How an Alabama pastor’s dying wish still offers hope to the homeless decades later

By Karim Shamsi-Basha

John Bryan’s great-grandfather, the Rev. James Alexander Bryan, came to Birmingham in 1889 to pastor Third Presbyterian Church, and remained there until 1940.

“On his death bed, he asked the people gathered around him to continue serving and ministering to the homeless. That was how Brother Bryan Mission began,” said Bryan, who serves as the president of its board.

Brother Bryan was known to have worked with the downtrodden and poor in Birmingham more than anyone before him. He supplied them with food, shelter and care during the good and the hard times.

“He felt drawn to Birmingham and the people here, and he served as the pastor for over 50 years. He was known as ‘the pastor of Birmingham,’ and he had a special place in his heart for economically, emotionally and spiritually impoverished men,” Bryan said.

Bryan walked me through the Christian mission a couple of blocks past the McWane Center and the fashionable loft district in downtown Birmingham. The place was clean and pleasant and full of faces that might have experienced hard times, but the eyes and smiles were laden with hope.

The mission offers programs such as the New Life Fellowship (NLF) program. The nine-month Christian recovery class helps its participants recover from addiction, obtain stable employment and housing, and attain a healthy relationship with God and others. Currently, 75 percent of those who have taken the class are meeting its goals.

After the men finish the NLF, they enlist in the Exodus program, which helps them get permanent work and re-enter the community. The men are able to stay at the mission for up to two years in a safe, alcohol- and drug-free, Christian environment — one that ushers them back to wellness.

“I am empowered to carry on the legacy of my great-grandfather Brother Bryan, and his heart to serve those less fortunate,” Bryan said. “I love seeing the change in the eyes and hearts of these men every day.”

An unattributed quote on the website sums up the mission of Brother Bryan:

“Since being at Brother Bryan Mission I have been able to completely surrender my life to God for the first time in my life. Even in the midst of my life falling completely apart, I now have peace. I have never been more excited about the future and to see what God is going to do with my life.”

For whoever said those words, hope did find a home.

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Alabama Bright Lights captures the stories, through words, pictures and video, of some of our state’s brightest lights who are working to make Alabama an even better place to live, work and play. Award-winning photojournalist Karim Shamsi-Basha tells their inspiring stories. Email him comments, as well as suggestions on people to profile, at [email protected].