Southern Baptist Church expands outreach efforts

Bishop Donte Hickman grew up in Edmondson Village.

Yet, he has strong ties to Park Heights.

He attended Gillis Memorial Church in Park Heights from childhood.

Until he became pastor of Southern Baptist Church in East Baltimore 22 years ago.

"I was baptized and fellowshipped into Gillis Memorial Christian Community Church, just up the street. I was licensed and ordained as a minister at Gillis, married at Gillis, and served as the first assistant to the pastor at Gillis," said Hickman.

So when he heard that a church a half mile away from the church he grew up in was abandoned, Hickman lept to action.

"We see the same opportunity in this lower Park Heights, Park Circle community with vacant property and blighted property around the church to duplicate our efforts of affordable housing and other mixtures or property development," Hickman added.

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