Piney Baptist Church, 3150 Albert Pike Road, is celebrating 75 years starting with Sunday school at 9:30 a.m. Sunday.
People in the Piney Flats community started gathering to worship in a one room school house on the corner of Thornton Ferry Road and Highway 270 west in the late 1930s. After a few years, the old school house was moved to the church's present location.
In 1940, Piney Baptist Church was organized. Soon donations were given to buy a plot of land and start construction of the original rock church. The rock was dug out of Bayou Mountain and hauled to the church site. The original 30-by-40-foot church was completed in April 1941.
The first deacons were ordained in 1942, and Piney Baptist joined the Central Baptist Association in 1944.
In the late 1940s, an education building, auditorium and a six-room parsonage was built. Growth continued and shortly Piney Baptist voted to build a new auditorium and more class rooms. In 1976, the church built the current sanctuary with a capacity of 500.
In 2000, one of the members passed away and left her estate to the church, with the only provision being that a steeple would be installed. In 2001, this was done, as well as finishing the second story for more educational space. In 2008, ground was broken for the activities building. The work was completed in nine months and paid for in 18.
Piney was instrumental in starting Leonard Street Baptist church back in the '50s and First Baptist Church of Royal in the '80s. In 2015, the church continues to have a heart for missions and to see people saved.
Previous pastors, youth ministers and ministers of music have been invited to help celebrate. An effort has been made to contact those who have ever worshiped at Piney. The previous pastors and ministers of music will have an opportunity to speak or sing. Brother Joel Moody, the pastor back in the '80s, will bring the message Sunday morning. Sam Lewis, Lee Walker, Brent Roach and Steve Spakes, some of the previous music ministers, will perform.
After the morning message, there will be an old fashioned dinner on the grounds starting at 12:30 p.m. A video presentation of "Piney Thru The Years, from 1940-2015" will follow. Pastor Larry Catcher will lead the church in prayer for all the previous pastors that are still in service to the Lord.
All are welcome to attend.
Religion on 09/26/2015