Spring Hill Baptist Church Mobile AL

We are a church of ordinary people serving an extraordinary God. We do our best to live according to Christ’s teachings. That isn’t always easy, so we do a lot to encourage one another as together we seek to grow in Christ. We don’t all share the same background, but we share the same faith in God and the same passion to serve.

At Spring Hill Baptist Church, we recognize that people matter to God, so people matter to us! We promise that you will find a warm, inviting atmosphere when you visit. You'll meet many smiling faces and be welcomed into our community. Contact us ahead of time and let us know you're coming or swing by the Welcome Center upon your arrival, and we'll have someone meet you and personally show you where you're going.

 

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Beginnings

It’s hard to look around Spring Hill today and remember that this was once “the country.” In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, however, the community of Spring Hill was a popular weekend destination for residents of downtown Mobile, seven miles away, in part because it was easily accessible by means of a good shell-surfaced road. (Guess what it’s called today?)

As early as 1900 there was interest in starting a Baptist church there, but attempts failed. In 1949, however, things finally changed. After the war, “the country” was blossoming into “the burbs,” and Gwendolyn and Floyd Condit moved to the area. These staunch Baptists couldn’t understand why Spring Hill didn’t have a Baptist church. They approached Dr. H. S. Sauls, the Mobile County Director of Missions, with their idea. He was reluctant at first, but the persistence of the Condits and others overcame his initial reticence. God’s blessing on the effort quickly became evident. On August 9, 1949, Dr. Sauls, Dr. W.A. and Florence Wood, George and Helen Wood, Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Brown, and Mrs. Hal Daugherty met for the first time to pray and discuss the idea. When a religious census of the area revealed over 900 potential congregants, Dr. Sauls agreed to support the venture. As a result, Spring Hill Baptist Church began life under the sponsorship of the Mobile Baptist Association, not as a mission of another church. Two weeks later, 26 people attended the first of what became regular Tuesday night prayer meetings at the Condit’s home.

The leaders of the fledgling congregation recognized that finding a suitable location for the church to meet would be critical to the success of their endeavor. While making telephone calls to potential members, Helen Wood talked to Edith Terrell, who was not only interested in membership but also suggested that property owned by her mother on McGregor Avenue might meet the church’s need. It was perfect! The beautiful tree-covered 4 ½ acre property contained a large two-story stucco home, a barn, and small outbuilding. The house had at one time been used as a hotel, and a previous owner had also used the property to breed and train race horses. A price of $30,000 was soon negotiated. The owner, Mrs. Marechal, agreed to finance $20,000 of that amount at $200 a month. In an act of great faith, a small number of the prospective members personally borrowed the remaining $10,000 needed for the down payment – a princely sum at the time.

While the formalities of the land purchase were being finalized, a Sunday School was organized and classes were held in every room of the Condit’s home on Ridgelawn Drive. Dr. Sauls ably served as interim pastor, preaching his sermons in the living room. On October 5, 1949, a letter was sent to 150 families in the Spring Hill area inviting them to join in worship on Sunday, October 9 at the Marechal home. Eighty-seven people attended that service and 44 united with the new church. The following Sunday there were 98 in attendance and membership reached 81. On that day -- Sunday, October 16, 1949, Spring Hill Baptist Church was officially organized and dedicated to the service of God.

Baby Steps

On that joyous day, October 16, 1949, Spring Hill Baptist Church was officially organized and dedicated to the service of God. Present in the congregation on that day, as a visitor, was the Reverend Norman W. Clapp, who was called one year later to be the first pastor.

Sunday School, Training Union, W.M.U. and a Music Ministry were started immediately.

God had His hand in the organization of the church. The varied talents, experience, training and qualifications of the charter members filled the needs of the new church perfectly.

On the property was a beautiful two story building, the Marechal house. Later, it was decided to call the building, the Edith Terrill Building, in memory of a charter member of the church, Mrs. Marechal’s daughter. This building, with its beautiful white columns, served the new church well. For the first year, worship services were held downstairs, the nursery was on the front porch and Sunday School classes were held in almost every room. The bathroom was so large that a group of boys met for Sunday school in there, and called it “The Bathroom Class.”

