Sundays on Cody Road
Dayspring Baptist Church sits on Cody Road South in west Mobile, Alabama, near the commercial corridor that runs toward Tillman's Corner. Three identical Sunday gatherings meet at 8:00, 9:15, and 10:30 a.m. Each service runs about an hour and follows a straightforward pattern: worship through music, prayer together, and a Bible message taught by one of the pastors. Greeters walk families inside from the parking lot, check children into their classrooms, and hand newcomers off to people who can answer questions about the rest of the building. Free coffee and donuts are waiting in the lobby. People dress anywhere from jeans to business casual, and newcomers are welcome in any of those styles.
The 9:15 and 10:30 hours add smaller gatherings to the main services. Adult and student small groups, along with Preschool and Kids, fill the second hour at 9:15. The 10:30 service keeps students in the main gathering while adults step into small groups and Preschool and Kids continue alongside.
Three Pastors, One Church
Dayspring is led by three lead pastors who share responsibility rather than centering the pulpit in one office. Chase Alford serves as Lead Pastor of Teaching, focusing on preaching and helping the congregation apply Scripture. Drew Moss leads Discipleship - helping people grow as intentional followers of Christ. Kris Nelson leads Operations, strengthening teams and systems so ministries can flourish. Together they handle teaching, shepherding, and guiding the church by collaboration and mutual accountability, treating Ephesians 4:11-12 as shared work rather than a single job description. Chandler Grimsley serves as Associate Pastor of Teaching & Discipleship and supports the pastoral team.
The three lead pastors describe their role plainly: to teach God's Word clearly, care for the church family, and help every member grow in faith and live on mission. Their prayer is that Dayspring would be a church where Christ is honored, Scripture is trusted, and people are equipped to follow Jesus in everyday life.
Preschool Central and Kids Central
Children's ministry at Dayspring is organized into two tracks that meet at 9:15 and 10:30 on Sundays and again on Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. Preschool covers babies through K4 with age-graded small groups for Bible crafts and activities, then brings K3 and K4 together for Preschool Central - a large-group time with singing and Bible teaching. Preschool Central 2.0 on Wednesdays adds another hour of singing, Bible truth, and play.
Kids covers K5 through 5th grade. Each Sunday morning opens with a small group where a leader walks peers through the Bible lesson, then moves into Kids Central for a large-group experience with skits, upbeat worship, and an interactive Bible story. Every month focuses on one major biblical character quality with a single basic truth each week. On Wednesday nights, Kids Central 2.0 brings singing, dancing, games, and challenges, plus a chance to hear students and adults talk about following Jesus for life.
Julie Northcutt leads the preschool side as Preschool Minister; Sharla Raulerson serves as Kids & Families Minister, partnering with parents to reinforce faith at home. The kids area sits on the left side of the main building, accessed through glass doors on the steps. Check-in uses a kiosk system, and parents receive two matching tags per child. Every volunteer is trained and cleared through a third-party background check, and a security team monitors the campus on foot and through video. The curriculum comes from Lifeway Resources.
The Shack: Student Ministry
Middle and high school students gather in a dedicated student building on the campus called the Shack. Sundays at 9:15 bring students together for large-group teaching from God's Word, then split into smaller groups divided by age and gender, led by adult leaders who walk alongside students as they grow in faith. Wednesdays run from 5:45 to 7:30 p.m.: hangout first, then a live band leads worship and a pastor teaches. The room welcomes any teenager, whether from a Christian home or not.
One Wednesday a month becomes "Crew Night" - a themed evening with a meal, an activity, and a gospel message. Crew Nights have ranged from outings to Get Air and the bowling alley to on-campus bonfires and dance parties, making the space a natural place to invite friends. Matt Stefin serves as Student Pastor.
The Loft: College and Young Adults
College students and young adults meet Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. in the Loft, an on-campus room above other ministry space. The evening centers on hanging out, singing, praying, and hearing God's Word together. Smaller Bible study groups also meet around Mobile during the week, discussing the Sunday sermon and building community. Ryan Ivy serves as College Pastor, and the ministry runs an Instagram presence at @dayspring.youngadults.
Senior Life Around the Table
Russell Minton directs Senior Life, a community that gathers on the first Monday of each month for a potluck-style lunch on campus. Socials and day trips - including outings to the World War II Museum and ice cream fellowship - give members a chance to deepen friendships. Senior adults also serve, caring for homebound members of the church family and meeting practical needs within the wider Dayspring community.
