That unexpected question is right where the remarkable story of the Paint Rock Seventh Day Baptist Church begins. Back in the late 1890s in Fayette County, Georgia, a local minister and farmer named Thomas Jefferson (T.J.) Bottoms was called to serve on a jury. The case involved an adventist minister arrested under strict blue laws for working on a Sunday. When the defendant chose to defend himself using only the scriptures rather than hiring legal counsel, T.J. was so profoundly moved that he began studying the Bible with fresh eyes. That deep dive into God’s Word led him to an inescapable conviction: the seventh day was the true, biblical Sabbath.
Choosing truth over tradition, T.J. boldly shared his discovery with his congregation, resigned his position, sold his family farm, and moved his wife and children to North Alabama so he could work a faithful six-day farming week, and the rest on the Sabbath. Little did he know that his courageous step of faith would plant the seeds for a legacy that has now spanned over a remarkable 100 years.
This past Saturday, the Paint Rock Seventh Day Baptist Church, in Paint Rock, Alabama officially commemorated its centennial anniversary. Approximately 75 people gathered to honor a century of faith, reminisce about the generations of the Bottoms family and local believers, and enjoy a wonderful fellowship meal together. The atmosphere was filled with warmth, gratitude, and delightful musical performances that lifted everyone’s spirits in praise.
Adding special significance to the milestone, Executive Director Carl Greene traveled down from Janesville, WI to join the celebration, presenting Moderator Steve Butler and the congregation with a formal certificate recognizing their incredible century of steadfast ministry.
Like the mustard seed described in scripture, the Paint Rock congregation has historically been small in number. Through the decades, the church weathered its share of trials, including economic hardship, stretches without a full-time pastor, and the devastating scars left by the historic 1932 tornado that wiped out much of the surrounding area. Yet, true to the promise of Romans 5, those very tribulations produced perseverance; perseverance produced character; and character produced an enduring hope that has kept the church doors open against all odds.
Though the local body in North Alabama has often been small and few, its spiritual footprint is astonishingly vast. Paint Rock has served as a powerful launching pad and seedbed for the wider SDB Conference. Over the years, the church has sent out numerous church planters, helping to establish fellowships and sister congregations across Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, and beyond.
Furthermore, the congregation’s heart for missions has spanned oceans. Members and descendants connected to Paint Rock have carried the Gospel to distant fields like Malawi, Africa—establishing medical clinics, schools, and local churches—while newer generations continue that exact same missionary zeal in places like Nicaragua today.
As the church family gathered to look back at their rich, century-old history this past weekend, the central takeaway was clear and deeply grounding. As T.J. Bottoms once reminded his early followers when questioned about his conversion, we do not gather to worship a church, a denomination, or a building; we gather to worship the Lord.
The story of the Paint Rock Seventh Day Baptist Church is a powerful reminder that while we may feel very, very small on our own, with God we are capable of very big things. Here is to a century of faithfulness, a legacy of perseverance, and a future spent pointing people straight to Jesus Christ.
