Carlton Hadley’s retirement as minister of music at Fellowship Baptist Church, Birmingham, in Birmingham Baptist Association marks the end of a partnership with Pastor Rayford Davis that spanned more than four decades.
Hadley, 74, retired June 24, the church’s 44th anniversary, after serving at Fellowship Baptist for 41 years. The date also marked Davis’ retirement after founding the church and serving as its only pastor to date (see story, this page).
“I went there in 1966 and I just stayed,” Hadley said, laughing.
Davis said one reason he and Hadley were together so long was an appreciation of each other’s roles.
“He’s very talented,” Davis said. “He can’t preach a lick, and I can’t sing a lick. Because of that, we got along real well for 41 years.”
Besides Fellowship, Hadley only served in one other church, First Baptist, Fultondale, where he was saved and married his first wife, who passed away in 2000.
Hadley’s only training as a music minister came through four years of band and choir in high school, along with his own study of music.
While he’s been open to new worship styles, he wanted to make sure the music retained a reverent tone.
“I tried to do it all as long as it was in good taste,” Hadley said. “(But) I still like the old hymns in ‘The Baptist Hymnal.’” (TAB)
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