Gardendale First Baptist Church
Gardendale First Baptist Church (sometimes styled as "Gardendale's" or GFBC) is a Southern Baptist megachurch in Gardendale, Alabama. The church's senior pastor is Dr. Kevin Hamm, a native of Bowling Green, Kentucky; he has served the church since 2006.[1]
The church is located on two campuses in Gardendale.
- The North Campus, which houses a 2,500-seat sanctuary and features a 125-foot white metal cross outside, is located near the Mount Olive Road interchange on Interstate 65. This facility opened in August 2010.[2] In November 2013, children's worship facilities were opened in a new wing named the "Kidz Kingdom". Part of the worship center was set on fire a few months before construction of the church was completed. The arsonist was believed by Gardendale police to be an employee of a contractor working on the church.[3]
- The South Campus is where worship services were held before the North Campus opened, and is still used for numerous ministries, including recreation. The facility features a fellowship/dining hall and a gymnasium. This campus is located at 940 Main Street in downtown Gardendale, across from Gardendale High School.
Upward Park, located at the North Campus, was completed in 2004 and provides a recreation park with 3 baseball/softball fields and 1 soccer field.
The church claims weekly attendance of about 3,500 worshipers on a typical Sunday morning, and a membership roll of at least 8,500.
Steve Gaines preceded Hamm as pastor, serving for 14 years before leaving to become the pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in suburban Memphis, Tennessee, where he succeeded the late Adrian Rogers. Gaines is currently president of the Southern Baptist Convention.
The North Campus sanctuary features a full HD video production facility which is home to Gardendale First Baptist's Media Ministry. This is used primarily to produce the church's Sunday morning program on ABC 33/40. It consist of a video room, audio room, and an HD editing studio, along with an SD editing studio. This also allows the church to host conferences and concerts.
References
- ↑ GFBConline.com: Pastor Kevin
- ↑ Carter, Robert (2010-08-10). "More than 5,000 attend 1st Sunday at new GFBC". The North Jefferson News. Archived from the original on 2012-09-13.
- ↑ Gray, Jeremy (2010-04-30). "Suspect charged in Gardendale First Baptist Church fire". The Birmingham News.
External links
Coordinates: 33°39′50″N 86°49′46″W / 33.66389°N 86.82944°W