TIBBIE, Ala. — Members of Tibbie Baptist Church at Faith Crossing are continuing work this week on Holy Hill, a project church members hope will become a visible reminder of the life and message of Jesus Christ.
Several additions are taking shape on the hill, including the completion of a representation of Jesus’ tomb and a manger scene. Plans also call for a statue of Jesus to be placed on the hill by the end of September.
The Intent Behind the Project
Church member Jimmy “Red” Moss said the goal of Holy Hill goes beyond improving the church grounds. He said he hopes the displays will serve as a blessing to the community and, most importantly, help point people toward Christ.
That distinction — between grounds improvement and outreach — is what shapes a project like this one. A landscaped churchyard serves the congregation. A set of displays visible from the road is aimed at people who may never come inside, and it is meant to be encountered rather than visited.
The Displays
The two completed elements bracket the Christian story at both ends. A manger scene depicts the Nativity; a representation of the tomb points to the Resurrection. Placing both on the same hillside, rather than rotating a Nativity out at Christmas and a tomb at Easter, makes the site a year-round installation instead of a seasonal one.
Outdoor devotional displays of this kind are a long-standing tradition in rural Southern churches, where a congregation’s property frequently sits along a road that carries most of the community’s daily traffic. Prayer gardens, crosses on hillsides, memorial walks and Nativity installations all serve a similar function: they make a church’s message legible to people passing by.
The work is being done by church members, which is typical of these projects. Labor, materials and design generally come from within a congregation, assembled over months rather than contracted out.
A Busy October Ahead
The project comes as Tibbie Baptist prepares for its October revival and several other church events.
- Oct. 3 — Men’s breakfast
- Oct. 4–8 — Revival services
- Oct. 17 — Trade Day
The timing of the statue’s installation by the end of September places it in front of the congregation and visitors before the revival week begins.
What a Revival Week Involves
A revival is a series of consecutive evening services, typically led by a visiting preacher, with an emphasis on preaching, music and congregational participation. The practice is deeply established in Baptist churches across the rural South, and revival weeks are generally open to the public rather than limited to members. A men’s breakfast the day before, as Tibbie Baptist has scheduled, is a common way to open the week.
Trade Day, scheduled for Oct. 17, is a separate tradition — a community market where vendors and individuals sell goods on church or town grounds. Trade days serve as both fundraiser and community gathering, and in small communities they frequently draw people from several counties.
Tibbie and Washington County
Tibbie is a small unincorporated community in Washington County, in the rural stretch of southwest Alabama north of Mobile. Washington County is Alabama’s oldest county, established in 1800, and remains among its most sparsely populated.
In communities of this size, churches often function as the primary gathering institution — hosting meals, markets, youth activities and community events alongside worship services. A project like Holy Hill reflects that role: it is a church investment in something the whole community will see.
Work on Holy Hill is continuing, with the statue of Jesus expected to be in place by the end of September.