Photo by Jon Anderson.
Church on the Bluff Pastor Tony Barber stands by a sign bearing the church's new name. The Church on the Bluff, formerly known as Bluff Park Baptist Church, plans to celebrate its 120th anniversary on Oct. 14.
Bluff Park Baptist Church will celebrate its 120th anniversary on Oct. 14, but this year it will be with a new name.
At the beginning of the year, the church changed its name to Church on the Bluff.
Tony Barber, who has been the pastor for 12 years, said they’re still the same church with the same beliefs and are still affiliated with the Birmingham Baptist Association and Southern Baptist Convention. They just changed their name to let people know everybody is welcome there, not just Baptists.
“We’re just trying to loosen up a little and get people to come and visit us,” Barber said.
The church on a good Sunday has 70-75 people in their worship service at 11 a.m., Barber said.
“It’s traditional. We sing from the hymnbook. We still have a choir,” he said. But they also sing choruses written in the church bulletin and on a video screen.
The church also has a free breakfast every Sunday at 9 a.m. called Bluff Perk, followed by Bible study classes for every age group at 9:45 a.m.
However, at the anniversary celebration on Oct. 14, there will be no Bible study classes, Barber said. They will have a worship service at 10 a.m. with Richard Trader, a former pastor there who now is a pastoral associate at Lakeside Baptist, as the guest preacher. Several former ministers of music also are expected, including Wayne Goodwin, Harold Newberry and Steve Yarborough. There will be a meal after the service.
The church didn’t get their signs changed with the new name until early September. They also recently cleared trees and brush off a hillside so people can see the building from the intersection of Tyler Road and Sanders Road.
The Church on the Bluff also plans to have its annual Grace on the Bluff event on Oct. 6, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event is like a yard sale, but everything is given away for free. Donations for the event will be accepted at the church at 2211 McGwier Drive from 7 to 9 p.m. on Oct. 3, 6 to 9 p.m. on Oct. 4 and 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Oct. 5.
