A Growing Congregation on Montgomery Highway

Southminster Presbyterian Church sits along Montgomery Highway in Vestavia Hills, Alabama, a suburb just south of Birmingham. The congregation of about 300 active members describes itself with three words: deep community, welcome, and service. Sunday mornings bring two worship services, children spilling out of the sanctuary, choirs singing, and Sunday School classes for every age. Wednesday nights fill Grace Hall with the noise of shared meals, conversation, and small-group programs.

Southminster is a Matthew 25 congregation within the Presbyterian Church (USA), publicly committed to building congregational vitality, dismantling structural racism, and eliminating systemic poverty. That commitment shows up in a long list of local partnerships, an annual Rise Against Hunger meal-packing event, a youth ministry that travels to Montreat each summer, and a Day School that has served Vestavia Hills families for years.

Two Sunday Services, One Welcoming Table

Worship at Southminster is traditional in form and structure, marked by a deep sense of care, fellowship, and hospitality. Two Sunday services are offered in the Sanctuary. The earlier service begins at 8:15 a.m., and the later service begins at 10:30 a.m. Both services include the reading and proclamation of Scripture, prayer, a sermon, and the celebration of Holy Communion, which is observed every Sunday. The communion elements are gluten free, and all are welcome at the Table.

The 10:30 a.m. service is sung by the Chancel Choir and includes a Children's Message. Worship bags are available in the Narthex for young visitors, containing a children's bulletin and age-appropriate art supplies and fidget toys. Following the Children's Message, children ages 4K through second grade are invited to Children's Church, where they hear a story, complete an activity, and return to the Sanctuary during the Doxology to participate in communion. Infants and children through age 3 can be left in the staffed Nursery behind the Sanctuary.

All Sunday services are livestreamed on YouTube and can be found on the worship page, with bulletins posted alongside each service for online worshipers. Visitors entering the building can use the Sanctuary doors or the double doors under the Grace Hall portico; both entrances are handicap accessible.

Sunday School begins at 9:15 a.m. during the school year. There are classes for preschoolers, elementary children, and youth, along with three adult classes that meet in Grace Hall and the Church Conference Room. Topics rotate through books of the Bible and current writers, including a recent journey through the Gospel of Mark and a study of Brian McLaren's We Make the Road by Walking.

A Merger That Became a Legacy

Southminster Presbyterian Church of today is the product of two congregations with a shared vision. Shades Valley Presbyterian Church was organized on December 5, 1943, with 28 charter members, after the Home Mission Board of the Presbyterian Church purchased property in Mountain Brook for a future Presbyterian witness. The name Shades Valley was chosen to reflect the hope that the congregation would serve the entire valley area. By 1953 the congregation had constructed a church building on Montevallo Road.

Southminster itself began as a mission project of Shades Valley. On June 6, 1957, 63 residents of the Vestavia area met to discuss forming a new congregation. By September the group had classes of elders and deacons and received its charter from the Birmingham Presbytery. Less than two years later, with the Rev. William Kryder called as pastor, the new congregation broke ground on land given by Shades Valley Presbyterian Church on July 15, 1959.

By December 2019, the Session of Shades Valley realized that the aging building on Montevallo Road could no longer be sustained financially. A discernment process began, then the COVID-19 pandemic added more challenges. By the summer of 2020, the Session concluded that the ministry in the Montevallo Road location could only be sustained for two or three more years and began exploring options for the future. A conversation between the two congregations revealed they shared a vision and calling, and a merger team was appointed to work out details. An aggressive six-month timeline was adopted. By March 2022 the merger agreement was adopted by each congregation, and by May the Presbytery had approved the plan of union. The first joint worship service at Southminster was held on Pentecost Sunday, the day of celebration for the gift of the Spirit and the birthday of the church.

In keeping with the ancient tradition of giving from the first fruits, Shades Valley made immediate gifts totaling more than one million dollars to seven long-term mission partners from the proceeds of the property sale: Stillman College, Firehouse Ministries, Greater Birmingham Ministries, Living River: A Retreat on the Cahaba, Presbyterian Home for Children, IMCK / Good Shepherd Hospital in Congo, and Habitat for Humanity. The remaining funds were entrusted to an endowment at Southminster for capital needs, ministry, and mission beyond the church.

Wednesday Night Connect

From early September through April, the church gathers on Wednesday evenings for Wednesday Night Connect in Grace Hall. Dinner begins at 5:30 p.m., followed by programs for all ages at 6:15 p.m., with the evening usually wrapping up around 7:15. Reservations for dinner are encouraged, with RSVPs requested by the Monday before. Summer evenings occasionally host fellowship dinners and activities as well.

