History
By Linda Smith
In a fieldstone church in the Sunnyside Community near Clay, Alabama, a small group met to worship. It was August 1953. Though there was no formal organization, regular Sunday school, and morning and evening worship services were held. Offerings were taken to meet only the actual expenses. Use of the building was donated by Mrs. Hester Mitchell, and the group continued to meet there until May 1954.
The pastor was Mrs. Gladys DeLay, a lady who was raised in a Quaker orphanage when both parents died in a flu epidemic. Greatly influenced by the Quakers, her call to preach was supported and encouraged by two evangelistic giants of that era, Dr. Glenn B. Tingley, and Canadian evangelist, Oswald J. Smith. Several years of brush arbor preaching, and the establishment of the Christian and Missionary Alliance Church in Hamilton, Alabama, resulted in this core group .
They soon outgrew the fieldstone church, and the infant congregation felt the need to expand and become a formal member of an established church organization. A fund was started to buy a building closer to Clay, and the official organization chosen by the group was “The Christian and Missionary Alliance Church”.
A series of revival meetings led by Evangelist and C&MA District Superintendent T. G. Mangham were held in May 1954. Afterwards, Mangham outlined the requirements and procedures necessary to organize a local branch. Eighteen of the adults present made written commitments to support the fledgling church with their attendance and finances.
The first functional brick structure built in Clay was struck by lightning and burned in 1962 just before Easter. Undaunted, members voted to rebuild and keep working. That church survives today at 6685 Trussville-Clay Road in Clay, Alabama.
Too young to be dubbed “historical”, it is still a simple brick structure. It claims no soaring spire, no gothic windows, no venerable cemetery to set it apart from a thousand other small, mid-twentieth century churches. That seed group, however, which began over fifty years ago, has grown into a small but vital branch of the C&MA, taking to heart the Great Commission with a passion that has been reflected in their financial support and local evangelization.
Eight pastors have filled the pulpit at Clay C&MA, now Clay Christian Fellowship, beginning with its founder, Gladys DeLay. Then came Harold Murdock, a policeman whose shift sometimes came so close upon preaching services that he wore his uniform to church. Then came Chester Damron who found his call to missions silenced by World War II. Chester Damron’s mission field became the southern United States.
John Smith, a native of Pennsylvania, came home from the air force and found the Lord and a mission for his life. He is a graduate of Toccoa Falls Bible College in Toccoa Falls, Georgia.
Gordon Stinson, also a native of Pennsylvania, was a missionary to Afghanistan for 10 years and to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates for 3 ½ years. He graduated from Moody Bible Institute with a pastoral degree, and from Michigan State University with a B.A. and master’s degree in education.
Ron Lotz, youngest of the eight, earned his associate Bible degree from Fruitland Baptist Bible Institute in Hendersonville, North Carolina. He is also a Toccoa Falls Bible College alumnus who ultimately graduated from Columbia International University with a master’s degree. Pastor Lotz also took a seminary extension course in clinical pastoral training and spent a summer as chaplain for the Oteen Veteran’s Hospital. His continuing educational experience and ministry has included missions trips to Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Haiti, Honduras, and Peru, where he stayed with Alliance missionaries.
The seventh pastor, Mike Miller, along with wife Sharon and two boys, Luke and Levi, came directly to Clay Christian Fellowship from the mission field in Korea. Rev. Miller is a graduate of Moody Bible Institute. Under the leadership of Pastor Miller, the AWANA program has been re-instituted. He is also the one who envisioned our year of Jubilee celebration and this written history, covering an eventful half century of service to the Lord. In 2007, Rev. Miller returned with his family to the mission field in Korea.
The eighth, Dr. Mark E. Shaw currently serves as the Founder/ President of Truth in Love Ministries, Inc., as well as Senior Pastor of Clay Christian Fellowship, Clay, Alabama. He is the author of The Heart of Addiction and Divine Intervention: Hope and Help for Families of Addicts. He has also authored numerous booklets in the Hope and Help series through Focus Publishing on a variety of topics: marriage, leadership for men in the home, gambling, self-injury/cutting, biblical counseling, internet, television, and video game addiction.
Dr. Shaw’s familiarity with biblical truths and the fallacies of many psychological theories enables him to have a unique perspective to frequently speak the truth in love to individuals, married couples, and families. Mark and his wife Mary have four beautiful children and reside in Clay, Alabama.
For over 17 years, he has supervised and trained counselors in marriage and family counseling, addictions counseling, and most recently in biblical counseling. In addition to counseling in the local church, he has worked as a director and counselor in outpatient clinics, crisis residential programs, intensive outpatient programs, residential rehabilitation programs, and inpatient adolescent group homes. He has witnessed the transforming and reconciling power of the Lord Jesus Christ in the lives of many people he has served over the years.
In addition to theological and educational training, Dr. Shaw has maintained certification in biblical counseling through N.A.N.C., the National Association of Nouthetic Counselors since 2002. Additionally, he is certified as a Master’s Level Addictions Professional by the Alabama Association of Drug and Alcohol Addiction since 1999.
In May 2008 Mark received a Doctor of Ministry in Biblical Counseling from Birmingham Theological Seminary. He has a Master of Arts in Biblical Studies from Birmingham Theological Seminary, a Master of Science in Educational Psychology from Florida State University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of South Alabama.
