A growing spiritual influence in St. Clair
Story by Joe Whitten
Submitted photos
Christ in Me Family, a church organized in the 21st Century, does not have the years of community ministry as do those churches organized in the 19th and early 20th Centuries, but it has a strong and active spiritual influence in the community.
Located on Hardwick Road in the church building originally built by Seddon Baptist, the church was established Jan. 30, 2007, by Rev. Robert L. Orr, founding pastor, Sister Erica Orr, and Rev. Orlando Chandler.
Much time was spent in prayer, for the three desired that the new church be spirit-filled and inclusive. The first service was held in the Pell City Community Center, Feb. 4, 2007, with 100 persons attending and 62 joining the church.
Rev. Orr, in a 2025 interview, expressed his vision for the church. “It was laid on my heart to build a church where everybody was somebody. That was our main motto at the time: Everybody Is Somebody. That was the focus, and we wanted to make sure to build a culture where everybody felt important.”
To establish member involvement, Rev. Orr’s plan was for every member to participate in some area of church ministry. Involvement like this would create a feeling of “this is our church” as members worked together to bring in new congregants as the church would grow over the years.
Rev. Orr estimates that today, 80% of Christ in Me Family members are involved in a ministry. “We don’t have members who just come and are not connected. They are working in one of the ministries that we have.” The ministries are: Bereavement, Board of Directors, Children’s Church, Couples, Culinary, Deacons, Greeters, Media, Music, Prayer, Security, Strategic Team, Senior Citizens and Ushers.
No matter how young a church is, death and sorrow are nearby, and a Bereavement Ministry exists to give comfort and support to families suffering the death of a loved one. Jimmie Lou Sanders leads this ministry assisted by Linda McCoy, sharing the love of Jesus and His comfort in difficult seasons.
The Board of Directors ministers in directing the church. “Our church is not a congregational-ruled church,” Rev. Orr explained. “Our Board of Directors plays a special part because they make decisions for the church.” Members are Amelia Beavers, Laverne Beavers, Cheryl Collins, Tangela Orr, Victoria Hill, Lonnie Orr, Nicole Beavers and Carl Hill. The focus of the Board is to see that the church operates in unity.
Children’s Church was established when Christ in Me Family first organized and serves children up to 12 years old. It is a vital church ministry led by Cheryl Collins. “This has been a very important part of the church,” observed Rev. Orr, “because when families come, we want to reach the whole family – children, youth and teens.” A church needs children and youth in order to progress in growth.
The Couples Ministry, led by Nicole Beavers and Freida Sanders, has blossomed into a vigorous ministry. This ministry has a lot of outings such as bowling, movie nights, dinners, and workshops. Its events provide quality time for couples to fellowship together and develop camaraderie.
The Culinary Ministry is led by Shirley Jean Posey and Elaine Sanders, who prepared delicious food at the Pell City Steakhouse for many years. Shirley Jean started cooking there in 1969 and Elaine in the 1970s. “These two families have been a blessing for the Posey / Thomas family joined the church, and about 30 family members came with them,” Rev. Orr said.
When the church has dinners, luncheon, or conferences, Shirley Jean and Elaine are there organizing, planning and getting the job done. “With any kind of catering, they volunteered the majority of the food to the church over the years,” Rev. Orr said. “So, the church has never really been out much, cause Miss Posey and her family have served many events over the last 18 years.”
The Deacon Ministry is a service ministry. The first deacon was Cicero Hill, who served until his death at 86 years old. The deacon body grew in number, and part of their responsibilities is to oversee the church edifice. “These men assist me where there is a need,” said Rev. Orr. “In the Scripture, Acts, Chapter 6, talks about serving those that were being neglected. So, when we have a need, as far as the edifice is concerned or the grounds, all of these gentlemen have helped, and they have been a blessing.”
The men who serve the church today are Marvin White, Carl Hill, Laveran Beavers, Dino McCoy, Tim Fortner, Charles McCoy, Bruce Campbell, Khalil Pope, Kenyatti Sanders and Stevie D. Calhoun.
The Greeters Ministry, led by Victoria Hill, welcomes attendees on Sunday mornings. Other members assist the leaders in welcoming people as they arrive and serving them coffee and donuts. These refreshments offer relaxed Christian fellowship before worship services.
Christ in Me Family is blessed to have a Media Ministry led by young college grads who have joined the church in the past couple of years. Tori Hill and Khalil Pope lead this ministry.
The Music Ministry is under the leadership of First Lady Tangela Orr. The church has moved from the choir music tradition to a praise team experience on Sunday mornings.
The Ministry of Prayer is led by Prayer Warrior Linda White. Rev. Orr spoke of her power in prayer. “She’s an intercessor. She’s awesome when it comes to interceding for me and interceding for the Board of Directors.” For any church, faithfulness in prayer is a proven way of supporting and strengthening a church, its pastor and its people.
The Security Team is led by Steve D. Calhoon and Kevin Ellis.
Christ in Me Family’s Strategic Team is led by Lashanna Hollingsworth McKinney, Kenyetta McGraw Thomas, Shay Carter and Chandra Shepard.
Serving all ages
With people living longer, a Senior Citizen Ministry is vital to any church. No matter how old or young a church is, there’s always a group of older folks to minister. The Senior Citizens Ministry is under the leadership of Victoria Hill along with Freda Sanders and Cheryl Collins. “We want to reach every part of our church life,” observed Pastor Orr. “You may have a mother and father with children, but what about the grandmother or grandfather?” Activities for seniors include a luncheon for them at the church every third Friday. Christ in Me Family Wants to show their older members that they are loved and that they are cared about. Their experiences and wisdom are assets to the church.
The Ushers Ministry welcomes everyone and provides information to first-time visitors. Brenda McCoy and Freida Sanders lead this ministry.
Evolution of today’s church
After the organizational meeting in January 2007, the church met in the Pell City Community Center for a few months and then moved to a facility in Cropwell. A few years later when Seddon Baptist relocated from their Hardwick Road building to a larger complex on Hwy 78, Christ in Me Family was able to acquire Seddon’s brick church building for their own. They celebrated their 2014 Founder’s Day in the Hardwick Road location.
Pastor Orr spoke highly of Pastor Dale Foote and the Seddon Baptist leadership and their cooperation with Christ in Me Family’s purchasing the property. “They were very good to us and very kind. I want to say the first four years we paid the principal to them, until we were able to get a loan.”
The two pastors became friends during this process, and Pastor Foote recently commented, “Pastor Orr has a heart to lead the church. He’s a great man of faith and vision. It’s hard to find pastors in this day and time that will stay the course. Pastor Orr has stood firm and faithful. I’m glad our ministry paths have crossed. We learn so much by those God places in our path. Wonderful man of God!”
Christ in Me Family is a congregation of believers serving God and one another. A traditional praise song they sing expresses their joy of serving God:
What a mighty God we serve,
What a mighty God we serve.
Angels bow before him,
Heaven and earth adore him,
What a mighty God we serve.
If you are looking for a church where families of all ages are welcomed and where there is praise and worship of Jesus Christ, make a visit to Christ in Me Family. You may discover that you have found the church just right for you and your family.and influence generations to come. Hold fast to your dreams and keep on collecting history. Your dream has strong wings.