The programs that follow supper vary across the year and have included mission partner presentations, fellowship activities, musical programs, and special worship services. The Presbyterian Home for Children has been a recent Wednesday Night speaker, updating the congregation on housing programs that serve low-income women and children and severely disabled adults. Elementary-aged children join Wednesday Night Kids, which offers games, music, Bible stories, crafts, and playground time. Youth gather in the Youth Room for a Faith and Film series, watching and discussing a variety of movies throughout the year.

Children, Milestones, and Vacation Bible School

Children of all ages participate in Sunday School and worship, and they are actively included in the life of the church. The nursery is open and staffed by experienced, caring workers and volunteers on Sunday mornings beginning at 8:15 a.m. and on Wednesday evenings beginning at 5:30 p.m. Preschool Sunday School introduces the youngest friends to multiple Bible stories each year. Elementary Sunday School, for kindergarten through fifth grade, uses a rotation model in which each month a new Bible story is experienced in four distinct ways: art and spiritual practices, mission and games, cooking and science, and storytelling and drama.

A new Milestones Ministry walks families through nine milestones of faith marking significant ages and stages of a child's spiritual journey. From a visit with a pastor before baptism and the gift of the Growing in God's Love story Bible, through learning about the Lord's Supper in second and third grade, the gift of The Book of Belonging to third graders and the CEB Student Bible to sixth graders, confirmation in seventh and eighth grades, and a final recognition on Bright Sunday toward the end of senior year, the milestones connect worship, education, and family practice.

Special events for children include the Easter Egg Hunt on Easter morning, Bright Sunday when children and youth lead worship, the annual Children's Retreat at Living River, and Vacation Bible School each summer. Recent VBS programs have run from Sunday evening through Wednesday morning, with an after-hours option for families needing a later pickup.

Youth From the Presbytery to Montreat

The intentions of Youth Ministry at Southminster are to help all youth feel welcome as children of God and loved by their church family. Together they study scripture, ask big questions, play games, spend time in prayer, and simply enjoy being with each other.

Middle and high school students meet every Sunday morning during the school year for Sunday School at 9:15 a.m., led by Program Director Robert Newman. The class studies the scripture passage of the day and discusses how it applies to life today. On Sunday evenings, youth gather with the Birmingham Youth Group (BYG) from 4 to 6 p.m., sharing a meal, prayer, study, and fellowship. BYG brings together youth from five PC(USA) churches: Southminster, First, Edgewood, Oakmont Chapel, and Cahaba Springs, with meetings rotating quarterly between Southminster and Edgewood.

Summer is a busy season. Youth Nights gather the group for dinner and games each month, and Mission Days take them out to local mission partners for service projects. Each July, Southminster youth join two weeks of Montreat Youth Conferences, with high schoolers traveling to Montreat, North Carolina, and middle schoolers heading to Maryville, Tennessee, the following week. Other opportunities throughout the year include Presbytery retreats at Living River, worship leadership, Christmas Lock-In, and preparation for Jazz Vespers and Bright Sunday, the youth-led worship services.

Music and the Arts

Music is central to life at Southminster. Ty Thornton serves as Director of Music and plays the piano at the 8:15 a.m. service, while David Renaker plays the organ at the 10:30 a.m. service and provides musical leadership for weddings, funerals, and other special services. Kyle Henderson directs the Handbell Choir as Director of Worship Arts and works with the Chancel Team to provide visual elements in worship.

The Chancel Choir sings at the 10:30 a.m. service throughout the school year and on select summer Sundays, preparing traditional anthems and larger works for special seasons. Rehearsals are held at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday evenings from September through May. The Covenant Ringers, the handbell choir, play in worship several times each year, with rehearsals on Tuesday evenings at 5 p.m. in the weeks before each performance. No prior handbell experience is required. University of Montevallo students serve as Choral Scholars, singing with the Sanctuary Choir and offering solos and duets in services. A Visual Arts team provides flowers, banners, graphic design, and other elements for worship, and the gallery space features diverse work by community members around a common theme.

Adults Growing Together

Christian education at Southminster reaches well beyond Sunday School. Presbyterian Women gather as a whole and in Circles for monthly Bible study during the school year, with Circles meeting on the second Thursday and fourth Sunday of the month. Presbyterian Men gather for prayer, study, and breakfast in Grace Hall at 7 a.m. on the last Friday of the month. A weekly Thursday Bible Study, led by Rev. Sharon Schuler, meets at 11 a.m. in Grace Hall and works through a particular book of the Bible. Recent adult Sunday School offerings have included a fall sermon series titled "How to Neighbor" and a three-week series titled Shelter: Where Do We Start?, examining the biblical call to care for vulnerable neighbors and the local housing crisis.

Serving Beyond the Church

Service is one of the three gifts Southminster names, and the congregation puts that gift into practice through partnerships that address hunger, homelessness, and the root causes of poverty.

