Community Buzz 

Mark and Marlys Kuehnert recently celebrated their 65th Wedding Anniversary. They say the secret to a long marriage is to love, laugh and forgive. 

Thank you Trussville Chamber of Commerce for an awesome Dog Daze celebration in Trussville.

Pastor Clifford Hellmers holds a framed copy of a hymn written and sung for him at the recent celebration of he and his wife Dee’s 50 years of ministry at the Lutheran Church of Vestavia Hills. 

The Megan Montgomery Foundation recently announced their newest grant of $40,000 to UAB’s Department of Theatre to produce “Red Flags,” a theatre production designed to help young people recognize warning signs in relationships and prevent relationship violence. Learn more about the Foundation at the Celebrate the Family Expo.

Owen Weldon, threw out the first pitch for Birmingham Christian Family at the recent Faith and Family Night at the Birmingham Barons. Owen’s mom Dori is the event coordinator for the Celebrate the Family Expo!

COMPACT’s Leah Lightner and T Fox Salon and Spa owner Traci Fox will be two of the women speaking at the upcoming Women’s Business Council of Shelby County Summit October 14, 2026. 

Birmingham Christian Family was recently featured on WBRC-TV’s Good Day Alabama and other area news media to share about the Celebrate the Family Expo.

Special Feature

Shepherding Outdoors is not always about adventure. In fact, it’s rarely about adventure. I usually write about faith, family, and life lessons. Here’s an example… a few years ago I took Bay, our oldest daughter, to Washington, D.C. The Shepherding Outdoors effort was to learn about government and civics and freedom. We learned about history and patriotism, too. And most of all, we learned about courage and real American heroes.

On September 11, 2001, the quintessential American heroes revealed themselves over and over again. Countless stories of heroism came from the aftermath at the Twin Towers and the Pentagon. But the bravest of all, in my humble opinion, came from high above the carnage, on United Flight 93. You’ll recall that United Flight 93 departed from Newark, New Jersey in route to San Francisco. Forty-six minutes after take-off, four terrorists took control of the plane. A fifth would be terrorist, Mohammed al-Qahtani, had been denied entrance to the United States a month earlier; otherwise, he too would have been on that plane. His absence may have been what allowed four men the opportunity to become heroes. Tom Burnett, 38, told his wife, “We’re all going to die. There’s three of us who are going to do something about it.” Mark Bingham, 31, told the FBI, through his mother, that the hijackers claimed to have a bomb. The last words Jeremy Glick, 31, said to his spouse were, “We’re going to rush the hijackers.” But it was Todd Beamer, 32, who connected with a GTE supervisor while attempting to reach his pregnant wife, who calmly and decisively uttered the iconic phrase: “Are you guys ready? Let’s roll.”

“Let’s roll.” Oft repeated now as a battle cry, but Todd Beamer offered it otherwise. His tone was calm, collected, and matter of fact. Todd realized the men had to decide… die whilst immobilized by fear, and more people would die too. Or die as heroes and save lives. The choice was easy for Todd and the others. No discussion was needed; it simply was the right thing to do, no matter the sacrifice. For those of you who might be unfamiliar, seconds later, Todd and his team forced their way into the cockpit. Immediately after, the plane nose-dived into a field in Pennsylvania, never reaching its suspected target, the Capitol or the White House. Todd, Tom, Mark, and Jeremy all died that day. They left behind wives and children. A total of forty passengers and crew died in the crash. In truth, we don’t exactly know what happened inside that cockpit. The actual audio from the cockpit voice recorder has never been released to the public. It was played for the families of the passengers by the FBI, and it was offered as evidence against al-Qahtani for his role in helping to plan the attack. There is, though, a transcript of the recording that has been made public. What it reveals is a six-minute-long ordeal where those four heroes fought valiantly to break into the cabin and take back control of the plane. No one knows for certain exactly what happened, but the data tells us that the terrorist rolled the plane, pitched the nose, and slammed up and down, all in an effort to stall the heroes’ entry. The transcripts indicate that the heroes finally made entry into the cabin when one terrorist is heard repeatedly yelling, “Pull it down! Pull it down!” Seconds later, the plane crashed. Did the heroes save the passengers? No. But they saved countless others. 

And because they are heroes, they are forever memorialized inside the United States Capitol. Though the nine and ½ foot tall bronze plaque in the East Front Vestibule near the Rotunda, and the recognition it gives, is hardly enough of a tribute, it is fitting that the very place where others would have died but for those heroes now celebrates their bravery and sacrifice.  It reads: “In memory of the passengers and crew of United Airlines Flight 93, whose brave sacrifice on September 11, 2001, not only saved countless lives but may have saved the U.S. Capital from destruction.” And then it lists all of the crew and passengers by name. Todd’s daughter, Morgan, was born four months after he died. She, along with his wife, Lisa, and their two sons David and Drew, are Todd’s most valuable and important legacy, save perhaps his faith. Todd and Lisa taught Sunday school at Princeton Alliance Church for six years and worked in youth ministry. We may not be able to ever say thank you to Todd’s family or any of the other men, for that matter. But we can honor them. They were ordinary citizens, just like you and me. They died to help people, save people, and protect our country. We can learn from their example. “You’re your neighbor” and oppose evil. It’s a pretty simple motto, and if we’d all embrace it, instead of opposing one another, then these United States would truly be “one Nation under God.” Until then, thank you, Todd, Tom, Jeremy, and Mark. “Greater love hath no man than this, that man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).  Bay and I are ready. Are you? Let’s roll.

