Selmont’s legacy

I was very interested in your front-page story “Selmont Church’s end means new beginning for others” in the Jan. 22 issue.

I was pastor there after leaving seminary, 1954–1957, almost three years before I went to Atlanta to be with Roy McClain at First Baptist Church there. Those were the glory days, I suspect.

One of those years, we led the state in per capita baptisms and had large numbers all three years. We were recognized by the Alabama Baptist State Convention and had an article published about us by the then-Home Mission Board (now North American Mission Board).

The Sunday School grew rapidly to the 300-in-attendance range. We went from 250 to 600 members and had two services in the morning as well as one in the evening. Additional educational space was built.

There was enthusiasm everywhere in a very blue-collar community. The church was the main thing.

So not only did Selmont leave some money to good causes, it left indelible imprints on people, including one of its pastors.

My wife, Ann, and I will always be grateful for what we learned in those formative years.

We went by there on our way to Mobile recently, the first time in a very long time, and were saddened by the deterioration of the community. It was light years away from our time.

We passed the church building on Sunday morning, and we saw the large number of cars of the new congregation.

That, of course, was encouraging.

Thanks for telling the story. It was a good model. Even though it is now out of business, it left a splendid eternal legacy in the hearts and minds of many.

Floyd Roebuck
Rome, Ga.