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Pastors reunite for Pelham FBC centennial celebration
Published 12:48pm Tuesday, August 25, 2009By AUSTIN PHILLIPS / City Editor
PELHAM — It was a time of looking back and a time of looking forward Aug. 23, as the Pelham First Baptist Church celebrated its 100th anniversary.
The church celebrated its centennial mark by inviting three former pastors back for the morning service, as well as holding a picnic in the afternoon.
At 8 a.m., Pastor Ronnie Euler, who led the church from 1966-74, opened the service, followed by Dr. Cecil Brown, who led the church from 1954-57, at 9:15 a.m. Rev. Jerry Butler, who led the church from 1975-1978, closed out the service with his talk at 10:45 a.m.
“We had every living (former) pastor, except one, here at the church,” said Pastor Mike Shaw.
Shaw said getting to spend time with the men who came before him was an extremely special pleasure.
”It was good to get to talk to them about how things have changed,” Shaw said. “Everything we have was built on what they did for the church. We’re just thankful for all that has gone on before us.”
In addition to the visits from the three former pastors, the church was also recognized by several organizations, including Bobby Joe Seales with the Shelby County Historical Society and the Shelby County Baptist Association.
A bell that used to hang in the old church was also displayed during the morning service.
The bell, which dates back to 1886, was recently found and was sandblasted and refurbished before being displayed. The bell hung in the steeple for 40 years before the old church was torn down in 1983.
Shaw said the church hopes to build a tower in the future to hang the bell.
The church also held a picnic at the Shelby County YMCA on Sunday afternoon, in which approximately 300-400 people attended.
“We had a good time of fellowship,” Shaw said. “One of the best things we do as a church is get together just for fellowship.”
