LEONARD GRAY

PHOTO 1: The First Baptist Church of St. Rose, an offshoot of the First Baptirst Church of Norco, is currently sponsoring a second church in the Almedia area. (Staff Photo by Leonard Gray) ST. ROSE – “It’s home now. It’s been a blessing to me.” Those and similar sentiments are testimony to the place First Baptist Church of St. Rose holds among its congregation. Gladys Keller spoke those words, and has raised her growing family in the church as well. Keller came to St. Rose 67 years ago from Harahan when she married her late husband, Louis, in 1933. They raised three children and although her husband died in 1978, she is far from alone. From her 11 grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild, to her extended church family, Keller is a respected matriarch at First Baptist. First Baptist Church of St. Rose had its beginnings as a chapel sponsored by First Baptist Church of Norco, and it will celebrate its 43rd birthday in November. Also remarkable is that it is only on its second pastor, the Rev. W.O. Cottingham. The church was originally organized in 1958 under the leadership of the Rev. L.B. Humphrey of Houston. The tiny congregation first met in a home, then under a tent in a pecan grove and finally at the present location in their first building, a wooden structure built by Rev. Humphrey. The mission became a full-fledged church in 1966 and the present building was erected in 1977, having borrowed $110,000 from the Bank of St. Charles for the project and seats 250 persons. Cottingham said he is looking forward to paying off the last $4,350 before he retires. Cottingham, 81, from Birmingham, Ala., started in seminary in 1956. He came to First Baptist in 1959. “I believe the Lord led me here,” he said with his frequent smile. PHOTO 3: Together in prayer, the Rev. W.O. Cottingham is joined by, from left, Gladys Keller, Karla Pfister, Michael Hybart and Walter Blackwell. (Staff Photo by Leonard Gray) His wife, Alpha, brought many to the church by her example teaching in St. Rose for 25 years. Together, the Christian couple raised four children but feel the church family is their family as well. Cottingham launched his prison ministry in the 1960s and for nearly 30 years was chaplain for the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office, often to be found at the parish jail, counseling inmates and holding Bible classes. The heart of the church has long been its congregation. Karla Pfister has only been a member for six months and is preparing to get married, for the second time, this fall. She felt her first marriage failed because it was not founded in Jesus Christ and although she was raised as a Catholic, she found her true spiritual identity at First Baptist. She and her husband-to-be each have two children from their respective prior marriages, and they plan to raise their children in the Baptist faith. “We can overcome anything with Christ,” Pfister said. “I occasionally went to church before, but I’ve found that with better church foundations, I would’ve made better decisions in my life,” Pfister continued. “I also realized the importance of church to my children.” Michael Hybart has a special place at First Baptist, serving as mission pastor to a new congregation in the Almedia Plantation area of St. Rose. Formed two years ago, Bethel Chapel meets at 112 Johnson Street. “I grew up in Florida, north of Pensacola,” Hybart said. “I’ve been a truck driver since 1978 and became a Christian in 1988 after I read the Gospel of John in a Dallas motel room.” He joined the Baptist faith and even taught Sunday School at the Williams Boulevard Baptist Church in Kenner, but still felt unsatisfied, feeling a drive to serve the church even more. He discussed his feelings with his pastor, who advised him that Hybart was feeling the call of ministry. He, his wife, and two children soon found themselves in St. Rose after he completed studies at New Orleans Baptist Seminary. Walter Blackwell is another former Catholic who has found his new church home in St. Rose. He works at Bunge Grain Elevator as an industrial mechanic. He and his wife, Sally, felt their three children needed a strong spiritual foundation and his wife would bring them to church. However, it was finally impressed upon him by Rev. Cottingham that to be a strong spiritual leader in the family, he needed to lead by example on a consistent basis. “I always wanted to be a positive role model for my children,” Blackwell said. Now, his son, Matthew, plays drums at the services. First Baptist Church of St. Rose is not a large church, having but 200 members. However, Rev. Cottingham is always looking for ways to extend his ministry. “I feel the need to get the church out of its four walls,” he said. Cottingham’s wife also performs a ministry at Evangeline of Ormond Nursing Center in Destrehan. The church has not grown in numbers, but has grown in its love for Christ’s Word, they feel.