Building community and a building for community
10/01/2008
Two boys took turns at an inflated game of knock ‘em down at the Faith Baptist Block Party. Photo by Randy Klauk
Faith Baptist Church has been in North Minneapolis for nearly 125 years and in their present location at 44th and Russell since 1949. Since then the church has changed from a basement sanctuary in 1949 to adding a main floor sanctuary in 1951 and an office and classroom addition in 1968. This year they are adding a new entrance and elevator to the building. Pastor Kerry (Camden resident), who has served Faith for the last six years, said the new addition punctuates the church's vision for the church and the neighborhood. "The vision of Faith Baptist Church is ‘Building a Community of Faith through God's Faithfulness.' We want to be a good neighbor in a neighborhood that we love and build community within and outside of the church. Our small addition, that was recently finished, highlights this desire with a new entrance to the community, more glass to be able to see into the church and out to the neighborhood and an elevator to be more accessible to neighbors of all ages."
Faith, however, lives out this vision with more than just their building. On September 6, they held their sixth annual block party which was a huge success. Over 500 people from the neighborhood turned out to listen to live music, play games, eat and enjoy a beautiful day in North Minneapolis. The rain that came towards the end of the block party did not dampen the spirit with neighbors and church members rushing to bring electrical equipment into the church building. Block party organizer Heather Hetteen said, "The block party is our way of bringing people together in the community. It's about getting to know each other and making it known that we're here and we care. We want Faith Baptist to be seen as a light in the neighborhood - a place your kids will feel welcome at, a place that will be there for you in a crisis, a place you can feel at home."
Faith Baptist Church invites everyone in the community to tour the building and celebrate the completion of their construction on Thursday, October 9, from 7-8:30 p.m. For info visit www.faithbaptistmpls.com.