Last Saturday, I spent the day in Pittsview, Alabama. That was the first time in my now somewhat-long life to visit the town. It is actually a small, unincorporated community, but they do have their own zip code (36871) and post office. It was once known as Pittsboro.
In case you still don’t know where I’m talking about, Pittsview is located just east of U.S. Highway 431, in Russell Country, about halfway between Columbus, Georgia, and Eufaula, Alabama. We call the city of Auburn the loveliest village on the plains, but I believe Pittsview may well be the most peaceful community on the plains, and quite beautiful in its own right.
I had passed through that area on Highway 431 numerous times over the years. I had often seen the sign welcoming me to Pittsview, but had never ventured off the four-lane highway to visit the iconic little community. I was usually in a hurry to get to the white-sand beaches of Florida’s panhandle for some seafood, a fresh sunburn and advance order of skin cancer.
When I turned down Martin Avenue, I hoped I didn’t meet another vehicle on the small narrow lane. The moment I turned onto Andrews Street, also known as Church Avenue, I thanked God once again for my newly rebuilt eyesight. I felt like I had driven into another time when things were simpler, and quite frankly, more lovely. In front of me were three beautiful church buildings that could easily grace the cover of any magazine.
The first one is Pittsview Baptist Church, located at 2 Church Avenue. It was established in 1897. Just beyond the church is the Pittsview Sunday School Building and fellowship hall. Next is Pittsview Methodist Church, located at 8 Church Avenue. All three structures look quite similar. All three are white wooden buildings with gray shingles, stained glass windows and beautiful steeples on the churches. Each building is about an equal distance from the other, with a sidewalk out front that stretches all the way across the beautiful manicured green grass. The two-lane street has room for parking between the lanes.
Although the two churches are two separate churches, even of different Protestant denominations, they are almost like one family. They worship together each Sunday with the Baptist Church hosting the services on the first and third Sundays, and the Methodist Church hosting them on the second and fourth Sundays. They have a joint sunrise service in the fellowship building each Easter. The fellowship building is owned by the Methodists, but both churches share it.
Occasionally, they also have shared revival services, such as the one they had last Saturday. This brings me to the reason for my visit there. The Baptist pastor, Jodie Robinson, had invited Mark Robinson, Zach Dean and me to preach in their one-day revival services. They had morning services followed by an afternoon concert by The Kingdom Express and a final message delivered by yours truly. Oh, we visited the fellowship building in between for a delicious lunch the ladies had prepared for us. Oh, what a day!
A popular question from a few years back asked, “Can’t we all just get along?” The answer is yes, we can. I saw it for myself last Saturday. I saw two churches of somewhat different doctrines come together as one. The great thing is that this was not a one-time or rare occasion. They do it all the time.
Sometimes we need to simply set aside our differences, focus on our likenesses and come together like different notes of music. I believe we call this harmony!
Bill King can be reached at bkpreach@yahoo.com.
