History

Oyster Bay Baptist Church

     In 1823 in Greensboro, Alabama the State Baptist Convention met and appointed eight Home Missionaries to do work in different parts of the state. Two of these missionaries were sent south to organize churches in Baldwin County. Alexander Travis and Dempsey Winborne were the elected missionaries that were sent to Baldwin County.

     In 1846 Elder Thomas Nelson was ordained to the full work of gospel ministry of South Baldwin County. He was one of the first resident missionary Baptist preachers residing and preaching here.

     In 1855 Bro. William Spence and Bro. Kedar Hawthorne, along with eight members, assisted in organizing the Pine Flat Baptist Church, on the eastern shore of Mobile Bay, in Baldwin County. This is the first record we have of how our church began. The church building was a simple pine pole shanty across the present intracoastal canal.

     Later the church was moved to the bayou, located on the Steiner estate, close to Mobile and Bon Secour Bay. Rev. Hans Peter Hanson was pastor. He was ordained a Baptist Minister in 1875. About 1897, a windstorm destroyed the old pine flat, or Baptist Mission, that had served as church and school.

     A new church was built by the bayou near a big magnolia tree. This was the first church in the area built of planed lumber, and it was painted white inside and out, a very pretty church. When Bro. Hanson resigned, Bro. J.D. Wilks became pastor and church services were held here until the 1906 storm, when the church and all the records and books were destroyed.

     Another church was built nearer to where the cemetery is now. The storm of 1916 demolished it and some of the material it was built of was used to remodel the little school nearby. We know some of the windows were used in the little schoolhouse, which could accommodate about eighty people and grades one through eight were held in it. Church was held in the school till the next church was built in 1923.

     The present auditorium was started in 1952, with Bro. W.A. Luckie as pastor. This auditorium was completed in 1955 with Bro. George A. Poates as pastor.

     In 1974 Bro. W.A. Luckie was again called as pastor and in 1975 under the direction of Bro. Luckie, the original church building was remodeled by members of the church to make additional Sunday School rooms.

    In 1978 a new recreational building was completed and dedicated. In 1980 the exterior of the church was bricked.

     In 1982, Bro. Luckie retired and Dr. John E. Barnes Jr. was called and under his direction, our auditorium was remodeled in 1983 and a new educational unit was added onto the rear of the church. Subsequently, we added a drive through the porch side of the church grounds and enlarged the original recreational building by 25 feet.

     On October 31, 1993 Rev. Brady Steve White was called as pastor. At this time the church purchased a house for a pastorium, remodeled and paid for in just over one year. An additional A/C unit was installed in the sanctuary, a copier was purchased and a multimedia computer. Since that time we have had many new members join the church, therefore requiring the building of the new sanctuary.

    On March 6, 1999 the groundbreaking ceremony was held for the new sanctuary, which seats about 400 people. After a few minor set backs, such as the rafters collapsing during an unexpected wind storm, we held our first service in the new sanctuary on January 30, 2000. On October 21, 2001 Bro. Steve resigned as pastor for our church to return home to his family in Mississippi.

     On June 23, 2002 Bro. Jerry Peebles was elected by the congregation as pastor of our church, and as a congregation we expect BIG things from Bro. Jerry.

This information was taken from the Church's history page.

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