There may not be a church more alive with activity in Yazoo County.
The church has adopted Bentonia Gibbs Elementary School and has numerous missions planned to support the local students at the county’s largest elementary school.
They’re converting the former parsonage into an office to serve the county with counseling that includes service to area schools and the youth court system. The building that has been vacant for some time behind the church will soon be renovated and put to use.
New worship opportunities are being added to the calender. Signs will soon be erected pointing people to the church. They’re mailing flyers and placing ads in the newspaper.
Perhaps you’re thinking this is one of Yazoo’s larger churches, but these things describe what’s going on at First Baptist of Satartia, or Satartia First as it’s known these days.
Wait a minute...
All of these thing’s are going on at that little church with an older congregation of less than 50?
That is exactly what’s happening, and it sounds like they’re just getting warmed up.
The church members have been looking for a new direction for awhile. New pastor Royce Lott Jr. turned out to be just the man for the job.
Lott has more than enough energy for the task. He can’t sit still as he excitedly describes his vision for the church, for serving the entire county, and most importantly serving Jesus Christ.
He senses that he was guided to Satartia by God. After spending 12 years in Lucedale, where he built a ministry that included services to youth and families, Lott and his wife moved to Madison two years ago.
Last September he was asked to preach in some of the area Baptist churches that didn’t have full time pastors.
Lott served in several churches in Yazoo County and was assigned to Satartia in April.
“On the first day I knew there was something special here,” Lott said. “We hit it off right away.
By third time he visited, Lott was asked if he would be interested in considering serving full time. The church voted to hire him in May.
“We really believe this is a time for us to grow and make some positive changes,” Lott said. “I’m not just here to fill a pulpit; I’m here to help grow this church and serve this community. They are very hungry to serve. I laid out a to-do list, and they’ve been getting after it.”
The parsonage next to the church is now being transformed into the office that will include services offered by Lott’s Life Coach South counseling ministry, which provides numerous services to youth, the youth court system, local schools and families. More details about Life Coach South are available online at lifecoachsouth.org.
“I’ve met with the sheriff and some of the judges to try to build relationships,” Lott said.
One of the things Lott is most excited about is adopting Bentonia Gibbs Elementary. The congregation is already working on establishing sites for a major school supply drive.
Another priority will be a backpack ministry that provides food for children who would otherwise go without.
:”This congregation was amazed when I shared with them that there are some kids at our local schools who go home on Friday and don’t have any food until they come back to school on Monday,” Lott said. “That’s happening right here in Yazoo County.”
Many other plans are being made. Lott said he hopes to become a familiar face all over Yazoo County.
“We want to do God’s work, and that’s much bigger than just Satartia,” Lott said.
Satartia First is located at 310 Plum Street in Satartia. For more information call Lott at 601-668-4584.
