Sayre, Alabama is a former coal-mining community located 25 miles northwest of Birmingham.  When the coalmines closed in the 1970s they left an isolated population. 
Abject poverty, extreme malnutrition, high rates of physical and mental challenges, drug abuse and violence consumed the community until God’s people from Dawson and all over the state stepped in.

Middle Oak Church, led by Pastor Del Reid, began meeting under three oak trees.  Though Pastor Del does not live in Sayre, he felt called by God to minister to this forgotten population, traveling each day into the community to assist in meeting the physical and spiritual needs of the people. 

The tree church evolved to a tent church and in 2002 Dawson, along with other churches and organizations, participated through giving money and their labor to design, gather materials and construct a building for Middle Oak Church.  The church, located in the center of the community, is used every day to help meet the needs of Sayre residents.

Since 2002, Dawson has participated in multiple community improvement projects.  Dawson has contributed financial resources and volunteers to rebuild the completely rotten floor of a single woman’s trailer, repair many other homes and underpin several homes to protect them from animals and to provide insulation. 

Dawson poured a basement floor in the church, creating a room used for Sunday school and creating a community storm shelter.  We have improved the community park by installing equipment, creating a volleyball court, and installing a security fence around the park perimeter. 

One of Dawson’s Sunday school classes regularly contributes to the financial needs of Middle Oak Church as well as to the Jesus Pantry that provides food distribution to Sayre’s residents.  Each year Dawson Sunday school classes provide Christmas presents to children of Sayre families. 

Long-time Dawson member Jim McCullers has been involved in almost all of these projects.  Jim became involved in Sayre before the church was built because of a kinship he felt with Pastor Del.  Jim was active in the planning and construction of Middle Oak Church and can often be found on Sunday’s worshiping at Sayre.  He is passionate about helping the people in this community.  In 2006, Jim joined the board of Sayre Revitalization Incorporated, a non-profit community organization whose mission is to bring economic opportunities and needed social, health and housing services to Sayre. 

Recently, Jim became president of the Board that includes Dawson’s Jane Roberson and Wendy Ellison.  Jim is proud of the efforts of SRI that have enabled each Sayre home to have a much needed individual septic tank.  Under Jim’s leadership and with participation of other dedicated board members, SRI has landscaped the main roads of the community, bought school clothes every fall for many Sayre children, paid for public school fees including extracurricular activities and has installed computers in Sayre’s Community Center to enable children to complete school assignments.  Jim looks forward to SRI financing a Sayre child’s college education and says he is constantly amazed by people who quietly support good works in the Sayre community.

Now Dawson is beginning a new ministry in Sayre to minister to the women of Sayre, teaching them daily essential life-skills.  Initially, the goal is to prepare and share a weekday noon meal with the women, hosting a table of grace and leaving them with steps to prepare the meal at home with their families.  Our desire is to share God’s love and encourage these women as we gather around a table each month. 

Dawson continues to serve with God’s people around our state to make Sayre a cleaner, safer community that is growing in the hope of Jesus Christ.

Explore the website of “The Sayre Project” to see photos and learn some of the history of what churches are doing in this community. Click