Steele Baptist Church

Donnie was called to be the Minister of Music of Steele Baptist Church February 1993 and has served in this capacity for the last 30 years.  Before joining the staff in 1993, Donnie launched his music ministry in 1968 and has served in several churches in Etowah County: Siberton Baptist, North Highland and his home church Pleasant Valley Baptist Church.  In 1976, Donnie received his Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from Jacksonville State University.  Donnie also sang with The Gospel Five Quartet for many years with his wife Becky who played the piano for the quartet.  He also loves playing his fiddle.   Donnie has served as a Deacon and Sunday School Teacher for adult Bible study for many years, as well as other ministries throughout the church at SBC.

Donnie and Becky celebrated fifty years of marriage June 27, 2020 and live in the Chandler Mountain Community.  They have three grown children Chris, Josh and Mary all  who serve the Lord as well in different ministries and churches throughout the area and state.  Chris and his wife Marcella and daughter Anna live in Tuscaloosa.  Mary lives on Chandler Mountain as well and is the Youth, Music & Drama Team Minister at Chandler Mountain Baptist Church.  She has two beautiful daughters Elizabeth and Victoria who attend Ashville City Schools. Josh and his wife Terri also live on Chandler Mountain and serve at Higher Ground Baptist Church in Gadsden, AL where Josh is the Minister of Music.  Their grown son Ethan is married to Emi, and they live in Chelsea, AL. Ethan is a Fireman and Paramedic for Chelsea.  Donnie and Becky love the community in which they live and love their family and are proud of all their children and grandchildren’s talents and accomplishments.

Donnie has worked at Siberton Fence since 1971 where he earned his PHD (Post Hole Digging).  Donnie is fun loving and has a great sense of humor.  He also enjoys gardening on his farm and sharing his vegetables with friends and family during the harvest season.  He loves his wife Becky and enjoys serving her through honey do jobs around the house.  

Heidi was raised in a military family that moved every few years.  She has lived in Germany, Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, Virginia, Arizona, and finally Alabama.  She first moved to Steele in 1995 at the age of 15.  She remembers Mrs. Lorraine Smith inviting her many times to come to church, but she never went, even though her family's home was located so that she had to pass the church every day.

Heidi joined the United States Air Force at age 19 and moved away, serving as an F-16 crew chief at Luke Air Force Base, Phoenix, Arizona. Once her 4-year enlistment was up, she did not reenlist and stayed in Arizona, where she was involved in a worldly lifestyle for a time, before she was saved.  After she was saved in Arizona, she returned to Alabama in 2007 to try to rebuild her life. She began attending Steele Baptist Church and was baptized here at age 31. She is faithful in attendance, is serving as our Nursery Director, and is very involved in our Children's Ministry.

She and Jon-Paul Posey were married September 6, 2011, and together they have 3 daughters, and 1 granddaughter.

Penny is originally from Ohio.  Prior to making a permanent move to Alabama in 2007, she had lived at Fort Rucker in Dale County, Alabama.  She has also lived in Kansas, Germany and Korea.  Penny has four children, two sons and two daughters, 16 grandchildren (plus spouses), and 10 great-grandchildren (4 girls and 6 boys). 

Penny was saved at age 12 in Fairborn, Ohio and was a member of Albany First Baptist Church.  She began attending Steele Baptist Church in 2016 and became a member April 8, 2018.   On October 23, 2019, she began working as our Church Secretary.

Bill grew up in central Mississippi and was educated there in Business Administration, with an emphasis in Marketing.  He moved to Alabama in 1990.  He and his wife Jan have been married since 1967. They have two children, Chris and Robin.  Chris is a pastor and teacher in Missouri and Robin is a teacher in Alabama.  Bill is retired and he and Jan live in Southside.

Bill accepted Jesus as his Savior at the age of 13 and has been a follower of Christ ever since.  He and Jan became members of Steele Baptist Church in 2003.  Through the years Bill has served on several committees in the church.  He and Jan faithfully update the messages on the church sign.  He serves as an Usher and is active on the House and Grounds Committee.  In 2020, Bill was ordained as a Deacon.

Bill desires to go into the community to share the plan of salvation and invite people to Steele Baptist Church.  He wants lost and unchurched people to know Jesus loves them, our church family loves them, and they are always welcomed at our church.

B. J. and Julie have been married since 2010 and have three sons, Levi, Gauge, and Cole. They love watching their kids play sports and being outside hiking, fishing, and hunting. They also very much enjoy playing cards or board games.  B. J. is a mechanic at Right Price Automotive and Transmission in Steele, and Julie stays at home and homeschools their boys.

Julie has been attending Steele Baptist Church all her life.  As a young child she accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior, was baptized, and became a member of Steele Baptist.  B. J. began attending in 2008 after being set up on a blind date with Julie. They were married on October 10, 2010 (10/10/10) at Steele Baptist Church.  B. J. was saved and baptized and became a member of Steele Baptist in 2013. Their lives wandered from the Lord, their church involvement was sporadic, and they were not faithful for several years.  In 2022 during a time in their marriage when they were on the brink of separation, the Lord intervened in a powerful way.  Their hearts were convicted and they rededicated their hearts to the Lord.  Their family and marriage have been greatly restored and blessed since allowing the Lord to lead their lives!

B. J. and Julie started serving in the position of Preteen Director in 2023. They work with children in grades 4-6. Their hope is that the children will come to know and love Jesus. They teach them the Word of God, hoping to implant a desire to want to know more about our Savior.  B. J. and Julie say, "We want this love and desire to spread through them to their families, and we hope to see families come to love Jesus and be restored the way ours was." 

Lorraine, also known as "Miss" Lorraine, has been a part of Steele Baptist Church for over 64 years.  Her parents, Pete and Blakey Wicks, were active members of our church, so Lorraine actually attended before she was born!  She was saved at age nine, was baptized, and became a member of Steele Baptist. Lorraine has spent at least 34 years working in various capacities in our children’s department.

Lorraine has a special love for children, music, and baking, and has a bakery business "Edible Memories."  She is a choir member and soloist.

She fondly remembers her days as a child and youth at Steele Baptist Church and all of the love that was poured into her life and into the lives of other children by faithful leaders...Sunday School teachers, VBS teachers, her youth leaders, Lee and Dot Gilliland, summer camps and the list goes on.

She also remembers the wonderful, sweet lady, Mrs. Dot, who lovingly took her under her “motherly wing” and taught her how to “love on children!"

Lorraine and her husband Wayne were married September 27, 1974 and they reside in Steele.

She desires to see children and their families become involved in our church family here at SBC and come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior.