Mega-church eager to make Largo its home

Thursday, April 5, 2007

Mega-church eager to make Largo its home

by Brooke N. Garner | Staff Writer

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Raphael Talisman⁄The Gazette

The Rev. Brenda Girton-Mitchell speaks to the parishioners of the Metropolitan Baptist Church during their relocation festival in Largo on Saturday afternoon. The church is relocating to Largo from Washington. D.C.

Mitchellville resident Mary Ford was running errands Saturday afternoon when she saw a large white tent next to the Largo-Kettering Library and heard a marching band. The sights and sounds compelled her to pull into a parking lot and walk right into Metropolitan Baptist Church’s MNNA-FEST⁄Manifest community festival.

The festival was meant to introduce the church to the Largo community. The church is located in the District but purchased 34 acres in Largo in 2004. The 3,200-seat sanctuary is set to be complete in September 2008.

‘‘This festival is a good way to spread goodwill and let the community know that [the church] comes with outstretched arms,” Ford said.

The festival started with a parade led by the Symphony of Soul marching band from Bowie State University. Musical and dramatic performances were also featured along with moon bounces, food and free counseling.

‘‘Today is about letting the community know what the church is doing and letting them know about our different ministries,” said church member and Bowie resident Monica Roebuck. ‘‘We have outgrown our space in D.C. and to be able to come here and minister to people means a lot.”

The Rev. Melvin Maxwell, Minister of Children and Youth at the church, said the theme of the festival was ‘‘family.”

‘‘We are expanding our family ministry to include the holistic development of youth and kids. This is our most major transition in the church’s history,” Maxwell said.

Maxwell, who resides in Largo, is also eager for the move to occur. The new site of the church will include a music academy complete with a studio, a men’s academy and a larger version of the already existing Metropolitan Day School. The day school is a private school operated within the church and the men’s academy will offer courses to ‘‘disciple men to become better men of God and better husbands,” Maxwell said.

Preparation for the festival began in October but advertising for the event took place over the last couple of weeks. In addition to buying space on Heaven 1580 AM, the church posted announcements in local newspapers and in Largo businesses. On the day of the event, church members distributed fliers to drivers along Harry S. Truman Drive.

‘‘We didn’t want to make it seem that we were not active in the community. We come as neighbors,” said the Rev. Brenda Girton-Mitchell. ‘‘We are focusing on serious conditions in the community like domestic violence and healthcare. It’s about living a healthy lifestyle and working on wholeness and healing. God requires us to do that.”

The church moved to the county because they needed a larger sanctuary and more parking spaces for their members. They currently own office space across from the designated area of the church site.

Metropolitan Baptist Church is currently located at 1225 R Street NW in the District where the Rev. Dr. H. Beecher Hicks, Jr. ministers. Services are held in the Largo offices on Saturdays at 6 p.m. at 96 Harry S. Truman Drive.

For more information on the church visit www.metropolitanbaptist.org.

E-mail Brooke N. Garner at bgarner@gazette.net.