On Sept. 23, Hunter Street Baptist Church in Birmingham Baptist Association celebrated 20 years of ministry in Hoover with a day of praise and the dedication of a 50-year time capsule.
In January, Hunter Street Baptist celebrated 100 years since its founding in Birmingham’s West End community. During preparations for that ceremony, a time capsule from 1957 and two cornerstones were retrieved from the site of the former Hunter Street location, now Sardis Baptist Church, also in Birmingham Association. The contents of the capsule were revealed during the centennial celebration.
The 2057 time capsule contains the 1957 capsule contents, commemorative items from the centennial celebration, a Sept. 23 edition of The Birmingham News, membership data, photos, the Bible from which Pastor Buddy Gray preached Sept. 23 and more. There will also be hundreds of letters of encouragement from current Hunter Street members written to members 50 years from now.
“Think of the impact such a letter could have on a child 50 years from now, who will read a parent’s or grandparent’s letter that gives testimony to the power of Jesus Christ and His church,” Gray said.
The stainless-steel capsule, measuring 16-by-16-by-30 inches, will eventually be placed in the floor of the atrium of the church.
In 1987, the 220 members of Hunter Street voted to sell the West End facilities and buy 11 acres of land on state Highway 150 in Hoover. Gray had been pastor for one year.
On Easter 1989, the church dedicated its first Hoover worship center with 300 people attending. Hunter Street has since grown to 6,369 members with a 45-acre campus. Subsequent building programs have added a new worship center, a Recreation Outreach Center, educational space and Legacy Park recreation complex in Bessemer.
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