ETOWAH ASSOCIATION
Pastor Joey Hanner says his main thought when he looks back over the past decade is this — “I could’ve missed this.”
His church, Union #3 Baptist Church, Gadsden, honored him for 10 years of ministry recently, and Hanner said it’s been 10 “amazing” years.
“This is my first church to pastor, and it’s far surpassed anything I could have ever imagined,” he said.
Hanner said he and his wife, Connie, were “lost church members” at Mount Zion Baptist Church, Alexandria, when Jesus turned their lives upside down. He served as student/missions pastor there for a number of years before he got the call to Union #3.
“I was really nervous about it,” Hanner said.
But he’s glad he didn’t say no. The church, which is located in a small community called Ballplay, has seen God do amazing things. Hanner went to a conference and caught a vision for discipleship, and in a six-year period, Union #3 baptized 900 people and grew to holding two services. They also became very active in overseas missions.
“What I love about our church now is the maturity we have about reaching all nations,” Hanner said. “It has just been phenomenal.”
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