Southwest Church is All About Transformation
By Sharon Mager
BALTIMORE, Md. — Following years of preparation and months of renovations, the excitement was palpable on June 1 at Southwest Baptist Church as Akin Omisanmi was installed as pastor, marking the beginning of a new chapter for the church. The building was packed, with members adding chairs for visitors, while others stood in the back, and a few sat on an old piano bench. Most were pumped up, hugging and smiling.
Seth Howard, and A.J. Omisanm welcome guests to Southwest Church. (Photo by Sharon Mager)
The impressive historic church, white with a steep Gothic-style roof, and stained glass windows, is a community landmark dating back to 1892 when it was built by the Calhoun Street Church of the Disciples. Lucretia Garfield, the wife of President James Garfield, purportedly gave the church their huge stained glass window behind the pulpit.
In cool contrast to the grandeur of the 19th-century Baltimore architecture, the sanctuary looks, feels, and smells new, with fresh paint, carpet, wood, a sound system, and lighting. Omisanmi said, “We needed a fresh look for our building to be in a better posture to do faithful gospel ministry here. And even thinking through revitalization, and replanting, I think it gave us a good foundation to start again.”
[Many churches have partnered to help with Southwest’s huge renovation project, including Bethany Church in Columbia, Grace Seaford Church in Delaware, and mission teams from Detroit and Atlanta, among many others. As a Send Network church, they’ve received support from the North American Mission Board and the BCM/D, as well as the Baltimore Baptist Association.
The Omisanm family praises God for helping them get settled in Baltimore. (l-r Colton, Beckett, Everlee, and AJ) Photo by Sharon Mager
[/caption]Grace Baptist Church, Bowie, is Omisanmi’s sending church in partnership with The Garden Church, Baltimore and ONE HOPE.
Spiritual Journey
Omisanmi was saved and baptized at Grace, an Independent Baptist Church, where his girlfriend, now wife, Kellee, was raised and came to faith. God used Kellee to bring Akin to Himself in 2010.
“I was dead in my sin at the end of 2009, and I was rebellious. I was under God’s wrath. And it wasn’t until I was very low in my life spiritually that my good friend at the time, but now my wife, encouraged me to start reading the Bible and trust Christ.
“So, I started reading, but I also continued to live in sin. Six months later, I was in a car with some friends, and we were going from house party to house party, and in between, just like that, the Lord saved me. I realized that I was guilty before Him, and the only person who could save me was Jesus Christ. And I told the brothers, ‘I’m going home and I’m done with this life.’ And ever since then, I’ve been following Jesus Christ.”
J Bagley, John Phillips, and Micha Rehn pray for Akin during the installation on June 1. (Photo by Sharon Mager)
[/caption]Akin had a football scholarship at Cheyney University of Pennsylvania. That’s the same time he and Kellee began dating, so he’d visit her on weekends. “I broke my ankle in the last game of the season, but the Lord used that, he said.“ I moved in with Kellee’s parents, and I started to go to church. Three months after that, we got married. I was 18. So, I got married young, but the Lord is good. Right after we got married, I was baptized and just continued to grow.”
A Call to Baltimore
The couple moved to a small apartment in Baltimore, and that’s when God called Akin to ministry, and ultimately to Baltimore. Kellee said, “I remember Akin was reading his Bible one night, and he just started sobbing. And he’s like, I think God’s calling me into ministry.”
He and Kellee began looking for a healthy church, but not finding one they felt called to, they moved back to Bowie, where they could continue attending and serving at Grace Baptist.
The praise team leads in music and worship, (l-r) Joe Harmon, Antonio Moody, Angel Harmon, and Kjersten Lopez. (Photo by Sharon Mager)
Seeing God’s anointing and call on Akin’s life, Grace Baptist Church called him to be their pastor in 2022, with the strategic purpose of sending him to Baltimore. They arranged for him to do the internship at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. Senior Pastor Mark Dever, also knowing Akin’s heart for Baltimore, would often introduce him to Baltimore pastors he knew. Two of those men were Steve Fleck, then pastor of Southwest Church, and Joel Kurz, executive director of the Baltimore Baptist Association, pastor of The Garden Church, and founder of ONE HOPE.
Fleck had started Southwest Church about 25 years ago, moving to the city, gathering a congregation in his home, and praying for a building, which God provided. Fleck saw the excitement in Akin and invited him to preach at Southwest. When Fleck gave his resignation months later, he encouraged the congregation to call Akin, which they did. Akin then did a residency program with Joel Kurz, The Garden Church, and ONE HOPE, learning, getting to know Baltimore better, and building a team.
A New Beginning
Akin and Kellee sold their home in Bowie and bought a house across the street from Southwest Church. The couple, now with four children —A.J., 13; Colton, 11; Beckett, 9; and Everlee, 7 —quickly settled into their new neighborhood. It was a big change for the whole family, especially for Kellee and the children, but Akin and Kellee both praise God that they have all settled in very well.
Joel Kurz challenged the congregation to support Akin and his family. Kurz, using Hebrews 13:17, shared that pastors, shepherds, watch over the souls of their flock and will give an account. Kurz said, “Akin will bear a burden most people won’t see.” (Photo by Sharon Mager)
]Kellee, who grew up attending Grace Church since she was five-years-old, said it was hard for her and the kids to move, but God worked it all out. “It was definitely a stretching experience.” She said, “I had such a weird calm and peace about it. And I think that’s just God’s kindness in allowing me to let go of that desire for comfort to that extent. It has been a change for the kids, too, but they also settled right in.”
The church is engaging in outreach and evangelism through prayer walking, distributing invitation cards, meeting people in coffee shops and restaurants, and simply getting to know them. “It’s through everyday loving our neighbors. That’s the sort of outreach we’re doing now,” Akin said.
Living across from the church, Akin, Kellee, and their family are meeting their neighbors on their front lawn. They’re having “Treat Tuesdays,” and serving food to the neighborhood in their yard. Tacos are a favorite. Akin said, “Usually, I just pull the grill around and start cooking, and people smell the food, and come by. Sometimes they come by wanting to pay for the food, and we say, ‘Nope, this is free, just like God’s free gift of salvation.’ Then we share Jesus with them. We even have neighbors say, ‘Hey, what can we do to be a part of this? We want to help next time.’ It’s been a cool way to engage our neighbors. We actually have a young lady who has been coming to the church faithfully due to that ministry.”
Now that the first Sunday with all the visitors is behind them, the church has settled into a group of about 30-45, and they’re drawing at least two new visitors each week, mainly from the neighborhood, and Akin is thrilled.
Dani Beth Tanious and Bethanne Puckett chat after the June 1 service. There was much joy in the room. (Photo by Sharon Mager)
Akin said. “Baltimore is divided into different neighborhoods, and in those neighborhoods are thousands of people who don’t know Christ, who don’t treasure him in their hearts. This is a unique opportunity for us to be a healthy church that allows people to hear the gospel and be transformed.”
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Sharon Mager is a BCM/D communications specialist/news editor