Church Looking For 100 Years Of History
August 6, 2008
A North Escambia church will celebrate 100 years in October, and they would like your help now to locate items related to church history.
The First Baptist Church of Bratt will celebrate its 100th anniversary in October. If you have any information on the history of the church or photos of past events at the church, please contact Howard Hanks at 327-6278.
Walnut Hill Church Holding Revival, Homecoming Services
July 28, 2008
Walnut Hill Baptist Church will continue their revival this week, and the church will hold Homecoming services Sunday.
Services will be at 6:00 Monday through Wednesday evenings with the Rev. Gene Pickern, a former missionary in the Caribbean.
The church will hold their annual Homecoming service this Sunday morning at 10:30 with the Rev. Jerry Peebles as the guest speaker.
Walnut Hill Baptist is located at 5741 Arthur Brown Road in Walnut Hill, about a mile and a half from the caution light at Ernest Ward Middle School.
NorthEscambia.com would love to help you spread the word about your church or civic organization event. Email news@northescambia.com
Faith Bible Baptist Youth Attend Camp; Walk The Purple People Bridge
July 27, 2008
The youth from Faith Bible Baptist Church in Bluff Springs recently returned from a week long youth trip.
The group of 10 youth and two leaders visited the Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky. The museums presents a scientific approach to Biblical creation.
“It was good to see the things that we know from the Bible confirmed in science. Everything makes sense when you start with the Bible and go on from there,” said Faith Bible Baptist youth member Ryne Barrow, 17.
While at the museum, the youth attended a planetarium presentation and spent time in the museum’s expansive botanical garden. Afterwards, they visited Newport on Levee and cross the Purple People Bridge, the longest pedestrian bridge connecting two states. The 2,670 foot long purple-painted bridge stretches across the Ohio River from Newport, Kentucky, to Cincinnati, Ohio.
The youth attended church services at Salem Baptist Church in Cincinnati, with pastor Phillip Blackwell. Sunday evening, the Faith Bible youth helped with Salem Baptist’s Vacation Bible School country fair by working booths, giving out prizes, serving food and cleaning up.
The youth then spent five days at Camp Chautauqua in Miamisburg, Ohio, where they enjoyed morning and evening chapel services. The camp was Olympic themed using the phrase “Go for the gold” based on 2 Timothy 4:7-8 which says in part “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith”.
The speaker for Monday and Tuesday was Dr. David McCoy, pastor of People’s Baptist Church of McDonough, Georgia.Wednesday and Thursday’s chapel service were brought by Senior Pastor Jerry Siler and by Bro. Kirk Kirkland, both of Cornerstone Baptist Temple of Dayton, Ohio.
While at camp, Kolbi Cobb was nominated by her peers to a court of four out of 430 teens as camp queen. The nomination was based on participation, character and attitude. This was Kolbi’s second consecutive year to be nominated for camp queen.
Camp activities included tournament softball, basketball, volleyball and dodgeball. The senior girls won a gold medal in softball and basketball, while the senior boys won gold in dodgeball.
The teens also enjoyed Frisbee golf, miniature golf, swimming, zip line, paint ball, air hockey, bowling and many other activities. Their daily schedule began at 7:00 a.m. and sometimes continued until 2:00 a.m. with activities.
The Faith Bible Baptist Church teens attending were: Olivia Nolen, Kolbi Cobb, Jordyn Dunsford, Erin Fremin, Lauren Howell, Victoria Barrow, Jamie Gafford, Zach Barrow, Ryne Barrow and Blake Wiggins. They were accompanied by youth leaders Jeremy and Elizabeth Bondurant.
Robert Barrow in pastor of Faith Bible Baptist Church.
Submitted photos and information by Elizabeth Bondurant.
Picture above outside the Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky, are Faith Bible Baptist Church members (front, L-R) Lauren Howell, Jordyn Dunsford, Jamie Gafford, Zach Barrow, Erin Fremin, Olivia Nolen, (back, L-R) Jeremy Bondurant, Ryne Barrow, Blake Wiggins, Elizabeth Bondurant, Victoria Barrow and Kolbi Cobb. Submitted photo.
VBS Going On This Week At Ray’s Chapel
July 9, 2008
Vacation Bible School is continuing each evening this week at Ray’s Chapel Baptist Church in Bogia.
This year’s theme is Veggie Tales “Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything–Calling All Heroes”.
All kids 5-12 are still welcome to join in with crafts, science lab, snacks, games, fun and learning from the Bible.
The VBS continues each evening from 6:30 until 8:30. There will be a special program for parents on Friday, July 11 at 7:00.
Click here for more photos from Ray’s Chapel Baptist Church’s Vacation Bible School.
Submitted photos by Ramona Preston.
Bratt Baptist Youth Take On Bratt’s A-maize-ing Cornfield Maze
June 26, 2008
About 50 youth from the First Baptist Church of Bratt took on Bratt’s A-maize-ing Cornfield Maze Wednesday night.
