History
Church History
Westview Baptist Church was organized in 1929 as the Second Baptist Church of Opp, Alabama. Sixty Eight charter members met in the Opp Micolas School Building to begin this ministry. From 1929 to 1942, worship services were held jointly with Presbyterian, Methodist and Primitive Baptist and were on a part-time basis. Since 1942, when the church voted to go full-time, worship services have been held each Sunday.
The name was changed to Westview Baptist Church in 1935. The church site was on Douglas Ave from 1948 to 1997 on land donated by Opp Micolas Cotton Mill Company. In 1948 and 1949 an auditorium and nine classrooms were built. On November 13, 1949 during the ministry of Bro. James Eady, this building was dedicated unto the Lord and the church celebrated its first homecoming. Since then homecoming has been observed on the second Sunday in November.
Several other additions were made to the Douglas Ave location including: additions to the education wing. a ten room education building with a kitchen, a youth building, and improvements to the auditorium. A pastorium was also built across the street from this church site and dedicated on July 17, 1971.
The growth of Westview Baptist Church has continued and in 1990 the church made the decision to establish two morning worship services to ensure adequate seating in the sanctuary. Bible study classes were held at a variety of sites due to inadequate space in the church building including: rented houses, borrowed spaces and the old Red and White building which had been donated by the Boutwell family for church use. Westview's growth was recognize in October, 1993 and again in October 1996 when the church received Eagle awards from the Alabama Baptist Convention.
In 1992, during the ministry of Brother Larry Cummings, due to continued growth, the church voted to relocate. A new building was started in 1994 on property purchased from the Danley family estate on Highway 331 North. This building was completed in November, 1997 and our church family moved into the new facility which includes: a worship center that seats 700, 37 Sunday School rooms, a large fellowship hall with an industrial size kitchen, and play areas for the children. Dedication and a time of celebration was held on February 15, 1998 for the new facility.
Under the leadership of our pastor, Scott Ferguson, Sunday School enrollment is 892 and new ministries include: Celebrate Recovery, Operation Multiplication, Middle School Ministry, and many new Sunday School classes. We desire to impact our community by providing activities such as Trunk or Treat, Spring Fling, Bethlehem Drive, Easter productions and Vacation Bible School. We desire to impact the world by participating in missions. Westview members have traveled to places such as Albania, Venezuela, Ecuador, El Salvador, Brazil, Pakistan, and several areas of Africa to share the gospel with unbelievers. We now have a partnership with missionaries to support efforts in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. Our Westview family participates by not only going, but also with our prayers and giving. Recently our yearly contributions to missions through the Lottie Moon Christmas offering have soared from $150.00 to over $30,000.00.
The growth of Westview Baptist Church continues as eight men from our membership have answered God's call to ministry including: George Trotter, Cecil Lundy, Billy Armstrong, Gerald Max Brown, Haywood Nawlin, Ben Nobles, Shawn Bentley and Joe Waldorff. Other members that have also been involved in full-time Christian ministry include Kandy Nobles White, Mary Nell Boles Bolan and Johnny Maust.
Let us thank God for the growth of Westview Baptist Church throughout these years and pray for continued Christian growth. Our mission is to help people understand that "It's All About Jesus". To God be the glory, great things He has done! Great things He will continue to do!