OUR HISTORY

The Beginnings (1963)

In the early 1960s, the city of Huntsville was experiencing rapid growth with the establishment of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and other developments on Redstone Arsenal. In the summer of 1963, Whitesburg Baptist Church decided a mission was needed to provide for the people in the area surrounding Weatherly Road in southeast Huntsville. On October 6, 1963, with 17 families in attendance, the Whitesburg mission was started in the home of Burt and Janet Carpenter, which was located atop Weatherly Mountain. During the mission’s first few weeks, the Rev. Joel Oswalt of Blountsville, Alabama, was the guest speaker. The Rev. Joe Crawford soon became the mission’s first interim pastor.

Rev. Harold Shirley (1964-1969)

In February 1964, the mission called its first full-time pastor, the Rev. Harold Shirley, who accepted the call the following month. During his first month, the mission purchased a 3½ acre plot of land across from the newly built Weatherly Elementary School on the corner of Cannstatt and Dortmund. The mission also purchased a home across Dortmund to serve as educational space. The construction of a chapel began soon thereafter and was completed in June 1964. The first church service in the chapel was held on June 7. The following Sunday, the mission was constituted as Weatherly Heights Baptist Church during a service at 3 o’clock in the afternoon. On June 21, the new facilities were officially dedicated as a Southern Baptist church.

Rev. Shirley brought an enthusiasm and know-how to Weatherly’s core programs (Sunday School, choir, nursery, youth and deacons). The church flourished under Rev. Shirley’s guidance and soon required a larger sanctuary and more educational space. By June 1966, Weatherly’s new sanctuary and educational building was ready to be occupied. The facility across Dortmund was converted back to a home for furloughing missionaries.

Noteworthy activities started in this time frame were the Weatherly Kindergarten Program, the Weathervane weekly newsletter, the Christmas Lovefeast (a Moravian songfest), and the GUIDE Program (a way to introduce membership candidates to the church).

In May 1969, Rev. Shirley resigned to accept the call as pastor at Ardmore Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The church had grown to a membership of 348. The Rev. Joe Crawford again served as interim pastor.

Rev. David Burhans (1969-1974)

The Rev. Dr. David Burhans accepted Weatherly’s call in September 1969 and preached his first sermon as pastor on October 5. Dr. Burhans brought with him a learnedness and excellence in preaching that has remained a characteristic of Weatherly. He invited the community to participate in several courses that he taught at Weatherly through the Samford University Extension Program. His person-centered ministry was highlighted by his personal visits and his counseling skills. As a result, Weatherly continued to grow and the need for another expansion arose. In October 1973, the Lighthouse, a multi-purpose building aimed at community outreach, was completed. It houses a full-court gym, kitchen facilities, and a space for youth activities (the Upper Room).

Noteworthy activities started during this time frame were the Deacon Family Ministry Program, the Mother’s Morning Out Program, and the Easter Living Cross.

 In August 1974, Dr. Burhans resigned to accept a call as chaplain at the University of Richmond in Richmond, Virginia. The church had grown to 604 members. Dr. James Moebus (Dean of Student Affairs at UAH) served as interim pastor.

Rev. Todd Wilson (1975-1998)

The Rev. Dr. Todd Wilson became the third pastor of Weatherly in April 1975. Dr. Wilson believed the church was an extension of the teaching and healing ministry of Jesus which affects the whole person. As a New Testament scholar, his preaching Sunday mornings and Sunday evenings was always challenging and often prophetic. Wednesday night services began by sharing a meal in the Lighthouse and mentioning prayer concerns before Dr. Wilson’s teaching. He often taught by leading the listeners to think for themselves through questions he raised.

Dr. Wilson was a trailblazer in Baptist church practices. As envisioned in the book of Acts, deacons were assigned to minister to the physical, material, and health needs of their assigned families rather than acting as the church’s ruling body. Women were given the same opportunity as men to serve in any role in the church. For example, Mrs. Pat Hallum was ordained as a deacon and Mrs. Gail Coulter was ordained for the Gospel ministry (both rarities for women in Southern Baptist life).  Recognizing baptism as symbolic of conversion to the faith, Dr. Wilson accepted baptisms from previous churches. Open communion was practiced (and still is).

