Rhodes retires after more than 60 years in ministry; gives God credit for longevity

Eighty-four-year-old Mabry Rhodes believes in being faithful. His life is a testimony to that with his commitment to the ministry since 1934 and with his marriage to Mary Lou for 62 years.
   
But Rhodes, who is pastor of First Baptist Church, Pratt City, does not take credit for his ability to be faithful. He gives credit to the Lord, whom Rhodes said has provided the example.
   
“I have walked with the Lord almost 75 years and He has always been faithful to me,” Rhodes said, recalling a specific incident in 1955 when Rhodes realized he must allow the Lord to lead.
   
“It was Jan. 13, 1955, and the wooden structure that had made up First Baptist Church, Pratt City, for more than 50 years was burning,” Rhodes said. “There was black smoke and flames rising 200 feet above the church. The pastorium was really close to the church, and I was upset because almost everything I owned was in that house.
   
“As I stood watching the church burn and the roofing of the pastorium melt and run to the ground, I prayed for God to save the house,” Rhodes recalled. “Then I realized I was challenging the wisdom of God. A hymn came to mind at that moment — ‘A soul that trusts Jesus will somehow find a song.’”
   
Rhodes said his one message to his congregation and anyone else who will listen is, “My Lord Jesus Christ will never desert me. We may walk away from Him, but He will never walk away from us. We don’t have to fear. He is always there.”
   
Rhodes continues to rely on this message, even as he prepares to preach his final sermon at First, Pratt City, March 4 when the doors of the church will be closed forever (see sidebar story, this page).
   
“In 1985 I came back (to First, Pratt City) and we have been able to keep it open,” said Rhodes, who served as pastor from 1954–67 before returning in 1985.
   
Rhodes, who was born in 1917 in Conecuh County, ended up in the western section of Birmingham when his father moved the family there for job purposes in 1919. He completed high school in Ensley and enrolled at Howard College (now Samford University). He transferred to The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa and then to the University of Louisville in Kentucky where he received his bachelor of arts degree in 1951. While in Louisville, Rhodes completed his master of divinity degree from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1953. He later returned to The University of Alabama to receive another master’s degree in 1972.
   
Rhodes, who was licensed to the ministry in 1934 and ordained in 1941, has served as a pastor in Clarke, Hale, Calhoun, Cullman, Shelby and, of course, Jefferson counties. He also led churches in Kentucky.
   
Rhodes’ daughter, Karen Reid, helps him with church duties by directing the music and serving as his secretary. Reid, who emphasized her father’s love for the people of Pratt City, noted his vision and wisdom to maintain a ministry in the western section of Birmingham through the years.
   
Still, even with his support of the church planted in 1880 as Pratt Mines Baptist Church, Rhodes knows it is time for the doors to close.
   
“I love these people and this church,” said Rhodes. “It has been a wonderful journey so richly blessed of the Lord. But I prayed about it and felt this was what the Lord wanted me to do.”