After living in Louisville for almost a decade, I had never really found a "home" church that reminded me of my church from home. We moved into our neighborhood in 2011 and loved having a gorgeous church right in our own backyard. I remember saying to myself, "We need to go there one Sunday soon.” Well, that Sunday turned into another, then another, and as the months and years passed by, I would hear the church bells ring, see the glowing lights from the steeple watching over us, and feel that we were somehow protected in our neighborhood, and somehow connected to this beautiful church.
In 2012, I began working at Chenoweth Elementary, a school right in our community. I immediately loved our school and soon came to see volunteers on a regular basis coming to read with our students, goodie bags with notes wishing us a wonderful year and thanking us for our service as teachers, and members of Broadway who volunteered in our Outdoor Classroom to help revitalize this space. More and more often, I noticed this community outreach and I thought, "How wonderful that this church is so involved in and giving to our school, I'll have to visit there soon.”
The following school year, we were invited to "The Blessing of Teachers and Students," and I knew that this was the time for us to FINALLY visit the church in our own backyard. Upon entering, I soon realized that, not only is it a beautiful church on the outside, but it was almost identical to the church I grew up in, not only in architecture, but in welcoming us with open arms. I met several members, knew a handful of families from our school, but left feeling refreshed and peaceful, and I knew that we would return.
That summer, our children attended the Creative Arts Camp and were invited by Pastor Robert to join the Children's Choir, to which there was a resounding YES! from our girls.
We have come to love Broadway Baptist, the church in our own backyard. The community that reaches out into the world to offer time, talents, and treasures to so many who may never even enter the walls of the church, but the love, care, and outreach continues nonetheless. We are blessed to be just one family in a congregation that takes the light of the Lord and passes that on love on to so many.