Calvary Baptist Church is commonly described as “the big white church on the corner” or “the church in the shadow of Bryant/Denny Stadium” (Thornton). Though all of these descriptions are appropriate, they do not reach the depth of ministry and service done here over the past century. As it approaches its 100th anniversary, the church is examining its rich history of service to the community and the University of Alabama. This church that practically sits on the campus of the University of Alabama has seen ups and downs, triumph and tragedy through the years and still stands strong today.
Not only as a member, but as a curious observer, I wanted to know more about the history of Calvary. The college ministry, particularly, is one of the largest ministries at the church, and trends are rising all over the United States among groups of college students as they search for religion. I desire to know more about these trends in religion and spirituality and how Calvary seems to fit into all of that.
Calvary is a friendly church. It is not difficult for me to obtain information on its history. The church staff is preparing for the upcoming centennial celebration of Calvary’s founding, so much of what I need is readily available to me, and the church staff is very helpful in trying to guide me in the right direction. Ms. JoAnne, one of the secretaries, gives me a whole stack of old church directories, which I was able to look through and see some humorous pictures of my friends, as well as old bulletins and documents on the church. It was a treasure trove of information. I sat down in the floor of the college office and started leafing through it all.
A look at the church’s history reveals a great deal about Calvary I never knew. According to church records, much of which are on the church website, Calvary began in 1910. A Sunday school class out of the First Baptist church of Tuscaloosa decided to sponsor a mission toward college students at the University of Alabama. This same mission is very present today. The church is in close proximity to Alabama’s large campus and is also easily accessible from other colleges in the surrounding Tuscaloosa area. The current college outreach does not simply stop at Alabama, but strives to reach out to students in all colleges across the Tuscaloosa area.
The records show that the church was originally held in the homes of Mr. and Mrs. John J. Davenport and Mr. and Mrs. W.Z. Jones. For a time, worship services were even held in a store. Eventually, a man by the name of F.W. Monnish decided to completely fund the construction of a church building. This original building was dedicated to his son, Sage Monnish, therefore, the original name of the church from its first organization in 1911 until 1925 was the Sage A. Monnish Memorial Baptist Church. Just knowing that Calvary was founded under a different name makes the history that much richer for me. Seventy-seven charter members founded this first church.
These first years saw significant growth with many building additions and a name change to Calvary Baptist Church, until what the church’s records term a “tragedy” struck in 1925. On December 5, 1925 both the new and old buildings were completely destroyed by fire. The congregation could not let this keep them down. They were determined to rebuild. A year later, Calvary had a new sanctuary and on December 5, 1926 the church was worshipping in it, almost as if nothing had happened. Even long ago little could hold back the people of Calvary from what they felt called to do.
Between the years of 1933-1960 Dr. Horace G. Williams pastored the church. In his years as pastor the church saw such a growth in number that they were able to call themselves the largest church in Tuscaloosa. All this time, Calvary was ministering to college students and meeting many of the needs in the community, but it was not until 1994 that the church designed and built what is known, still, as the college annex. This annex served the college ministry well, becoming a place that college students could identify as their own where they could enjoy fellowship and learning together. In 2006, another event rocked the church. The Alabama Baptist reported, “in the early morning hours of July 19, an explosion blew the front part of the church’s Allan Watson College Ministry Building to pieces, wounding one man and crippling the church’s plans for the upcoming rush of students” (Thornton). Though this article painted a rather dim outlook for the college ministry, a later article by the same publication tells a different story. “Nearly five months after a devastating explosion, college ministry leaders at Calvary Baptist Church, Tuscaloosa, are amazed — in the tragedy’s aftermath, a revival has caught fire among college students” (Henderson). This “revival” is something I am honored to have experienced. After what seemed like a devastating loss to the church, more students from all of the universities in the Tuscaloosa area began to flood into the college ministry. There was such an intense spike in numbers that the church saw fit to renovate the sanctuary to accommodate a larger influx of college students.
Many wondered if this surge of interest was in Calvary or in college student’s deeper curiosity about religion and spirituality. While we in the college ministry at Calvary believe it to be a more God-centered reason, trends linking college students and religion are popping up everywhere that seem to tell us the latter explanation may also have something to do with it. In a recent article from the New York Times, Alan Finder discusses the shift in religious thinking among college students. Many religious officials on campuses from Harvard to Berkley claim that where religion, and the people seeking it, was once almost “under siege”, it is now a topic openly discussed on many college campuses. Many officials feel like this is due to a number of things. Some say it may be “a result of the rise of the religious right in politics” that makes it a topic of more general conversation. Others argue for the attacks on September 11 saying that they brought religion more into world issues. As Finder states, “an influx of evangelical students at secular universities, along with an increasing number of international students, means students arrive with a broader array of religious experiences” (Finder). This rise in this sort of interest may be what has brought so many people to Calvary’s college ministry. Whatever the reason, the ministry is happy to welcome any student. The history of the church has clearly prepared them for such a time as this. Their focus has always remained clear and steady. As I learned through my research, the mission of the church is everywhere, even in some peculiar places, such as one of the windows welcoming people into the sanctuary.
A stained glass window at the front of the church has always seemed to call a good bit of attention to itself. It is a beautiful window that displays an open bible at the center surrounded by the words of the 111th Psalm, “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” A final feature of the window is a perimeter of eight images. Clockwise from the bottom they are a star, a dove, a fish, a chalice, a cross, a lily, a world or globe, and a crown. My search for the meaning behind this beautiful window brought me to a very interesting explanation. The window’s design was very intentional, with each image representative of the mission statement and focus of the church. The open bible represents the centrality of God’s word to everything that Calvary pursues. The verse that surrounds it acts as a fitting mission statement. Due to the church’s original roots in ministering to college students, gaining wisdom being an issue that students deal with daily, it is an appropriate parallel between earthly and Godly wisdom. The eight remaining images follow the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. The star stands for his virgin birth, the dove symbolizes his baptism, the fish, his miracles and teachings, the chalice, the Last Supper and the fellowship we have with him. The cross represents Jesus’ death for man’s redemption, and the lily stands for his victorious resurrection. The world is a symbol of his great commission to his followers, and finally, the crown which represents his second coming as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. It is Calvary’s aim to celebrate and act in reverence and obedience toward each of the events symbolized.
Calvary Baptist Church in Tuscaloosa Alabama is a unique body of believers. Over so many years there has been a great deal of change. It has seen a number of pastors and staff members, as well as faithful congregations made of people of all ages. One thing that is undeniable is the impact they have had on the University of Alabama and other colleges surrounding it. The times have changed drastically since the first days of its ministry. Not only has the University changed, its students have as well. Calvary has always been able to meet the challenges they face head on with unswerving faith, and that is a legacy that has been passed on to today.
To further confirm these thoughts, I went to talk with a staff member and close friend of mine, Alan Henderson, to get his perspective on Calvary and college students.
College Ministry
Calvary Baptist Church