Greater Birmingham Ministries receives food, clothing, and financial assistance from Southminster, with non-perishable items collected every Sunday in the Mission Hub behind the Sanctuary. Members also contribute Christmas gifts and bicycles for children each Christmas and backpacks and school supplies each August. The church partners with Habitat for Humanity to build and improve homes in the Birmingham area, with build days held periodically throughout the year. Firehouse Ministries is supported through serving dinner about six times each year for men facing homelessness, while First Light, which serves women and children, receives similar support through serving dinner about six times each year. Each Friday during the school year, the congregation provides thirty food bags to a neighboring Vestavia Hills public elementary school for students facing food insecurity, with bags packed each Wednesday and delivered Thursday morning. The Presbyterian Home for Children finds a drop-off location for its thrift store at Southminster on the first Saturday of each month.

Globally, Southminster supports the work of the Christian Medical Institute of Kasai and partner churches in the Kananga area of Congo through the Birmingham Presbytery's long-standing mission partnership. Each year, Southminster partners with other PC(USA) churches to pack 20,000 meals for Rise Against Hunger, sent to partner organizations around the world. The congregation also serves Café Justo, a grower-owned coffee cooperative based in southern Chiapas, Mexico, formed to address poverty and migration, both at church events and through community sales.

The Foundation and Its Reach

The Southminster Presbyterian Church Foundation for Ministry, established in 2009, has approved annual grants totaling more than $350,000 for a wide range of local, national, and international missions. Recent grants have supported Assistance League of Birmingham's Operation School Bell, Build Congo Schools' computer program for Presbyterian High School girls, Community Grief Support, First Light's rapid rehousing program, Hearts in Hands wheelchair ramps and home repair, Libby's Friends accommodations for special-needs children, Living River's commercial kitchen, PATCH food for senior couples, the Presbyterian Home for Children's thrift store, Urban Ministry's West End Garden Renovation, and The Wellhouse's dental care for women survivors of exploitation. The Foundation's grant applications are due each year on September 1.

The Southminster Day School

The Southminster Day School is a partner in ministry with the congregation, well known and recognized in the Vestavia Hills community for its strong commitment to education and smaller class sizes. The school teaches children from 4K up to fifth grade, sharing the church's facilities and extending its ministry to families throughout the week. The Day School Board provides oversight for faculty, staff, and students.

Leadership and Staff

Southminster is led by Co-Pastors Rev. Dr. Tom Bryson and Rev. Leanne Pearce Reed, who preach, lead worship, teach, and share pastoral care. Tom studied at Mississippi State University and holds a Master of Divinity from Columbia Theological Seminary and a Doctorate of Ministry from McCormick Theological Seminary. Leanne studied at Georgetown University and holds a Master of Divinity from McCormick Theological Seminary and a Master of Education in Counseling from the University of Montevallo.

Director of Music Ty Thornton holds a Master of Arts in Piano Performance from Bob Jones University, as well as a Master of Music in Historic Musicology and a Certificate in Early Music from Florida State University. Organist David Renaker studied church music and organ performance at Auburn University. Director of Worship Arts Kyle Henderson also teaches fifth grade in Oak Mountain. Program Director Robert Newman works with children and youth, provides the children's message in worship, and coordinates programs throughout the church. Church Administrator Betsy Murphy oversees facilities and communications, while Financial Administrator Lana Lash oversees finances and produces the monthly newsletter, The Response.

The Session, the congregation's governing body, is made up of men and women elected as elders for three-year terms. Standing committees include Congregational Care, Outreach/Matthew 25, Administrative, Faith Formation, Welcome and Engagement, Personnel, Fellowship, Worship, and Property. The Southminster Foundation for Ministry is led by a board with members drawn from the congregation.

Joining the Journey

Whether someone is exploring faith for the first time or looking for a new church home, Southminster offers many ways to get involved. A four-week New Member Class meets during the Sunday School hour, helping newcomers navigate life at Southminster, connect with church leaders, and discover how their gifts might shape the community. Dinners for Eight places members in small groups for a simple evening of fellowship in the fall. Those ready to deepen their involvement can explore teaching children, mentoring youth, caring for friends at home, providing hospitality, offering welcome, running sound and livestream, caring for buildings and grounds, making music or art, supporting the Day School, or giving back through the Foundation.

Southminster Presbyterian Church is located at 1124 Montgomery Highway S, Vestavia Hills, Alabama. Sunday worship begins at 8:15 and 10:30 a.m., with Sunday School for all ages at 9:15 a.m. Wednesday Night Connect gathers from early September through April at 5:30 p.m. for dinner and 6:15 p.m. for programs. Online giving is available through the church's giving page.