Whitley Fleming, a member of Westmeade Baptist Church, Decatur, was presented the 2008 Hosea Holcombe High School Research and Writing Award for her essay, “Westmeade Baptist Church: Years Past and Present,” during the report of the Alabama Baptist Historical Commission (ABHC).
Lonette Berg, ABHC executive director, said the annual writing award is given “to encourage study and writing about Alabama history by young people.” Along with recognition at the state convention, the winner receives a certificate and $300.
“Just take the chance,” Fleming said encouraging other high school students to get involved. “I was encouraged to do it and then I found out I had placed. So it’s worth it and it can even help saving toward your college fund.”
While Berg hopes this award will help preserve Baptist history through young people, she noted this is not the only way.
“We can connect past and present through the microfilming of Alabama Baptist records,” she said, noting that so far in 2008 more than 160,000 pages of Alabama Baptist records have been microfilmed, “but there are hundreds and hundreds of churches whose records are at risk,” she added.
Many times records get lost, thrown away or destroyed, but thanks to the ABHC and microfilming technology, church records can be preserved. The ABHC is available to pick up records, have them microfilmed and return them free of charge.
“[Microfilm] is the gold standard of archival preservation,” she explained. This is done at a Samford University (in Birmingham) laboratory and preserves any documents churches do not want to lose.
“Because of God’s faithfulness to us and the faithfulness of Alabama Baptists in the Cooperative Program, we are able to make sure no Alabama Baptist records are lost anymore,” Berg said. “Let’s partner to be good stewards of the story of what God has done and what He is doing in our families today.” (TAB)
Share with others: