It's mentoring classes for young men recovering from substance abuse problems and young mothers fighting for self-respect and independence as they leave the welfare rolls. But it's also a place of praise and worship, of dreams and futures. Our aim is to be the zenith of the community, a beacon, a place to radiate light into the hearts of all. We are on our way. But history is intertwined into the present and future at First Baptist of Lawndale, as inescapable as day or night.
History lives in the old school, attached like a part of the soul to the new sanctuary.
But there's even more history at the Old Rock Church, up the hill a few hundred feet. A place that has seen the walls sink, twice, only to be reinforced with steel rods. A place where the Rev. Billy Houze performed countless baptisms in the outdoor baptismal pool. Where the Rev. Billy Houze and his 500-plus parishioners still bury their dead and place flowers on the graves and remember how hard they all fought to get here. Billy Houze stands in the rain and smiles.