Several members of the youth group were able to navigate the elaborate six acre cornfield maze, but many were unsuccessful.
Maze owner Colvin Davis and his wife Lavelle played host to both the FBC of Bratt youth group with a meal of corn dogs, corn chips and popcorn. A hayride followed the maze.
A small youth group from Brooks Memorial Baptist Church in Atmore also tried the maze Wednesday night.
For a complete photo gallery from Wednesday night at Bratt’s A-maize-ing Cornfield Maze, click here.
Bratt’s A-maize-ing Cornfield is located at in Bratt. That’s about a mile and a half east of Highway 97. It is open from 5:00 until 10:00 p.m. (bring your own flashlight!) Thursday, Friday and Saturday. It is open Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights for groups by appointment. Admission is $5 for adults. Children under five are free with an adult admission. For more information, call 327-6372.
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Ray’s Chapel Names New Pastor
June 23, 2008
Ray’s Chapel Baptist Church in Bogia named Nathan Brown as their new pastor Sunday night.
Nathan and his wife Danielle are from Dutton, Alabama, near Scottsboro in the northern part of the state.
He is a recent graduate with a master’s degree from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.
He will officially being his service as Ray’s Chapel new pastor on August 1.
Pictured above: Retired Ray’s Chapel pastor Fil Enfinger and his wife Mary Enfinger, and Nathan and Daniel Brown Sunday night at the church. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Beth Moore Video Conference Held At Walnut Hill Baptist
June 22, 2008
About 100 women from across the area attended “Loving Well”, a one day women’s retreat by Beth Moore Saturday at the Walnut Hill Baptist Church.
The retreat included four video sessions from Beth Moore and live music from soloist Leah Taylor (pictured left), who has released a CD and often performs at Olive Baptist Church in Pensacola.
“Today was a very special day and special experience as women from many different churches and denominations came together to worship our King”, said Somer Bridges, Conference Coordinator and wife of Walnut Hill Pastor Ted Bridges.
In addition to the video conference, the day’s events included a continental breakfast, catered lunch, door prizes and lots of fellowship.
“It was just awesome to laugh and sing praises to God with so many ladies”, Somer said. “We took a leap of faith when we decided to have this event, not knowing what the response would be. We never expected to sell out. It was a blessing to all the ladies involved in the conference as well as those working behind the scenes.”
Moore founded Living Proof Ministries, a biblical-based organization for women, in 1994. It is based in Houston, Texas, and it primarily focuses on aiding women who desire to model their lives on evangelical Christian principles.
Pictured above: Judy Sherouse (left) and her daughter Heather Godwin (right) listen at the Beth Moore Conference Saturday at Walnut Hill Baptist Church. Pictured below (L-R_, top: Sharon Poulsen, Tanya Lukers, Kate Sherrill and Anne Sherrill perform a skit at the conference. Pictured below, middle: Attendees watch a Beth Moore video session. Pictured bottom: “Loving Well”, a video conference from Beth Moore Saturday at Walnut Hill Baptist. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Molino Pastor Attends Southern Baptist Convention; Escambia Pastor Nominates New President
June 15, 2008
A local pastor was among the 7,000 gathered at the Southern Baptist Convention in Indianapolis, where the man nominated by another Escambia County preacher was named president of the 16 million member group.
Brian Calhoun, pastor of Highland Baptist Church in Molino traveled to Indianapolis this past week for both the actual Southern Baptist Convention and the preceding Southern Baptist 2008 Pastor’s Conference.
“The convention itself was great,” Calhoun said. “I enjoyed the spirit of the convention…the spirit of brotherly love and concern.”
Calhoun said he was pleased in the election of Johnny Hunt, pastor of First Baptist Church in Woodstock, Georgia, as president of the convention on the first ballot. Hunt was nominated at the convention by Ted Traylor pastor of Olive Baptist Church in Pensacola.
“Pray for him. He has a big task before him. Our Convention needs renewal. Johnny is just the man to point us in the right direction,” Traylor wrote Friday on his blog.
“I pray that these next two years will be exciting times as we turn the tide and begin once again to grow and to reach our neighbors and our nations for His glory and for the expansion of His glorious Kingdom,” Hunt told messengers the day after his election.
He said, “We’ve been declining as a denomination. You can’t turn something around until you stop the tide in the direction it’s going.”
Statistics show that in 2007 Southern Baptists baptized the fewest number of people in two decades.
At the convention, the North American Mission Board unveiled an ambitious National Evangelism Initiative — named God’s Plan for Sharing (GPS) — with the goal of having “every believer sharing” the Gospel and “every person hearing” by 2020.
“I believe it is a good program,” Calhoun said. “Everything that comes out of the Convention is good, but it is not always something that every church benefits from. What works in Southern California might not work in Molino, and vice versa. But this sounds like a good program.”
