Mountain Brook Baptist Church
Mountain Brook Baptist Church
Mountain Brook Baptist Church has been operating since 1950.
Gas was 27 cents a gallon, the Peanuts comic strip debuted and a growing congregation in Mountain Brook held its first service in a newly constructed chapel. The year was 1950.
As the oldest continuously used worship building in Mountain Brook, the chapel at Mountain Brook Baptist Church will celebrate its 75th anniversary during this year’s Christmas Eve service, said Wayne Splawn, senior minister at the church.
“It’s a wonderful chance to remember the faith of those first members who purchased the land here and had their first service on Christmas Eve in the chapel,” Splawn said.
In 1946, the members bought 3.46 acres at the church’s current location on Montevallo Road and began construction on the chapel with the help of architect George P. Turner. The building was designed to have auditorium seating for 165 and Sunday School seating for 250.
On Christmas Eve in 1950, the church held its first service in the chapel. The members and community came together for a time of singing, worship and festive celebration — as the church still does 75 years later.
Staff
Mountain Brook Baptist Church
Mountain Brook Baptist will have three Christmas Eve services this year: one at 3 p.m., geared toward families, and two more traditional services at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Mountain Brook Baptist will have three Christmas Eve services this year: one at 3 p.m., geared toward families, and two more traditional services at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. From observing the Lord’s Supper to singing by candlelight, the services are a highlight of the season for members, their extended families and the community, Splawn said. The church will also host a living nativity Dec. 20-22 at 6:30 and 7:30 p.m., which has become a tradition for many.
“The season of Christmas is a really meaningful time here for us to impact both our members and the people across our community,” Splawn said. “My favorite part is at the end of the service when we take fire from the Christ candle and distribute it to the deacons and throughout the sanctuary. It’s just a beautiful display of the love of Christ for us and also us bearing witness to that light in our lives.”
While the chapel stopped serving as the church’s primary worship space in 1961, it’s still used for choir rehearsals, small weddings, funerals and services during Holy Week. It has also undergone renovations through the years, most recently as part of the church’s recent $20 million renewal project. They added wood floors, replaced the pews with chairs, updated the ceiling and refreshed the space.
“We tried to retain all of the original architectural elements that make the chapel so beautiful and meaningful to people,” Splawn said. “We updated the space for future generations to appreciate, as well.”
While the building holds three quarters of a century of history within its stained-glass walls, it’s the inviting people who have a heart for others and the Lord who make it a church — both in the past and now.
“I think it’s a good reminder of the bold faith of the people who came before us,” Splawn said. “Every generation can look back and say we were grateful for those people and the reminder that the Lord has been faithful to us faithful to us during this 75th anniversary.”