Small Groups Throughout the Week
Small groups form the backbone of how Dayspring follows Jesus with others. Groups of 8 to 20 meet weekly for sermon discussion, prayer, and time together. On-campus groups meet Sundays at 9:15 and 10:30 and Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. Off-campus groups meet in homes around Mobile during the week. Men-only studies gather at The Shack Cafe on Mondays at 5:30 p.m. and Thursdays at 6:00 p.m., with a Friday morning group at Panera on Schillinger at 7:00 a.m.
The mix covers singles, married couples, parents of students, seniors, middle adults, women, and men. Small groups for students in 6th through 12th grade are arranged by age, grade, and gender. A small-group finder on the church site lets newcomers browse the full list and contact a leader directly.
Singing as Formation
Worship is led by Trey Taulbee, Worship & Communication Director, with production support from Robert Ewing. Songs are chosen to be Biblically rooted, Christ-centered, congregational, and formational in shaping love for God. The leadership frames singing as participation, not performance - "simply joining in with what the rest of creation is doing." Musically gifted worshippers can fill out a Worship Interest Form to serve.
Mission Forward and Local Outreach
Mission Forward is Dayspring's giving initiative that supports five partnerships spread across the country and the world. The partners include Favor City Church in Las Vegas, Palms Community Church in Orange Beach, Overflow Church in Kansas City, Morgan Grace Church in Morgan, Utah, and two IMB Austria team leaders in Vienna. Each year the church family gives over $200,000 through Mission Forward, and 100 percent of those dollars go directly to the partners and trips. Members can pray, give, or go.
Local outreach happens through named ministry partnerships. On Sunday evenings at 5:00 p.m., Dayspring volunteers serve at Urban Roots, a ministry for homeless and second-chance individuals that meets at the Hearin-Chandler YMCA. Tuesday evenings bring volunteers into downtown Mobile to feed the homeless. On the first Saturday of each month from 9:00 a.m. to noon, the church hosts outreach training and an evangelism opportunity. A weekly food pantry meets Tuesday mornings at 8:00 to organize and distribute food boxes. Rob Hartmann serves as Missions Pastor, and Terry Harbin coordinates church planting across new communities.
The Early Learning Center
The Early Learning Center is Dayspring's weekday preschool program, serving families throughout the week as a Christ-centered environment for young children. Directed by Jennifer O'Rourke, the ELC stands apart from the Sunday preschool ministry with separate enrollment and a year-round schedule designed for working families.
What Dayspring Believes
Five core values shape the church family. Biblical Teaching: Scripture is taught with conviction, courage, and clarity, providing a trustworthy foundation in a culture of competing ideas. Authentic Connection: because God has welcomed the church in Christ, Dayspring opens arms and homes so people can belong, be known, and experience real friendship. Practical Service: following Jesus is more than a Sunday activity; it shapes how members live at home, at work, and in their neighborhoods. Everyday Faithfulness: daily obedience to the Holy Spirit in ordinary settings. Strategic Mission: sharing the gospel locally, regionally, and globally through intentional partnerships.
Theologically, Dayspring confesses belief in one God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - creator of all that exists, redeemer through the virgin birth, sin-free life, atoning death, and bodily resurrection of Jesus, and sanctifier through the Spirit who indwells every believer. Salvation is a gift of grace received by faith in Jesus Christ. The Bible is the church's only source of absolute truth: infallible, trustworthy, and perfect in application. The Church is the representation of Jesus to the world; Christ is her head and believers are members of one body. Every believer shares in the priesthood of all believers, able to communicate with God personally through the Spirit. Eternity is real: those whose faith is in Christ will spend it in a literal heaven, those without faith in a literal hell, and God's desire is that every person embrace the offer of salvation.
Following Along Throughout the Week
Beyond Sunday services and small groups, Dayspring extends ministry through several digital resources. The Dayspring App keeps the calendar, sermons, and giving in one place. RightNow Media gives every member and regular attendee access to a streaming library of more than 20,000 Bible-study videos from teachers such as Francis Chan, Jennie Allen, Matt Chandler, and Tony Evans, many with free discussion guides, alongside a kids' library of more than 2,000 videos. Services are livestreamed and remain available on the church's YouTube channel. A Bible reading plan walks readers through Scripture at their own pace, and giving is handled online through the app or through the Mission Forward initiative for missions. From the Early Learning Center to Senior Life, from a Sunday morning at Preschool Central to a Wednesday night at the Shack, Dayspring exists to give every man, woman, and child repeated access to the gospel of Jesus Christ.