The new church was growing so fast a larger place of worship was needed. The men organized work crews and erected what came to be known as our first chapel, a cement block building with a tin roof. The women organized crews to feed the men. The building was erected for $4,700.

Since this was before air conditioning, a large fan was installed in the front and pulled air and sometimes a myriad of insects over the heads of the congregation toward the preacher and choir. The tin roof and the whir of the fan proved quite an impediment to hearing when it rained, since this was also before a sound system.

The first anniversary of Spring Hill Baptist Church was observed in the almost completed chapel. At that time the church voted to extend a call to the Reverend Norman W. Clapp as its pastor.

Growing Pains

In October 1950, Spring Hill Baptist Church joyously celebrated its first anniversary. Much had happened in a year. The old barn had been torn down to make way for the new chapel. (Amish have barn raisings, Baptists barn razings.) The demolition sessions were held on Saturdays with memorable potlucks an integral part of the process. The new chapel was constructed almost entirely by church members since the fledgling congregation providentially contained “every trade but a brick mason.”

On that first anniversary, a young lawyer named George Wood was first ordained as a deacon. That day the church was also delighted to call its first full-time pastor – a dedicated 32-year-old with a pretty wife and three small children. His name was Norman Clapp. The Clapps moved into the second floor of the Marechal house.

They might have been able to enjoy the lovely old house more if it hadn’t still been doubling as the church. Ida had to get up extremely early every Sunday to tidy up their apartment since classes met in every room. The rest of the week, however, things were much more peaceful. There was a swamp where our sanctuary currently stands, and most nights the family fell asleep to a chorus of frogs.

On the second anniversary, Pete Peterson was ordained as a deacon and hesitantly accepted leadership of Training Union. He had refused to do it earlier because he said he couldn’t get up in front of people and talk. As the church continued to grow, adequate space was always a problem. Classes were squeezed into the refurbished basement, the dilapidated old servant’s quarters, and, when weather permitted, a number of classes met outside under the huge oak trees. Fortunately the congregation continued its faithful financial support.

On the church’s sixth anniversary in 1955, the Junior Educational Building (what is now our Education Office) was dedicated. In 1957, our current chapel was built. And, as the 1950’s came to a close and Spring Hill Baptist Church celebrated its 10th anniversary in 1959, the Nursery Building was dedicated. (Folks remember an adorable little girl named Gina Burroughs had taken part in the groundbreaking.)

Changes

The 1960’s brought many changes to our country and to Spring Hill Baptist Church. Because of continuing growth, in November 1961 it became necessary to begin holding two morning services. This practice continued for 16 years until the new sanctuary was completed.

In the early 60’s, local Baptists felt the need for a Baptist college in this area. The Alabama Baptist Convention agreed to establish and support the school if the Mobile Baptist community could raise $1.5 million dollars toward the effort. There was great enthusiasm for the project among the local churches, and Spring Hill Baptist Church pledged $52,000 to the Mobile College Campaign. This amount was above regular tithes and offerings. The astounding commitment and generosity this gift represented is clear when you realize that the entire church budget the previous year had been $100,000.

From the beginning, Spring Hill was blessed with talented, dedicated staff members. A young man named Gilbert Lundy served as Minister of Education from 1962 until1968. He played an instrumental role in shepherding the next two campus building projects to successful completion. The combined Fellowship Hall and 2-story Education Building (currently the classroom building parallel to MacGregor) was completed in 1963; the 2-story Education Building (now known as the Library Building) in 1967.

Fifteen years of steady church growth and overcrowding prompted this new construction. In 1964, however, it was announced that one of the major employers in the area, Brookley Field, would close. The five-year phased closing had a devastating impact on the church as well as Mobile. Between 1964 and 1969, the church lost 450 members, including many strong lay leaders, as a direct result.

