By Jamannie Morgan
AFRO Intern
jmorgan@afro.com
Zion Baptist Church will celebrate the opening of its new location at 1600 Harford Ave. with a weekend of events for the community. On March 21 the church will welcome community and outreach partners at 10 a.m. On March 22, church leaders will meet at their old East Baltimore location, 1700 N Caroline St. at 9 a.m. and march to the new building for a 10 a.m. service.
For Pastor Marshall Prentice, the ribbon cutting will represent much more than a new building. It reflects years of faith, perseverance and community-focused ministry.
Zion Baptist Church has long served the residents of East Baltimore. After selling the property on Caroline St., the congregation temporarily relocated to 5701 York rd and worshipped while leaders worked diligently to secure and redevelop the Harford Avenue location.
The new site was once a Stop and Shop supermarket that closed in July of 2014, leaving the neighborhood without access to fresh groceries and other necessities. Pastor Prentice said the church had an opportunity to give back and serve residents effectively.
“People were talking about a food desert. That was the physical food, but we wanted to bring spiritual food back to this community,” said Prentice.
The project has been in development for years. After the supermarket closed the building remained vacant for nearly a decade before the church purchased the property and began renovations.
Melvin Wilson, executive director of the Turnaround Tuesday workforce development program and chairperson of the church’s development committee, said the congregation remained committed to the vision despite challenges.
“There were people along the way who said this wasn’t going to happen,” said Wilson. “But our committee met every week for ten years. We stayed focused on the vision.”
Turnaround Tuesday, a ministry of Zion Baptist Church created in partnership with Baltimoreans United in Leadership Development (BUILD), has become one of the church’s most impactful programs. The focus is on helping unemployed residents and returning citizens find stable employment.
According to the organization’s web page, there have been over 2,000 people who secured jobs over the past 11 years. The church partners with local institutions to provide health resources for residents, including prostate cancer screenings, diabetes education and other wellness programs.
“We’ve always been a community church,” Prentice said. “If you need healthcare, we try to connect you. If you need a job, we want to help you find one. The ministry is about serving the people.”
Leaders emphasized the new facility was built with future generations in mind.
Preston Prentice, son of Pastor Marshall Prentice, helped oversee construction as project manager. He said the church intentionally designed the space to connect with worshippers.
“This building was built for our future. It’s for the next generation and the generations after that,” said Preston Prentice.
Despite the expansion, church leaders said their goal was never to build a megachurch, but rather to strengthen their ministry’s impact within the community.
“It wasn’t about building a mega church,” Wilson said. “It was about building a mega ministry.”
Church leaders expect hundreds of people to attend the ribbon cutting events, including donors, community members and local leaders.
“State Sen. Cory McCray (D-Md.-District 45) was a huge part of helping us to fund the community side. He’ll be there, we also have funders that really helped us to get this project off the ground. We actually had to make it a two-day event because we expect so many people,” said Wilson.
As for Pastor Prentice, this moment represents resilience and renewed connection with the community that the church has served.
“I call it an oasis in the desert,” he said. “A place where people can come to worship, find community and receive the help they need.”