Our Heritage

For more than a century, First Baptist Church South has stood as a witness to the faithfulness of God and the perseverance of a people determined to worship, serve, and build for generations yet to come.

Our story is more than the history of a building. It is the story of men and women who prayed, sacrificed, worshiped, served their community, raised their families in the faith, and entrusted the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the generations that followed them.

The roots of First Baptist Church South reach back to the years following Emancipation, when formerly enslaved African Americans throughout Alabama began establishing churches of their own.

These churches became far more than places of Sunday worship. They were sacred gathering places where newly freed people could exercise spiritual leadership, build community, educate their children, care for one another, and worship God with dignity and freedom.

Many of the Black families living in and around early Pell City initially worshiped with Blooming Light Baptist Church in nearby Seddon. Traveling to worship, however, was difficult. Members often walked considerable distances, and inclement weather sometimes made the journey impossible.

As Pell City's Black community continued to grow, so did the desire for a congregation closer to home.

In 1902, several members of Blooming Light Baptist Church were granted permission to organize a new congregation in Pell City.

Among those remembered as part of that founding group were C.J. Collins and his wife, Coline; Rev. A.Z. Beavers and his wife, Mary; Sam Collins and his wife, Mary; Joe Collins; Joe Lawson; and others whose faith and sacrifice helped establish what we know today as First Baptist Church South.

The congregation was originally known as Union Baptist Church, with the Rev. J.T. Chatman serving as pastor.

Those early believers did not possess the resources available to later generations. What they possessed was faith.

• They believed enough to gather.
• They believed enough to organize.
• They believed enough to build.
• And they believed enough to leave something behind for generations they would never live to see.

Sometime after its organization, Union Baptist Church purchased property on 19th Street South and established a permanent home for the congregation.

In 1934, the church building was rebuilt under the leadership of the Rev. M.H. Sims, and the congregation became known as First Baptist Church of Pell City.

Rev. Sims faithfully served the congregation for more than two decades. His ministry was followed by the Rev. R.E. Avery, remembered as a dynamic preacher whose ministry left a lasting impression upon the congregation.

Around 1957, the Rev. W.F. Poole began a pastoral tenure that would span approximately nineteen years. His ministry was marked not only by preaching and worship but also by a commitment to racial cooperation and unity during one of the most consequential periods of social change in American history.

As the years passed, the congregation came to be known as First Baptist Church South, distinguishing it within the Pell City community while preserving its identity as one of the historic Baptist congregations of the city.

On February 2, 1976, the Rev. Ronnie C. Beavers accepted the call to pastor First Baptist Church South.

His twenty-four years of leadership became another significant chapter in the life of the congregation.

During his pastorate, ministries expanded, improvements were made to the sanctuary, music remained an important part of congregational life, and property was acquired with an eye toward the church's future.

Generations of children were taught the Scriptures through Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, Christmas and Easter programs, music ministries, and the everyday influence of faithful mothers, fathers, deacons, missionaries, teachers, and church members.

The church became a place where young people were not merely surrounded by adults—they were raised by a community.

Men of the congregation served as mentors and examples, teaching younger generations the importance of faith, education, respect, character, responsibility, and perseverance.

This intergenerational commitment remains one of the richest treasures of our heritage.

By the conclusion of Rev. Beavers' ministry in 2000, the congregation had positioned itself to take another historic step.

Under the leadership of the Rev. Elliot T. Ivey, First Baptist Church South broke ground for a new sanctuary on January 12, 2002.

Construction continued throughout that year, and in October 2002—during the church's centennial year—the congregation celebrated the completion of its new house of worship.

Members, community leaders, friends, construction workers, and well-wishers joined together as the congregation walked from the former church building to the new sanctuary.

It was more than a change of buildings.

It was a generation walking from what their forefathers had built into what those sacrifices had made possible.

A prayer written during the building project captured the spirit of that moment: that future sons and daughters would one day look upon what had been built and remember with gratitude those who had prepared the way before them.

The years that followed brought continued ministry, worship, pastoral care, baptisms, ordinations, Christian education, fellowship, and service to the community.

Under the leadership of Dr. Wilson, who began serving as pastor in 2007, the church entered another important season of its history.

Then came 2020.

Like congregations throughout the world, First Baptist Church South faced the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Corporate worship was disrupted, longstanding traditions were interrupted, and the church was required to discover new ways of remaining connected.

Worship services moved online, ministry adapted, and once again the congregation demonstrated something that had characterized First Baptist Church South from its beginning:

The Church is greater than the building in which it gathers.

The same faith that sustained our ancestors through hardship sustained another generation through uncertainty.

In April 2023, First Baptist Church South entered a new chapter when Pastor Ira Kelley Harris became pastor of this historic congregation.

Pastor Harris brought with him more than three decades of ministry experience and a deep passion for biblical teaching, discipleship, spiritual formation, and seeing believers mature in their relationship with Jesus Christ.

At the heart of his ministry is a conviction that the Church must do more than gather people—it must form people.

His desire is to see First Baptist Church South honor the inheritance of those who came before us while faithfully preparing the congregation for the generations that will follow.

Serving alongside him is his wife, Lady Corliss Harris, his partner in life and ministry. Together, Pastor and Lady Harris bring a relational approach to ministry and a shared commitment to prayer, spiritual growth, loving people, strengthening families, and serving the Church with faithfulness and integrity.

Their ministry represents both continuity and transition: honoring the foundation while preparing for the future.

Our heritage is sacred to us.

• We honor the pastors who preached the Word.
• We honor the deacons who helped carry the responsibility of the church.
• We honor the mothers and missionaries who prayed.
• We honor the teachers who opened their Bibles week after week.
• We honor the musicians and choirs who filled the sanctuary with worship.
• We honor the men who mentored boys and the women who nurtured girls.
• We honor the families who gave, sacrificed, cooked, cleaned, built, served, visited, encouraged, and remained faithful.
• We especially honor those courageous believers who gathered in 1902 without knowing what First Baptist Church South would become.

They planted trees under whose shade they would never sit.

Today, we sit beneath that shade.

And now the responsibility belongs to us.

We are the stewards of what previous generations sacrificed to give us, but we are also the ancestors of generations yet unborn.

Therefore, our calling is not merely to preserve the past.

Our calling is to build upon it.

As First Baptist Church South moves forward, we remain committed to proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ, teaching the Word of God, discipling believers, strengthening families, serving our community, and preparing succeeding generations to carry the faith forward.

The names may change.

The generations may change.

The methods may change.

But the foundation remains:

Jesus Christ is Lord.

From those first believers who gathered in 1902 to the congregation that worships today, the testimony of First Baptist Church South remains the same:

The Lord has been faithful.

And by His grace, our story is still being written.