Did you attend Calvary Baptist Church, Tuscaloosa, while a student, faculty or staff member at the University of Alabama? Did your family have its membership there when you lived in Tuscaloosa years ago?
If the answer is yes, then the church wants you there for its 95th anniversary celebration and your help with a special project, said John Merrill, a member of Calvary Baptist’s anniversary planning committee.
“This day is going to be a unique day in the history of our church. It’s our first anniversary celebration since our 50th, and we wanted to make it a very special event,” Merrill said.
The celebration, to be held Nov. 13 during the 8:30 and 11 a.m. services, will host as guest speaker Gov. Bob Riley, who attended Calvary while a student at the university.
“He’s just like the thousands of other people across the state, the South, the nation and the world who have been a part of Calvary while they were at the University of Alabama, then went out into political and business fields,” Merrill said. “We hope many will come back and it will be the largest attendance ever in the history of the church.”
The service will also feature recorded messages from former ministers and ministers’ wives, as well as a word from current pastor Walter Jackson.
Margaret Garner, a member of the anniversary committee, said, “Our 95th anniversary celebration will be a kickoff for the next five years of our collecting history and personal interest stories so we can roll out a book about the 100-year history of the church.” Her hope, she said, is that it will inspire everyone who ever had a connection with the church to send something to be compiled in the history book.
“Our church was started as a mission of First Baptist (Tuscaloosa) to reach out to the university, and, I believe, we have worked hard to fulfill that mission,” said Garner, who is a professor of nutrition at the university. “This is our opportunity to hear from folks all over the place who fondly remember their years at the university.”
Calvary is looking for stories about Sunday School teachers, training union teachers, college activities and family relationships.
The committee asks anyone who has photos of their experiences at the church — from social events to college retreats and get-togethers — to send those also.
“We would love to hear with phone calls, e-mails or cards and to have them back while they are in town — even just to come by the office and chat with us about their memories,” Garner said.
“This is a unique opportunity to celebrate that link to the state, plus link people back together. Churches are just buildings when you leave out the stories of the people that make them up. We want to celebrate our heritage and our place in this community.”
To mail a recorded oral story or a written memory to the church, send it to 1121 Paul Bryant Drive, Tuscaloosa, AL 35401. To send a story electronically, e-mail to: calvary@dbtech.net or fax it to 205-750-2400.
For more information call the church at 205-758-0495.
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