With rising attendance, a larger sanctuary became an apparent need. Money was raised, an architectural design was completed, and the construction was supervised by Weatherly member, Mr. Jerry Siniard. The new sanctuary opened in June 1988 and seats 660 people. It features a beautiful 35-rank, 3 manual Schantz pipe organ, a 9’ concert grand piano and numerous stained glass windows depicting biblical events.

Dr. Wilson guided the congregation through the Southern Baptist controversies in the early 1990s and established our close alignment with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. Strict doctrinal conformance was not necessary. Active service in the form of community ministries was encouraged.

Noteworthy activities started during this period include the Kentucky Mission Trip (building a home in Appalachia), the English as a Secondary Language (ESL) Program (helping refugees and newcomers to assimilate into American life including language skills, citizenship training, and more), Women on Mission (local ministry projects), the Weatherly Lecture Series (a weekend program featuring speakers of note which was later renamed the Howard Williams Lecture Series), the Religious Autobiography Program (a time each year for congregants to share their spiritual journeys), tutoring programs in Huntsville’s schools, and a yearly joint Thanksgiving service with several southeast Huntsville churches.

In November 1998, Dr. Wilson accepted a call as pastor to the First Baptist Church in Clemson, South Carolina. The church had grown to 833 members. Dr. Fisher Humphreys (Professor of Divinity at Beeson Divinity School at Samford University) served as interim pastor.

Rev. David Freeman (1999-2023)

In December 1999, Weatherly called the Rev. Dr. David Freeman as pastor. Shortly after coming, Dr. Freeman coined the phrase “An Inclusive, Discovering Fellowship” to describe what he saw in Weatherly and what he wanted for our future. Weatherly has lived up to the “inclusive” description by ensuring all of God’s people are accepted (people of color, people from other faith traditions, those with disabilities, and those from the LGBTQ community).

In 2002, Weatherly called a Minister of Spiritual Formation, a new way to help people discover their own spirituality. Sunday nights are now called “Discovery Hour” with talented lay persons leading classes on a large variety of faith related issues.

Strong fellowship bonds are maintained by our Sunday School classes, book clubs, Wednesday night dinners, senior activities, music teams, and ministry teams.

During this period, our music program has continued to flourish.  As well as continuing the Lovefeast and Sing-Along-Messiah traditions each Christmas season, our adult choir performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City in 2003 and at the Mozart International Choral Festival in Salzburg, Austria, in 2013.

In March 2015, Weatherly was officially disfellowshipped by the Madison Baptist Association over the issue of endorsing same-sex marriage. As such, we are no longer a Southern Baptist church; however, we maintain the title “Baptist” because of our adherence to such traditional Baptist beliefs as Bible study, adult baptism, priesthood of the believer, separation of church and state, and the autonomy of the local church.

Noteworthy activities started during this period are the Respite Care Ministry (trained volunteers provide once-a-month care for special needs children to give caregivers a Friday night off), the Prayer Shawl Ministry (crafted shawls for those in difficult situations), the Lincoln Mill Ministry (renovation of housing), the Backpack Ministry (week of food distributed at Martin Luther King Elementary School during the spring and fall breaks), a partnership with Church Street Cumberland Presbyterian Church (a predominately black congregation), a community vegetable garden, and a prayer labyrinth.

At the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, we instituted online services which we continue to broadcast live each week. We now also meet in person for Sunday School and worship services in our well ventilated sanctuary. In August 2020, Ms. Madison (Madi) Harner was called as Minister to the Christian Home (children, youth and adults). She plays major roles in our online and in-person services through litany recitations, prayers, children’s lessons, and sermons to the congregation. Mr. Harris Gessner was hired on an interim basis to conduct music during online worship services. His excellent voice and demeanor over a range of music from traditional to contemporary was on display during these services. As a result, he was called as our new Minister of Music in June 2021. Ms. Harner and Mr. Gessner provide a younger face to Weatherly while Dr. Freeman continues his experienced leadership of over 20 years.

Above all, we are a happy, vibrant congregation. Through the teaching, example, and leadership of these ministers, the church has responded by establishing several longstanding ministries (see weatherly.org/adult). We are also proud that 17 young men and women from Weatherly have gone on to seminary and are serving in Christian ministry.