The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-01
FIRST BAPTIST ] }
 CHURCH TOhOLD
 REUNION SUNDAY
Will Celebrate Fifth Year
 Of Dr. J. R. Hobbs sa PastOrate

sHeUut0n Lay for all former ana prepent members of the First Baptist chufrh will Dc observed Sunday. in eel ebration of .Dr. ]. R. Hobbs fifth an nivefsAry as pastor.
 All people who have joined the church during the past five years have received a special invitation to attend sunday school and church services on Dr. Hobbs has announced for his sunday morning topic Seeing Visions and Dreaming Dreams" and for the evening service he will preach on the s6seond Coming of Christ and the Jddtmsnt.v
 sspecial music befitting the oecasion ms. been arranged by !. Fred Schol. field, .musicAl director of the church and Mrs. Scholfield, soloist.
 Whep Dr. Hobbs came to Birming. ham in JanuAry. 1919, from Jonesboro Ark, where he had been pastor of the First Baptist church, the membership of the Fifst Baptist church of Birming. ham vas 800. Since then ,455 mem. bers have been taken into the church k26 of whom were received during 1923 and 64 during the mSnth1of January 1924.
 Attendance IncreAse.
 During the first year of Dr. Hobbs pastorate, the Sunday school had an average attendance of 250, against an eyerase of 904 the last quarter of 1923
 The addition of the church organ, al afeest of $2O. 800, is one of the. main undertakings accomplished by the church during the years that Dr. Hobbs has been pastor.
 < Enrt rh,sroh and dnro,r;na t;on.I on tepfisss, approximately $175,OO0 has been, giyen,s besides money contributed to other causes by members of the ], church. sunday school classes and oth. CT organizations. About x65,00O has been paid into the $75,00O,O 900 cam. B. Y.s F. U. and w.. NJ. U. work and that of other auxiliary organiza. tions has grown in proportion.
 Radio Congregation.
 .- Since the inauguration C the radio ecngfegation in October, the church. has heard from about 5000 people. 1t Is : tnown that there are listeners-in in 31 states, Mexico, Cuba and Canada and on yfssels at seaH Letters have been . received from listeners-in in every large city east of the Rockies except the most distant in Maine, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island and also from pa. ! tients in many hospitals, especially from those for the rehabilitation oi : soldiers. Radio authorities estimate the radio congregation from 100, 900 te 100000. Radio services are con. ducted in connection with the WSY. of broadcasting station Of Birmingham.
 Since coming to Birmingham, Dr Hobbs has had prominent part in in : augurating the $75, 5,000,000 campaign 7 being a member of the executive com .mittee to which this work was com mitted. He was also member of the educational board of the Southern Bap ttst convention and instrumental in having this board located in Birming ham. In 1920 Dr. Hobbs preached be fore the Southern Baptist convention an Washington, having been chosen by the. committee. In 1921 he was elected wee president of the convention at its meeting in Chattanooga.
 975, 5,O0O, 900 Campaign.
 In 1923 Dr. Hobbs was made mem bet of the committee which will pro .5ect plans for the campafgn to follow the $75, 900 900. campaign, and wa, also made a member of the foreign naission board by the same convention.
 In state Baptist affairs, Dr. Hobbs asAalsO taken a leading part. In 191e he was chosen chairman of the state hospital commission by. the Alabama Baptist state convention, in which DO. eition he served for more than year In. 1922 he was elected vice president of the state convention at Culman, and 1n 1923 was reelected in Montgomery At this time he was also chosen a member of the Baptist state executive board. -,, "
 In 1919 Dr. Hobbs was elected mod.