During the 60s and 70s, the church enjoyed many traditional Baptist activities intended to build a sense of unity and fellowship within the congregation and, most importantly, to deepen its knowledge and commitment to missions and evangelism. These included Dad & Lad Banquets, Baptist Men’s Day Dinners, Men’s Brotherhood, Youth-led revivals, GA Coronations, Training Union, and the much-anticipated annual Anniversary Dinner on the Grounds. A cherished tradition was born in 1972 when we published our first pictorial church directory.

As the 1970’s dawned, the war in Vietnam raged, and the conflict sadly touched the lives of many church families. Roger Breland, our Minister of Music and Youth, enjoyed much success with The Varsity, Spring Hill’s talented youth ensemble, including national television exposure during The America’s Junior Miss Pageant. In 1971 Breland felt lead of God “to organize a group similar to Varsity and to give full time to this type of evangelism.” His efforts were endorsed by the church, which gave him financial support and sound equipment. The award-winning group he formed was called Truth, and it ministered around the world for 30 years.

After 23 years of faithful service, Reverend Clapp left Spring Hill Baptist Church in April 1972 to serve Lakeside Baptist Church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Dr. Gene Keebler from Mobile College ably served as interim, and in December 1972, the church welcomed its second full time pastor – a visionary 39-year–old with a pretty wife and three young children. His name was Jerry Gunnells. Dr. Gunnells brought a strong sense of focus and energy to the job as well as a strong sense of fiscal responsibility. In 1973 he instituted our “All the Way in One Day” budget program, which the church followed for more than 25 years. In 1975, a great partnership was born when he was joined by a new Minister of Education named Tom Carter.

Sanctuary

On the church’s Silver Anniversary in 1974, it authorized the largest construction project in its history – a new sanctuary. Ground was broken in June 1975 for an ambitious two-year undertaking. J. T. Arendall ably served as Chairman of the Building Committee. In addition to a 1600-seat sanctuary with a custom-built 2256 pipe, forty rank organ, the structure contained a spacious fellowship hall with a state-of-the-art kitchen, a parlor, a choir suite, and numerous classroom spaces.

The church was blessed to retain the services of nationally renowned glass artist Roy A. Calligan, Jr. of Cumberland, Maryland. Calligan was a master of a French glass technique called dalle de verre (French for “tiles of glass”), also called faceted glass. With this technique, one-inch slabs of Blenko glass were cut into the desired shapes then partially embedded into an epoxy matrix. The interior edges were then hand faceted. This causes light to be refracted through the glass at different angles. The effect is quite different from conventional stained glass, and faceted glass yields a deeper, more jewel-like color as light passes through it.

Dr. Gunnells and the church staff worked closely with Mr. Calligan to craft the symbolism contained in the 14 windows. The four large windows on the sides of the sanctuary depict: Growth and Maturity (oak tree), Baptism and Proclamation (dove and lamb), Redemption and the Church (hand of God), and Reconciliation and Missions (ship on Mobile Bay). The ten additional windows located in the stairwells and at the rear of the balcony represent the “I Am’s” of Christ. (“I am the Bread of Life,” “I am the Good Shepherd,” “I am the Alpha and Omega.”) Rumor has it that Auburn fan Tom Carter helpfully suggested that the Omega window be installed upside down, but fortunately cooler heads prevailed. If you have never taken the time to walk around the church and study these amazing works of art, you have cheated yourself.

Although construction of the new sanctuary was primarily cause for excitement, it also dredged up one of the darkest theological divisions in SHBC history – Steepleism. Years earlier when the current chapel was being planned, there was an impassioned controversy about whether or not to include a steeple. The “Steepleites” felt that a steeple was an aesthetic essential, while the “Non-Steepleites” considered it an unnecessary expense. The matter was of such concern that it was brought before the church for a vote on a Sunday morning. Although the Non-Steepleites won the day, a Steeplelite sleeper cell quietly began biding its time. They were delighted when a large steeple was included in the plans for the new sanctuary. The fact that it looks like it is falling off the roof when seen from certain angles, however, is to this day known as “The Curse of the Non-Steepleites.”

The generosity of the members of Spring Hill Baptist Church was never more evident than when it came time to furnish the new building. Memorial donations were made of everything from the landscaping to the windows, organ, pews and carpet down to the chairs and candlesticks. The first service in the beautiful new sanctuary was held on June 26, 1977 and it was formally dedicated on September 11, 1977.

Staying the Course

Our beautiful new sanctuary may have been dedicated on September 11, 1977, but it was baptized on September 12, 1979 by an unwelcome visitor named Frederic. The strong Category Three hurricane did extensive damage to the roof, and services were again held in the chapel until it was repaired.

The 1980s saw continued growth for Spring Hill. The church and the greater Baptist community benefited from Dr. Gunnells’ able leadership. He served as President of the Alabama Baptist Convention from 1979-1981, and in 1985 was elected Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

The ‘80s brought noteworthy additions to our church staff as well. Newlywed Terry Richey came as Minister to Youth in February, 1983. He left Spring Hill in 1989, but thankfully saw the error of his ways and returned to us in August 1992. And in April of 1986, an extraordinarily talented 32-year-old named Randy Grim, the father of two adorable toddlers, joined our staff as Minister of Music. He quickly threw his energies and artistic vision into a fledgling production entitled This Is Christmas. 2010 will mark its 25th anniversary, and thanks to Randy’s unwavering dedication, tens of thousands of people have experienced in reverential beauty the true meaning of Christmas.

And still we grew. Much-needed classroom space was added when the Preschool Building was completed in 1987. We began a television ministry in 1994, capturing for posterity many memorable worship experiences and the occasional napping choir member. In August of that year, Nell Gulley retired after 21 years as Children’s Minister. Pat Lee, who had previously been on staff in other capacities, returned in 1998 and ably served in that critical position until January 2009.

In 1997, the Activities Center was completed and Bobby Butler joined our staff as Recreation Minister. This building was conceived not only as a facility for church members, but also as an important vehicle for outreach. That vision has been realized in countless ways over the years, but never more so that after Hurricane Katrina. For over a year after the storm, volunteers from all over the United States used our facility as a base as they ministered to people devastated by the storm.

In 1999, as we approached the end of the century, our church also saw the end of two extraordinary ministries. Dr. Gunnells retired after 27 years at Spring Hill Baptist Church; Tom Carter retired after 25. That fall we also welcomed our third minister in the church’s 50-year history. Terry Ellis was an eloquent 41-year-old Kentuckian with a pretty wife, two young children, a doctorate in New Testament Greek … and a Harley. The times, they were a’changin.

In addition to his obvious gifts as a teacher (he has authored a number of Sunday School commentaries for Lifeway that have been used thought the Southern Baptist Convention), Dr. Ellis had a passion for hands-on missions. He instituted yearly mission trips to Brazil and Mexico, among other destination. His efforts were enthusiastically embraced by the congregation, which in the last ten years has spent over $250,000 sending individuals on mission trips.

Our church continued its efforts to touch the local community as well. The astounding creativity of our membership was on full display when hundreds of church members participated in producing “Marketplace A. D.” in 2004 and 2007. This program allowed our children to experience the Bible in new and tangible ways.

Spring Hill Baptist Church has come a long way since that first gathering in Gwendolyn Condit’s living room. As we contemplate this anniversary, however, we cannot take these last 60 years for granted. It took hard work and faith to get us to this point. It will take more hard work and faith if we are to survive.

The only thing that can hold any church together is love; love for each other and love for God. It’s that love that compels us to put aside the countless things that divide us so we can focus on the one thing we have in common: our knowledge that the God of the Universe loves us, and that we are surrounded by a world that doesn’t know it.

The size and the look of Spring Hill Baptist Church may have changed considerably in the last 60 years, but her calling has not. Let us rededicate ourselves to letting the Good News of Christ shine from this hill and from our lives.