New Faith Baptist Church

Mar 25th, 2024

Dec 4th, 2023

A group of us from Interfaith Association of Central Ohio [IACO] visited New Faith Baptist Church of Christ, at 955 Oak St. in the "Olde Towne East" neighborhood of Columbus, on 10-1-2023. The music at New Faith Baptist Church had been far louder than any music that I have ever heard. While I had grown up attending a church where we would sing hymns that might last for 3 minutes or so and then would end, I am now a Quaker who is used to sitting with a group of people in total silence -- for an hour or so -- that is interrupted only occasionally by spoken messages. After the first loud song in the sanctuary had lasted for fifteen minutes and then had transitioned to a second loud song, I decided to move out into the hallway to protect my hearing. After ten minutes in the hallway [where it had been only slightly quieter], I decided to go outside for a while to take a few photographs of the outside of the building. After I had returned to the building after my brief sojourn outside, several nice women in the hallway invited me to sit in a nearby Sunday School room whenever I might need to. During the next hour or so, I would alternate -- depending on the loudness of the music at the time -- between that Sunday School room and the hallway. Soon after worship had ended, the pastor invited everyone, both the interfaith visitors and members of that congregation, to join a large circle for an extended conversation about our respective experiences that morning. It had been great to be able to experience a style of worship that is not my own and also to be so warmly welcomed as a visitor to that community.
Sep 16th, 2023

Jan 20th, 2023

Excellent
Apr 2nd, 2022