Our Story

1983-1990

October 16, 1983-Far Eastside Baptist Mission was formed under the leadership of Rev. Luther C. Hicks. Far Eastside was established to minister to

the spiritual needs of the congregation as well as to provide for the basic human needs of the congregation and community. Pastor Hicks died in July 1990.

1990-1993

October 28, 1990, Rev. Reginald B. Fletcher was called to Pastor at Far Eastside. The church was meeting at Beechwood Garden Center, 2915 Graham Street. Rev. Fletcher was installed as Pastor in February 1991 with a membership of 15 people. In December 1992 the church became registered with the state of Indiana and received its incorporation status and changed our name to Living Word Baptist Church (I John 1:1- In the beginning was the Word and the Word was God and the Word became living flesh and dwelled among us). In January 1993 the church had to move out of the Beechwood Garden Center and relocated to 34^th& Emerson where it shared a facility with two other churches. In January 1993 we became affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention.

1993-1999

In May 1993, the Lord blessed us to be able to purchase a two room building at 4934 E. 21^st Street (see above). In April 1994 the Women's Ministry, Sister's In Praise (S.I.P) was formed. LWBC choir formed under the direction of musician Sylvia Hooks with five choir members. The membership had doubled in size and the Lord was allowing us to do great things in the community. Pastor Fletcher prayed mightily for men. He asked the Lord for five men that loved the Lord. In April of 1998 we purchased a house, which had fire damage, and the men came. We began tearing the house down and our Men’s’ Ministry- FBI-C (Faithful Brothers In Christ) was born.

2000-2005

In the summer of 2000, we purchased another house just north of the church and we began the process of rezoning the property and planning to build a new facility. We thank God that Otterbein United Methodist Church opened their doors for us to worship in their facility. This began our VBS partnership!! In January 2001 we hired a project manager and Pastor Fletcher became the general contractor for the church. September 9, 2001, we marched into our new church located at the old address and our membership continued to grow. In August of 2004 we purchased another house, which we have since converted into a youth annex and chapel. In July of 2005 we purchased a property north of the church for rental housing.

2006-2010

In June 2006 we purchased a home to be used as a transitional housing unit. Our membership has continued to grow in number and ministry. History was made in March of 2006 when we ordained the first set of deacons; this was a spiritual and emotional time for all. In February 2009, Pastor Fletcher became involved with the Near Eastside Quality of Life Plan and Englewood Christian Church. In April 2009, Pastor Fletcher moved from being bi-vocational. Teaching had been an extension of his ministry; now God was giving him a plate full of new opportunities. In December 2009 we were blessed to assist the Baptist Center with Operation Christmas at Beechwood Gardens. September 27, 2010, LWBC Choir was in Verizon's How Sweet the Sound Competition (Chicago, IL) under the leadership of Director Donna Mathis. In May of 2010 the Food Pantry began outreach to the community one a month under the leadership of Marvetta Grimes.

2011-2013

In January 2011- our Nursing Home Outreach began under the leadership of Sis. Wanda Cooper. In February 2012 we had our Super-Bowl Ministry Fair! Our marriage ministry and singles ministry began, and our Sunday School began to grow. We continued with Bible Study every Wednesday and a First Friday -Hour of Power Prayer & Fellowship. In 2012 Pastor Fletcher was elected as the first African American president of Crossroads Southern Baptist Convention. Our leadership team attended the Lifeway Black Church Retreat. We were blessed with 30 souls to join our membership in 2012; 10 baptisms. On December 16, 2012 4 additional deacons were ordained. In November 2013, 12 young ladies begin our Beautiful Feet Dance Ministry under the direction of LaQueda Finch.

2014 -2017

We thank God for the partnerships we are developing in our community. We thank God for grant funding from the Indianapolis Center for Congregations to upgrade our computers and media equipment. We purchased five additional homes and was gifted three lots. In June 2016 we developed a partnership with Faith, Hope & Love under the leadership of Merlin Gonzolez, this lead to an opportunity to further enhance our Food Pantry under the leadership of Deacon William & Marsha Lindsey. In June and July 2017 we partnered with churches from Crossroads Association, under the outreach of Houses, Hearts and Hope, to do neighborhood clean-ups and renovate and repair homes in our communities.

2018-2022

COVID hit, we thank God that we continued to worship God with a praise team and only 20 people in the building. We utilized Facebook to stream our service live and did occasional fellowships in the parking lot; we

later added U-tube to continue our streaming outreach. We started Word-Alive at Five on Facebook Live to share the Word of God in a practical way and to maintain a connection with our membership. In 2018, Pastor Fletcher was asked to join the board of Marion Academy Charter School, which involved the church in a partnership with the school. In 2018 we received a grant from Center for Congregations to take 32 members to the Black Church Leadership Conference and Retreat, Ridgecrest, NC. In 2019 a team of LWBC members participated in the Permanent t Supportive Housing Initiative to build Providence Place incorporation with Englewood Community Development Corporation (ECDC). In 2019 we received a Young Adult Ministry Grant from Center for Congregations to explore young adult's faith and participation in church. In 2020 Pastor

Fletcher became a board member with Central Indiana Council on Aging (CICOA).

2023- present

We are active in Cultivating Communities Initiative which is a cohort of eight church under the mentorship of ECDC. In February 2023, in partnership with ECDC, the groundbreaking of Providence Place Apartments, our 15-unit complex for people who are homeless or have low incomes was funded by Block Grants and the support of the city of Indianapolis. In December 2023 we received

a Mental Health grant from the Center for Congregations. We used the funds for the renovation and

establishment of the Mental Health Hub as steps towards addressing the mental health needs of our community. The Mental Health Hub begin offering its services, including one-on-one therapy and small group therapy in April 2024. Through our partnerships and initiatives, we

are working to create a more inclusive and supportive environment for everyone in our community.