Our Journey

 

For almost 120 years, Southside Baptist Church has maintained a strong legacy of ministry on the southside of Birmingham. Our forbears made the ultimate sacrifice, left their established congregations, and founded a new church in the city located on the north east corner of 7th Avenue and 21st Street South. Where a fast-food restaurant sits today, there was once a modest, white-framed church, commonly referred to by its members as "The Old Barn."
 

It was not long before the congregation outgrew the space, so a new church was planned and built on 20th Street at 6th Avenue South. In 1906, the gothic stone-and-brick structure burned to the ground, after more than half a dozen fires over the years. The congregation moved to our present site and built our beautiful Greek Revival sanctuary in 1911.
 

At each of these points in history, the congregation felt the strong calling of God to dream and to make sacrifices in order to fulfill those dreams. Today, the people of Southside Baptist Church are again dreaming, with a reaffirmation to remain in the heart of the city, believing earnestly that God has called us to reach out and minister to this community and beyond. We believe that our building itself is a ministry as we share both mission and space with kindred ministries and congregations. There are currently 4 congregations and fifteen ministries who work side-by-side in our facility, with numerous outside community groups also utilizing our space throughout the year.
 

This openness to ministry has been the Spirit of Southside throughout our historical journey. Today, God calls you and me to see tomorrow from God's own perspective. Today, God calls us to make history. Today, God calls forth our hope and commitment as we respond to new opportunities and challenges for ministry. One day, another generation of believers will give thanks for our faith and sacrifice, even as they seek God's way in their lives.
 

The hope and dream, surely given to us by God, is that Southside Baptist Church will continue to build an inclusive community of grace, even as we are Building Tomorrow's History Today.

Sincerely,
J. Stephen Jones, Pastor