Sewell retires from Westwood

Cecil O. Sewell Jr. will leave a 46-year legacy of full-time ministry in churches across the nation and around the world when he retires in April.
   
The senior pastor of Westwood Baptist Church, Forestdale, officially stepped down in January but will continue to fill the pulpit on Sundays and Wednesday evenings through Easter. “I won’t ever leave the ministry,” said Sewell, noting plans to stay involved with churches through pulpit supply and interim pastoral work. “I am, however, looking forward to enjoying a great deal more time with my family, especially my wife.”
   
Sewell and his wife, Sharon, a retired school teacher, have two children and four grandchildren. Sewell was born in the Bibb County mining community of Piper, where his father served as pastor of the local Baptist congregation. He attended Howard Collge (now Samford University) and graduated in 1958. While at Howard College, Sewell served as a summer missionary in Chilton County Association and then as pastor of McCalla Baptist Church, McCalla. After graduation, Sewell moved to Tuscaloosa to serve as pastor of Temple Baptist and to begin graduate studies in the history department at The University of Alabama.
  
In 1963, the Sewells accepted the call of First Baptist Church, Orleans, in France, where his congregation was made up of mostly American military personnel.  While in Europe, he also served as president of the European Baptist Convention (English speaking).
   
Returning to the United States in 1966, Sewell spent seven years as pastor of South Roebuck Baptist, Birmingham. From there he went to College Park Baptist Church, Houston, Texas. While at College Park, he worked closely with Houston Baptist University where, in 1982, he was awarded a doctor of divinity degree. After a remarkably fruitful ministry at College Park, Sewell returned to Birmingham to be the pastor of Westwood. 
   
The church’s growth during his 13-year tenure includes more than 1,600 new members. He said the greatest joy of his career has been simply “loving people for Jesus’ sake.”
   
“God has blessed me with good churches,” Sewell said. “I’ve never been in a church squabble or division. I don’t mean to say that there has always been absolute agreement about everything, but I have always loved them, and they’ve known that — and that has made all the difference.”