By CAROLINE CARMICHAEL / Staff Writer

Hopewell Baptist Church, also known as The Well, held a groundbreaking ceremony at noon on Dec. 3 for a new life center.

“The Luther Lee Multi-Purpose Facility” will feature additional administrative offices, classrooms, a conference room and “The Robert Spence Activity Center,” according to Deacon Alvin Winters and Dr. Larry Sailes, pastor of Hopewell Baptist Church.

Luther Lee and Robert Spence, in whose honor the facility is dedicated, were longtime members before passing away.

“Both [men] served the city of Clanton, their community and the church with honor and integrity,” according to Sailes.

The families of the two honorees will be special guests at the completed building’s dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony, set tentatively for mid-April 2018.

The Clanton-based church, which celebrated 163 years of existence in November, is home to about 250 members and attendees, and continues to grow in all areas, according to Sailes.

Sailes said it is “having a vision” that incites this church growth.

“There is a strong correlation between church vision and growth, as compared to other factors,” he said. “The church needs to have both [a] short-term and long-term growth vision plan.”

Services at The Well are on Sundays at 10 a.m. and Wednesdays at 6:45 p.m.

Hopewell Baptist Church, or The Well, is located at 1497 Hopewell Drive in Clanton.