“As I have been around the country and around the world, the laypeople I have talked with are ready to get out and do something for Christ,” former SBC President Frank Page said. “And I think given the proper motivation and direction, they’ll do it.”
Growth in the Southern Baptist Convention will come from cooperation among Southern Baptist churches, Traylor said.
“Southern Baptists are not easily understood by those outside our Convention. We are often called a denomination and I understand that. However, in the true sense of the matter we are a Convention of churches coming together to cooperate in Gospel ministry. Only when we trust one another and cooperate does the Convention work,” he said. “When the people of a local church decide to cooperate with people from other churches we are then able to join forces and do more together than we can ever do apart.”
“I am proud to be a part of the Southern Baptist Convention. It is now time to go to work. We have a world to touch in Jesus’ name,” Traylor said.
Pictured top: Brian Calhoun, pastor of Highland Baptist Church in Molino. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge. Second picture: New Southern Baptist Convention President Johnny Hunt (left) and Pastor Ted Traylor of Olvie Baptist Church in Molino. TedTraylor.com photo, click to enlarge.
VBS At First Baptist Bratt , Walnut Hill Mennonite, Other Churches
June 10, 2008
Vacation Bible School is underway at several area churches.
The First Baptist Church of Bratt will hold “Outrigger Island” Vacation Bible School from 8:30 until 11:30 each morning this week. There will be crafts, recreation, cool music, yummy snacks and lots of fun for ages three to those that just completed the sixth grade. The church is located on Highway 4 between North Highway 99 and Northview High School.
On Monday, dozens joined in the the “Worship Rally” to kickoff Bratt’s VBS. Then the students spread out across the church for their classes, crafts, snacks, recreation, music and more.
The second week of Vacation Bible School will continue at the Walnut Hill Mennonite Church from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m for ages five to tenth grade. For more information, contact Eric Koehn at 327-6180, Brian Decker at 327-9596 or Kerry Boeckner at 327-4708. Everyone is welcome. The church is located at the intersection of Highway 97 and North Highway 99.
The First Assembly of God Church in Atmore will hold hold Vacation Bible School each day this week from 8:00 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. “God’s Big Backyard” is for age two through the sixth grade. For more information, call (251) 368-4637.
For a photo gallery from VBS Monday morning at the First Baptist Church of Bratt, click here.
Pictured above and below: VBS “Outrigger Island” at First Baptist Church of Bratt Monday morning. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Bratt’s XII Gates Rocks The Block In Flomaton
May 17, 2008
XII Gates “Rocked the Block” Saturday evening in Flomaton.
The band, from the First Baptist Church Bratt, took to the stage for a free outdoor contemporary Christian and Christian rock concert at the First Baptist Church of Flomaton for “Rock the Block”.
The members of XII Gates have grown up together, learned music together and have been playing in the band for about three years.
NorthEscambia.com caught up with the band at a recent practice session for the concert in the “Youth Loft” in the First Baptist Church of Bratt’s Family Life Center.
“The band is a chance for us to glorify God and have fun doing it,” lead guitarist Jeremy Bardin said.
Bassist Mathew Wilson agreed. “We get to rock people and get the Message out,” he said.
XII Gates play Christian music, and other rock songs that have a clean message. But they are not the traditional Sunday night singing Baptist church quarter. They rock. There’s just no other way to say it. And it’s loud, as good rock music should be.
Their list of musical influences is a Christian rock Top 10…Skillet, Red, Toby Mac, Sanctus Real, Kutless, Hawk Nelson, Disciple, Reliant K, Building 429, Casting Crowns and the like.
While many in the Bratt congregation have never heard of those bands and do not listen to Christian rock, they understand that XII Gates is spreading the Gospel to the next generations.
“You can worship how you want, even though there is that generation gap sometimes,” Wilson said. “I enjoy the old hymns just as much as bands like Skillet.”
“I’m thankful for the congregation and their support of XII Gates,” Bratt’s Youth Minister Tim Hawsey said. “We’ve got such a good church, and they understand that they get a little loud for the Lord sometimes.”
Sometimes XII gates goes “unplugged”, taking their contemporary sound and making it “more mellow” for congregational performances.
But for Saturday night’s “Rock the Block” in Flomaton, that was not the case.
“This is a good opportunity for a lot of youth that don’t have an introduction to Christ to come out and find out that we can play loud, have fun, just rock and still say that we are Christian,” drummer Denver Hawsey said.
Besides spreading the word about God, having fun is perhaps the most important part of XII Gates.
“We want all the youth in the area to attend,” Tim Hawsey said, “whether or not they are in church, they will enjoy the music.”
For a complete photo gallery from the Saturday concert in Flomaton, click here.
Pictured above: XII Gates at “Rock the Block” in Flomaton Saturday night. Pictured below, first photo: XII Gates from the First Baptist Church of Bratt performs in Flomaton Saturday night. NorthEscambia.com photos.
