Celeste Road Baptist Church and Turnerville Baptist Church are located five miles from one another. North of Mobile, Celeste Road is in Saraland and Turnerville is in Chunchula. Recently they have shared more than their close proximity to one another. Both congregations have suffered tragic loss yet both have survived and continue to operate in the aftermath.
Sunday, October 20, started out like most every other Sunday at Celeste Road. The church gathered for the morning service with no idea of what was to come later that day. That afternoon around 4:00, Pastor Eddie Holmes received a call with news that the church was on fire. As he drove to the church he expected to find a small extinguishable fire. As he pulled into the parking lot he watched in shock as the roof caved in and the entire steeple fell to the ground. The church was totally engulfed in flames and burned to the ground.
About two years ago Kenneth “Ken” Chambless, pastor at Turnerville Baptist Church, began experiencing some physical problems. After thorough examinations his doctor told him the news no one wants to hear. Ken had cancer. Even during the last six months when he was unable to fulfill his duties, his church faithfully supported and stood by him. On Thursday, June 12th, members of the church he had served as pastor for the past twelve years, received word that Pastor Ken had lost his battle.
What would become of these two churches? One would rebuild and one would regroup. Both would carry on. Celeste Road raised a sign in front of their burned building that read, “Building is gone but church is alive and well.” The Sunday following the fire they held services outside in the church parking lot. Last week I had the privilege of going with Master Builders, a missions group of construction volunteers from the Opelika/Auburn area, to assist the church in rebuilding. Our team followed a volunteer team from Texas that dried in the building. Another team from Cleveland, Alabama, will be there next week and others will follow. The recovered steeple now sets on top of the new building. The church hopes to hold their first services in the new building in September.
On our trips, our team usually lodges and cooks our meals in a nearby church. Back in May, Pastor Ken volunteered Turnerville’s family life center for our abode for the week. When he passed away one month before our scheduled trip we thought we might have to find another place. Without wavering, the church continued with our plans and graciously welcomed our team in with open arms. While the church family still mourns the loss of their beloved pastor, they have called an interim pastor and continue to worship and minister. Pastor Ken will not be forgotten but eventually another pastor will come to lead them on. Our first Sunday evening there the two churches came together with our team for a joint service at Turnerville.
I once had a picture of a stork with a frog in his mouth. As his legs dangled from the stork’s mouth, the frog gripped the stork’s neck with one hand. The caption read, “Never give up; never give in.” Those two churches haven’t given up and haven’t given in. They have experienced what the prophet Isaiah taught. This is that, “Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings of eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
Read more: http://blogs.christianpost.com/bindings/a-tale-of-two-churches-25287/#ixzz3XQCd5YBP
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