Church Breaks Ground On New Worship Facility

Rendering of Antioch Missionary Baptist Church. IMAGE PROVIDED BY LEN GAR MEDIA.
Rendering of Antioch Missionary Baptist Church. IMAGE PROVIDED BY LEN GAR MEDIA.

Church Breaks Ground On New Worship Facility

By Tia Carol Jones

Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, located at 6248 S. Stewart, recently celebrated the groundbreaking of its new worship center. The church has been in the Englewood community for 100 years.

On Good Friday, April 15, 2022, there was a fire at the church, which burned for five days and severely damaged the sanctuary building. Due to structural damage, the sanctuary building had to be demolished. The Empowerment Center did not incur fire damage, but did incur smoke and water damage and had to be renovated.

The Reverend Dr. Gerald M. Dew, Lead Pastor of Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, recalled receiving the word from a trustee about the church being on fire, seeing the smoke from a distance, then seeing it up close.

“You could see from the Dan Ryan, at about 95th Street, I saw black smoke, 79th street, I saw white smoke, so I’m thinking they’re putting the fire out. By the time I got to 67th Street and Stewart, it was all black smoke and I don’t know how many fire trucks, ladder trucks and the main sanctuary was totally engulfed in flames,” he said.

Dew said he was hoping to break ground on Easter Sunday in April of this year, so he is excited but disappointed about the time it took to get to the groundbreaking and start of construction. He added that he is thankful the groundbreaking and start of construction took place around Thanksgiving. Construction started on the same day as the groundbreaking. 

The construction project is slated to take 12 to 14 months to complete. The project will include a worship center with a 900-seat auditorium, a dedicated worship space for children and youth, a formal banquet hall, and a wellness center for the congregation and community. The Empowerment Center will have a gymnasium, computer lab, a cafeteria and banquet facility, administrative offices for the church, as well as community rooms and meeting spaces for church groups and the community groups. The goal is for Antioch Missionary Baptist Church to be a full-service facility.

Antioch Missionary Baptist Church engages the community through outreach, including a prison ministry, supporting seniors and holding discipleship programs. Dew said his vision for the church is that it serves the community and meets the needs of the congregation and beyond. Building the new facility is meant to serve the residents and congregation who currently are there, while looking forward towards the future of the congregation and community.

Dew said there is a large contingent of virtual congregation members who are from across the country. Those people were able to view the groundbreaking online and celebrate with the church. During the groundbreaking, Dew said the groundbreaking was a long time coming and he was happy that people were able to share in the event. 

Donations can be given through the church website, antiochchicago.com, on Givelify ambcchicago.org (Build Antioch), through Zelle antiochchurchchicago@gmail.com, by Text-to-Give, simply text “Forward” to 28950, or by mail to 611 W. 63rd Street, Suite #012, Chicago, 60621 (please make checks payable to Antioch Missionary Baptist Church), or call for pickup (773) 873-4433. Square credit card donation is available, in person, during Sunday worship service.

Information on all other activities can found on the Antioch website https://www.antiochchicago.com/


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