marshall said. (TAB)