History of Center Missionary Baptist Church
Woodville, Alabama

Center Missionary Baptist Church has been established for at least
two hundred years in the community of Humpton. Some people refer to
the church as “Old Center” and it is known by that all over the
southeastern area. The church is in the Mount Carmel Missionary
Baptist Association, which has records dating back more than one
hundred and sixty years. This dates back to before the Civil War. Also,
there were many years when there was no money to have minutes
printed. Center is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, churches in the
association.

There have been three different locations for the church. The
first church was built on the side of Soda-Top Mountain, on Fish Trap
Road. near Grant, Alabama. It was named Center because it was in the
center of several small communities. The church also served as a school
for the communities. Many of our ancestors received their education in
the church building.

Brother David Derrick. who was the father of Sis. Annie Derrick
Lemley, was one of the early pastors. Sister Lemley lived to be 97 years
old and passed away December 21, 1995. Her husband, Brother Oliver
Eugene Lemley, was ordained as Deacon of the Church the first Sunday
in August 1939, and served the church until his death on January 23,
1976. Their oldest daughter, Sis. Georgie Jones, and their youngest
daughter, Sis. Merlene Dollar, are current members of the church.
Some of their grandchildren and great grandchildren are active in the
church, as well as, two great, great grandchildren at this time.(2008)

The second church was built on the west side of the mountain on
property donated by Brother Pleas Anderson, at the end of Center
Road. This church building was also used as a school which some of our
current members attended as small children. Bro. Anderson was
ordained as Deacon of the church on November 30, 1953 and served
the church until his death on December 19, 1966. His son, Brother
Franklin Anderson, is still an active member in our church family.

The church records prior to September 18, 1927, have been either
destroyed or misplaced. The first pastor that we have on record is
Brother Joe Henson, who was called on September 18, 1927. The next
minutes are dated the third Sunday, April 1930, and reflect Brother
J M. Myers as the pastor. Brother Myers remained pastor until the
third Sunday in June 1931, when Brother Alvie Jones was called by the
church to complete the year for Brother Myers. The minutes did not
say why Brother Myers could not complete the year, but he failed to
show up one Sunday and it was mentioned in the minutes that he was
probably sick. Minutes from 1931 to August 1939 are missing; however,
the minutes in 1939 reflect that Brother Alvie Jones was the pastor
and remained so until August 1941.

Minutes dated the first Sunday in August 1939 reflect that Center
Baptist Church extended an arm to establish a church in the Oak Grove
Community, Mount Zion Baptist Church. Brother Alonza Shubert was
called to pastor the church, Saturday night before the fourth Sunday
in August 1941. Brother Alvie Jones was called again to pastor the
Church, August 21, 1943, and served until 1946. The above pastors
served in the second church building.

On September I, 1946, a committee was appointed to secure land on
which to build a new church. The committee members were Brother
Dan Jones, Brother Oliver Lemley, Brother Pleas Anderson, Brother
Hulett McGehee, and Brother Odie Jones, Sr. The committee secured
the land from James Riley Lemley. This church building is closer to the
Paint Rock River in a beautiful setting facing the mountains. It looks
like a painting, especially in the fall when the mountains all around are
so colorful, and it is common to see deer crossing the road to the river.
The church is about three miles from Butler’s Mill which, in years past,
was the grist mill where all the families in the communities brought
their corn to be made into meal. The old mill had been destroyed by a
storm in the mid 1900’s and the remainder deteriorated until it was
burned by vandals in 1994. Along a side it, in the 1800’s, was an old
wooden-covered bridge that crossed the Paint Rock River. Some time in
the early 1900’s, the covered bridge was replaced by an iron and
wooden bridge that many of our current members had the pleasure of
crossing while learning to drive after it too had begun to deteriorate.
Then in 1994, the bridge, which connects Madison and Marshall
counties, was replaced with a new, but still one lane, concrete bridge.

Brother Frank Gwathney was called to pastor the Church on
October 6, 1946. He was the first pastor to serve at the present
location. His daughter, Sis. Kay Whitaker, is still an active member of
the church, as well as, her husband Brother Dorlas Whitaker. Their san,
Brother Devin Whitaker, is a current Deacon of the church.

The church building went through many changes over the years
having started out as just a block building. Sunday school rooms were
added in 1965. Wood paneling was added in 1975. One of the biggest
changes was the building of the fellowship hall in the Spring of 1979.
The first fellowship building was 20′ x 40′ and ran parallel to the
church building. We had large tables in the middle of the room for the
food to be put on and smaller tables attached to the walls to pull a
wooden, straight-back chair up to. Two rest rooms were placed at the
far end, in separate corners, with a kitchen sink, cabinet, and
refrigerator in between them. In 1995, the church voted to enlarge
the fellowship hall to its present size and add the built-in cabinets we
have today. Brother Larry Henry was hired to build the cabinets. Also,
a covered sidewalk was added to join the two buildings together at the
far end of the church building coming out from the Sunday school
rooms.

After all of the many changes and updates to the third church
building, the members of Center Missionary Baptist Church voted on
May 6,2007 to build a new church building in the same location. A
committee was selected, as they did in years past, to secure the plans
and finances for the great undertaking. The committee members were
Bro. Doyle Martin, Bro. Rickey Posey, and Bro. Devin Whitaker. Two of
the committee members are the grandsons of two of the committee
members of 1946. Bro. Doyle Martin is the grandson of Bro. Hulett
McGehee and Bro. Rickey Posey is the grandson of Bro. Oliver Lemley.
Bro. Devin Whitaker, again, is the grandson of our first pastor at this
location.

After all the planning and paperwork was finished, it was late in the
year of 2007. We began by moving all the tables, chairs, and furniture
from the fellowship hall to a storage unit. We ended up having our
Christmas dinner at the Trading Post that year. Then, the church pews,
piano. and pulpit were placed over in the fellowship hall to continue
having worship services as usual.

By the beginning of 2008, the process had begun. The committee
had hired Mr. Jim Duncan to began tearing down the old church
building and Mr. Rickey Little was hired to build the new church for us.
He had built Bethlehem’s new building the previous year and had done a
good job for them. Then, after months of decision making and patience,
the building was near completion. With only minor details to finish, we
had our first church service in the new church. It was the second
Sunday in October on the 12th day of the month in the year of
2008. The congregation gathered together that Sunday morning and
had a wonderful service. Many testified of the churches of the past as
others gave thankfulness for the new. Brother Chris Sims preached
the first sermon in our new church building. His wife, Sis. Jennifer Sims,
had played”Sweet Hour of Prayer” on her flute earlier during the song
service. And after months of waiting, the little ones were happy to
finally go to Sunday School.

The new church building was dedicated unto God on the 30th of
November 2008 during an Associational Fifth Sunday meeting.

” I was glad when they said unto me,
Let us go into the house of the Lord.”
Psalms 122 : 1

Written originally by Sis. Kay Whitaker in 1995
Revised by Sis. Theresa Posey November 2008