-Walt Merrell is a Christian Outdoorsman who writes of his adventures with his family, with the hope that others might be inspired and encouraged to embrace God’s tapestry, otherwise known as the great outdoors, as a means of finding Common Ground. You can follow him at Shepherding Outdoors on FB, YT and IG and at shepherdingoutdoors.com.

Special Feature

Since 1883, White Lily has been a fixture in Southern kitchens, built on a simple promise: bake with history, tradition, and love. Founded in Knoxville, Tenn., the brand’s signature flour is milled from 100% soft red winter wheat, a lower-protein, finer-textured wheat that gives baked goods an unmistakably light, tender crumb that’s difficult to replicate with standard all-purpose flour. It’s the reason generations of Southern bakers have reached for the familiar White Lily bag when the goal is a truly perfect biscuit.

That reputation isn’t just family lore anymore, it’s now being recognized nationally. White Lily was recently named to Southern Living’s Southern Food Hall of Fame, honored in the “Breakfast of Champions” category alongside other iconic staples of Southern cuisine. As the magazine put it, “Every Southern baker knows that the best biscuits begin with cold butter and White Lily flour.” For a brand whose identity rests on the partnership between simple ingredients and generations of technique, the honor affirms what Southern families have always known.

White Lily’s appeal isn’t only about biscuits, either. Its soft flour is equally at home in cakes and pastries, including the now-legendary pound cake recipes passed down through Southern families for decades, recipes whose signature texture depends on the flour’s unique milling. The brand also produces stone-ground cornmeal mixes, rounding out a pantry staple lineup built for classic Southern baking, from cornbread to biscuits to cakes.

This September, White Lily brings that heritage to Birmingham as Title Sponsor of the 7th Annual Celebrate the Family Expo on Saturday, September 12,  2026, a family-focused event celebrating community, faith, and home. The partnership is a natural one: a brand built on family tradition supporting an event built around family togetherness. 

For families attending the Expo, White Lily will be on-site offering a chance to connect the brand’s century-plus legacy with a new generation of home bakers. Whether it’s a Sunday morning batch of biscuits or a weekend baking project with the kids, White Lily continues to be the flour Southern families trust to turn simple ingredients into something worth gathering around the table for, as it has been for more than 140 years. Find White Lily’s delicious Lemon Pound Cake recipe here. †

Church Leaders

Each month, Birmingham Christian Family highlights a local church leader who is making a difference in our community. Amy Sizemore has been the Director of Children’s Ministries at Hope Church – A Community Church for more than 18 years. She never anticipated this job but God’s plan for her life was different than hers. 

1. What did your journey look like to your current position in ministry? I began volunteering and working with kids when I was in college. When I graduated high school, I actually thought I was going to be a teacher, but once I started college, I began to doubt myself and wondered if that was really what I was supposed to do. Little did I know then that God had a plan—and there wasn’t anything I could do to stop it! He had placed a calling on my life to work with children; I just didn’t fully understand what that would look like yet. My family moved to Gardendale and began attending HOPE Church, formerly Gardendale-Mt. Vernon. I was volunteering in Children’s Ministry and was serving as the Chairperson of the Children’s Ministry Team. One day, I saw in the church newsletter that they were looking for a receptionist in the church office. So, I applied. Looking back, I can see how God was using that position to prepare me for what was ahead. A few years later, the Children’s Director roll became available. Resumes came in. Interviews happened. All the while, I knew I was supposed to apply for the position. But I came up with every excuse I could think of as to why I shouldn’t- or couldn’t- do it. After a lot of praying and talking with my family and a few close friends, I finally found the courage to go for it. Looking back, I can see that God was working through every step—even the ones I didn’t understand at the time. 

2. How would you describe your church family? Resilient. We’ve had a lot of changes throughout the years. Many ups and many downs. But through all of it God has remained Faithful, and our folks have remained steadfast.

3. What is one thing you would like us to know about your congregation? We genuinely care about people. We aren’t perfect, and we don’t have everything figured out, but there is a real desire here to love God, love others, and serve our community. We love people, and our genuine desire is to do our best to help others in need—to truly be the hands and feet of Jesus.

4. What can people expect when they come to worship at your church? Expect a place where everyone is welcomed and has the opportunity to worship in a way that feels meaningful to them. Our church offers both contemporary and traditional worship services, so families can choose the style that best fits them. Regardless of which service you attend, you can expect meaningful worship, a welcoming environment, and most importantly, to hear the Gospel and be reminded of God’s love and grace.

– Learn more about churches in our area, including Hope Church – A Community Church, at BirminghamChristian.com/findachurch. Are you or do you know a Church Leader in Central Alabama we should feature? Click here to complete the Church Leader Q&A.