Bethany Baptist Church, Whistler, and First Baptist Church, Kushla, both in Mobile Baptist Association, will merge into one church June 29.
Alvin Sullivan, pastor of Bethany, will become the pastor of the new church, to be named Kushla-Bethany Baptist Church.
“I’m real excited about it and have great visions for the work. I believe the Lord is going to really bless it,” Sullivan said.
“The churches have been very cooperative with each other in working out the details,” he said. “We had a steering committee from each of the churches. They’ve met several times together.”
According to Mike Anderson, director of missions for Mobile Baptist Association, the merger resulted in a combination of things.
“Kushla did not have a permanent pastor- Don Wainwright was serving as interim- and Bethany has been in a transitional community for some time and (the members) were needing to make some decisions about their future,” Anderson said.
Sullivan said that laity from the churches began discussing the idea for the merger in the last few months, then their deacons considered it, and each church voted on the idea.
Since then the churches have been working toward the merger.
“I would have to first pay tribute to the great spirit of both churches; they are loving folks,” Sullivan said.
“Besides the blessing of the Lord, the kindness and spirit of the people of the two congregations and their willingness to work together and the wonderful leadership of Don Wainwright have all been pivotal in a smooth transition,” he added.
On June 22 the Kushla congregation will go to Bethany to share in its last service to be held in that facility.
Then on June 29 the Bethany congregation will go to Kushla for the first joint service to be held there.
After June 29 the congregation will be one in location as well as spirit. Sullivan said the services will begin at 11 a.m. and invites all former members and guests to attend too.
“This is going to be good for these two churches,” Anderson said.
Kushla-Bethany Baptist Church will inhabit the facilities that Kushla Baptist members have been in for many years.
The combined church will have about 900 members on roll. With the merger, the Mobile Association will have 95 churches.
Along with Sullivan serving as pastor, Frank Lumbardo will serve as minister of music and administer of church staff. Seth Tanner, Tami Petrey and Tracy Levins will lead the youth.
Sullivan said Bethany Church has been in the Whistler area of Prichard since 1878.
In the late 1800s to the early 1900s, Whistler was a large village and a center of population and employment, due largely to a repair facility for a major railroad being there. This boom continued until about 1930. Sullivan has been pastor of Bethany for 45 years.
Bethany’s former facility is being sold to another church, St. Joseph’s Baptist Church of Prichard.
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