Words and Images by Jenny Lynn Davis
First Baptist Church Carbon Hill held a dedication ceremony this past Sunday for the church’s newly constructed ministry building. The Albert J. Lofton Ministry Building will be a central location for all ministries provided by the congregation and is named after Albert “Jimmy” Lofton, a longtime church member.
“Albert is a man of God who is always on mission for Jesus, and we wanted to honor him so that generations to come will learn his story and follow his example,” said Pastor Scott McCullar. “Naming this building in his honor helped us to focus our mission on creating a purposeful space that will boast his same attitude, humility, and presence.”
The building offers several amenities, including classrooms, a meeting room, a kitchen, a large main area striped for basketball and volleyball, and a nursery that doubles as a FEMA-quality safe room. The building’s construction began in September 2021 and was officially completed on Saturday.
During the ceremony, McCullar gave thanks to the members of the First Baptist Carbon Hill faith family who sacrificed their time and resources to bring the building to life, noting that without the members of the congregation, the building would not be possible.
Lofton, who now lives in New Mexico, also attended the ceremony and expressed his gratitude for the building’s dedication in his honor.
“Having this building constructed in my name just means everything. I love this church and the great ministry that takes place here, and I know that this building will be used for Jesus. The more we win for Christ, the better Heaven is going to be,” he said. WL
