On my bike rides I often cross Red Mountain from Birmingham to Homewood (Jones Valley to Shades Valley) on Green Springs Highway. It is one of the lower roads over the ridge and unlike most Birmingham roads, the northbound side has a nice wide shoulder. But it is still is a climb, so I’m not pedaling fast and take in the sights.

One of the more interesting buildings is the Ministry Center at Green Springs. It was built in the 1950s or 1960s as the home of Green Springs Baptist Church. The education building looks older than the former sanctuary building. The church relocated here from a wood frame building at the base of the highway that is now the home of King Cotton Fabrics.

Like most post-war Colonial Revival churches, Green Springs had wooden pews with white ends with flat tops. These pews did their work for decades but a year or so ago they were out on the curb. No doubt more flexible seating was needed for the work of the Ministry Center. Still it was rather poignant to see the pews with their memorial plaques passing on.