Historic Wilcox County church to celebrate 110 years of Rosa Young’s ministry

A historic Wilcox County church that became the center of Dr. Rosa J. Young’s Lutheran ministry across Alabama’s Black Belt will commemorate its 110th anniversary with a memorial service Sunday, Sept. 27.

The community is invited to the noon service at Christ Lutheran Church in Rosebud, located off Alabama Highway 10 east of Camden. The historic church is considered the “mother church” of Young’s Gospel outreach, which eventually led to the establishment of more than 30 Lutheran church-schools across the Black Belt.

“We are grateful for this opportunity to celebrate and honor this faith-filled woman of God at the first Lutheran church founded in the Black Belt,” said the Rev. Dr. McNair Ramsey, a Lutheran pastor serving on the memorial committee. “Dr. Rosa Young loved the Lord and never tired of telling the Good News of the Gospel.”

Christ Lutheran Church and its school were dedicated on Easter Sunday in 1916 by longtime missionary the Rev. Nils Bakke. The church was initially housed in a school Young had built in Rosebud in 1912.

The present church building was constructed in 1928 with a distinctive T-shaped design featuring a chapel in the front and schoolrooms across the back. Its exterior was built with rough-cut lumber, while tongue-and-groove boards milled at the Vredenburgh sawmill were used inside.

From Rosebud, Young’s ministry spread throughout rural Alabama. Christ Lutheran served as the mother church for more than 30 Lutheran church-schools that served hundreds of families in Dallas, Wilcox, Monroe and Chilton counties.

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The movement also contributed to the founding of Concordia College in Selma in 1922. The historically Black Lutheran college educated students for more than 95 years before closing in 2018.

Young, an educator and missionary, became one of the most influential figures in the development of Lutheran education and churches among Black communities in Alabama. Her work was particularly concentrated in rural Black Belt communities where educational opportunities for Black children were limited during the early 20th century.

Christ Lutheran Church in Rosebud closed and was consolidated with other Lutheran congregations in the 1960s. The building remains as a historic reminder of Young’s ministry and the network of rural church-schools that grew from her work.

Today, the site hosts the annual memorial service honoring Young and provides visitors with a glimpse into the history of early Lutheran churches and schools in rural Wilcox County.

The Sept. 27 service is open to the community.