Kinston church preserves history after safe stolen twice

That safe full of 100-year-old church records was a disappointment to burglars.

Twice.

“The first time it got stolen a few years ago, it was found later on the riverbank,” said James Preachers, director of missions for Sardis Baptist Association. “The second time, which was in September, they found the culprits a few weeks later, and everything was still intact.”

Preachers gave Pilgrim’s Rest Baptist Church, Kinston, a call to rejoice with them — and to ask them a question.

“I said, ‘Have you ever had those records microfilmed?’ They said they weren’t sure, but they didn’t think so,” Preachers said. “I told them, ‘You need to get on that.’”

So they did.

They called the Alabama Baptist Historical Commission, and executive director Lonette Berg came quickly to collect the records. They were at the microfilm lab in less than a week.

“It’s something we offer at no charge, and it helps preserve the story of what God has done and what He’s doing in our churches,” Berg said.

Now the records will be preserved no matter what happens to the paper copies in the twice-stolen safe.

“Getting the records back twice was a blessing, and it made a believer out of them in the value of getting things microfilmed,” Preachers said.

For more information about microfilming church records, contact Berg at llberg@samford.edu or 205-726-2363.

(TAB)