Romans 8:28 says to us – And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose.
Over the years, we had set our sights on building a new edifice to house our ministry. In 1995, A land acquisition committee was formed and we purchased the land directly behind the church and parking lot. In 1998, our Deacon Oscar Harris donated additional land adjacent to what was purchased. After many efforts, God showed us that it was not time to build but He kept us moving forward.
In 2003, we purchased the house next door at 347 S. Harrison as our Annex with financing secured with Pioneer Bank of Kirkwood. We never missed a payment and developed a good relationship with the bank and it’s President, Mr. Jim Hall.
Jim Wilder (Manager of the Building Division for the City of Kirkwood) moved next door to our long time member, Sis. Marcella Newton. He was also our neighbor adjacent to our rear property line. He and Pastor Croft soon became acquainted. God was working and we didn’t know it.
In 2008, a tragedy occurred in Kirkwood that took a toll on the whole community. Out of this, a unique bond was formed between not only Pastor Croft and Pastor Scott Stearman but also Harrison Avenue and Kirkwood Baptist Church members. God took what was bad and worked something good.
Years would go buy and we knew that we needed a new building. Our Pastor assured us that it could be done, not with fundraisers, but by being obedient giving our time and tithes to the Lord.
The time came when we could no longer worship in our Church building. On February 28, 2010, we held our final worship service in the building that had housed our congregation for generations. We found a resting place for Sunday Morning Worship at the Rose Hill House, a senior living facility located just a few blocks away. Our office, Sunday School, Bible Study and auxiliary meetings were held in the annex.
God sent Jim Wilder our way to help us to move our project forward. He worked with our Pastor and builder Mark Videmscheck of J.C. Custom Homes. to prepare a plan for the building of our Church. Our Trustee Board worked tirelessly to secure financing for our building project. The tough downturn in the nation’s economy made this a difficult task and we were turned down numerous times. We kept praying and God kept working.
Proverbs 3:5-6 reads, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy path.”
Pastor Stearman connected us with Eagle Bank and Trust, a locally owned bank. As God would have it, our initial contact at Eagle Bank was the same banker who had found favor with us seven years before. In June, 2010 our Pastor presented a funding proposal request. The Lord blessed him and his colleagues to again find favor with HAMBC. In September, Eagle Bank approved our loan.
October 2010 was wonderful month for our Church and we give God all the praise for it. On October 1st, our Trustees closed on the loan for our new building. On Tuesday afternoon, October 5th our old building was torn down. Many members, family, friends and community members joined us. This historic event in our history was featured on the front page of the October 22nd issue of the Webster-Kirkwood Times. The ground breaking for our building was held that Friday, October 8th and construction began on Monday.
God stayed with us throughout the construction process. He blessed with favorable weather; in fact he held the elements until our building was under roof. All along the way he provided confirmation to us that He was with us and He was in control. The photo of the glow on our steeple as it was being placed will always be a symbol of God’s favor on us.
Our project was complete in just four months. On February 6, 2011, Pastor Croft led us as we entered in for our first worship in our new building. The Church with the "Red Doors" was open for worship again. It was what will always be known as our “Super Sunday”!
We truly have a story to tell. We hope you can see from our story the true power of prayer and that God is still working miracles.