In Baptist associations across the state, visitors are welcome — but in Blount Baptist Association, they’re doubly so.
Just ask Welcome No. 1 and Welcome No. 2, two Baptist churches that wanted to make sure their signs sent the message loud and clear.
“One of the founders came up with that name — it was originally Second Baptist Pinson,” said James Earl Turner, minister of music and chairman of the deacons at Welcome No. 2 in Pinson. “We just wanted to welcome everybody and wanted everybody to feel welcome.”
Has the church achieved that goal? According to Turner, “Oh yes — it’s a really friendly place.”
Some nights there are testimony services, and anyone is welcome to give a testimony.
“On the fourth Sunday night of the month, we have a singing, and if you want to lead a song, you can lead a song,” he said.
As a result of its atmosphere, the church has steady growth, Turner said. And according to Benny Posey, church clerk of Welcome No. 1 in Blountsville, the same is true of his congregation.
“I was small back when it was organized, so I don’t remember why they named it that,” he said of the 1942 name-choosing and church-organizing meeting. “But it’s still growing today.”
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