Grant Park Baptist Church has been a fixture in the neighborhood since 1926, and we are glad to be here. The church was begun when twelve people gathered together in a house at NE 34th and Knott. In 1949, a sanctuary was built and an education wing was added in 1958-59, which provides a total of approximately 31,000 square feet for the entire church. This makes it one of the largest facilities for American Baptist Churches in the state of Oregon.
We are a small congregation that hosts two preschools, three other diverse churches, and various organizations in our building, including the Grant Park Neighborhood Association. But we are much more than just landlords and a gathering place for others. We are pilgrims on a journey seeking direction wherever our roads take us.
We are Baptists, but bear no resemblance whatsoever to the Westboro Baptists and other highly intolerant conservative traditions that have hijacked our good name. We welcome all people, regardless of age, gender, race, political leanings, religious background, sexual orientation, or any other factor. We welcome all pilgrims and seekers, all who want to find a place of sanctuary, a place to think, learn, grow, and serve. We are Baptists who love, promote, and practice freedom--universal freedom--freedom to inquire, freedom to learn, freedom to decide on complicated issues, and freedom to be diverse while uniting together for the common good. We believe in God, we believe in science, we believe in education, and we believe that in our diversity there is a core of common good, common hopes, and common accomplishments. We seek the good in others. We believe that the practice of freedom makes us all better--better persons, better organizations, and better friends. We see Jesus as a liberator who has set us free to learn, to love, and to work with others.
2728 NE 34th Ave (NE Corner of 34th Ave & Knott St), Portland, OR 97212 Phone: 503-282-5596
e-mail: gpc1926@gmail.com
Sunday Worship - 11:00 a.m.
Dr. Slayden A. Yarbrough, Interim Pastor
~ Sunday, October 9 at 11:00 am. The Rev. Jeremy Richards, our candidate for the new, permanent pastor position, will preach. The congregation will vote on Rev. Richards' candidacy at this service.
~ Sunday, October 16 (NOTE DATE CHANGE) at 11:00 am. We will celebrate our 90th Anniversary with a special celebration service, followed by lunch and fellowship at 12:00 pm. Public Welcome!
Grant Park Baptist Church
Grant Park Church is committed to being a good partner with our community in working together to make this a better place to live, work, and play. "Partnering" is very descriptive of our mission. We recognize that there are many organizations, institutions, and groups that are not religious in orientation, but who do so many good things for Portland and her people. We see an "unofficial" relationship with all who contribute to the betterment of our neighborhood and our city. And, in many cases, we actually cooperate with them whenever possible.
To this end, we are adding a new page to our website. You can see it by clicking on the link above which says, "Partnering." Information on this page will describe the groups and projects with which Grant Park Church works to simply do good things in the neighborhood and city. If your institution, organization, or group has an upcoming project and would like to enlist our church as a co-partner, please contact us and we will work at "partnering" with you for the betterment of this place where we all live.
I was looking through some old church documents, and found the following description of our vision, hopes, and dreams for tomorrow. The quote comes from a 2007 booklet, put together by the new pastor search committee that eventually hired my predecessor, Gregg Sneller. I think it sums us up beautifully:
"Though small in number, our vision, hopes, and dreams for the future of Grant Park Baptist Church are great! First and foremost, it is our desire to be faithful to the leading and calling of the Lord, as we seek to become the "hub" of our Grant Park community--the place where, when there is a need in the neighborhood, it is met by either the people or the building of Grant Park Baptist Church. Our focus is not only on getting people in our doors, but on reaching out beyond those doors, and beyond our people in our doors, to reach out beyond those doors, and beyond our walls, to meet the needs of our neighbors. It is our desire to provide a place in the heart of our neighborhood that is relevant, vital, and meaningful to those around us. We strive to be a place of grace, peace, hope, and healing for all who need it. We want any person from any walk of life to feel welcome, and comfortable, coming in our doors, and above all, we want to honor our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, as we do ministry in the Grant Park neighborhood. We believe that as we become that corner of life in our community, people will come to a faith in Jesus Christ, and the life of our church will continue to grow."
Grant Park Baptist Church meets on Sundays at 11:00 am. All are invited to join us for worship as pilgrims on the journey of life.
Pastor Slayden
