Got Faith? Legend's on the Hill morphs back into a church.

Mission Hill boasts the Mission Church and now Fort Hill has its own Mission Church, too.

The Fellowship Mission Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith, Inc. erected its new, well-lighted sign at 85 Centre Street this afternoon. They seem to be one of three churches in the metropolitan area affiliated with the Mission Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ, a diocese of the larger COOLJC.


A quick peek in the door shows a a spic 'n' span buff-colored interior with a wooden lectern already in place. So far, there were no chairs or pews, though.

This announcement comes from their Facebook wall:

Fellowship Mission Church now has an address! 85 CENTRE ST. Boston (behind Rox Comm College) Come & be blessed - Fri 8pm prayer 4 power & prosperity! Sun 11am Worship & Praise - You will leave more blessed than when you came! See you there!

85 Centre Street was the proposed location of Beehive developer, Darryl Settles's latest entrepreneurial venture, Legend's on the Hill. When neighborhood opposition grew Mr. Settles withdrew consideration of his various proposals. It seems, denied a nice profit on a commercial-land venture, the property's owner has thrown his lot in with Elder Marshall on a spiritual venture.

It has been an interesting couple of years for this lot of land, from disused building to neighborhood store to disused building to putative church to proposed bar-restaurant and back to a church, again.

As noted earlier on this blog (4th & 5th paragraphs of this post), churches are not always the best neighbors. It will be interesting to see whether Fort Hill's Mission Church will be a good neighbor, whether they will successfully evangelize the neighborhood or whether the congregation will come entirely from off the hill, and whether the residents will reminisce about the good-ole days when the building was quiet and disused.

Next posts: Got Milk?

Spiritual Amenities II: Timothy Baptist Church

Some folk's thoughts about the social ferment on Fort Hill in the '70s cluster around the housing activism of the Roxbury Action Program and the counter-cultural activism of Mel Lyman, American Avatar, and white revolutionary communes [re-published articles from the Bay State Banner 30 years apart].

A different side of the developing social fabric of the '70s was in the arrival, in 1977, of the Timothy Baptist Church. Founded in 1967 by Dekalb, Mississippi, transplant Dennis L. Grace, the church bounced around from Norfolk to Bowdoin to Nelson streets in Dorchester, before settling in the old Latvian church on the 10,000 sq ft parcel at the corner of Highland and Morley streets.

The Timothy Baptist Church, Inc. web site is remarkable for any church or business. It is broad and deep. It enables the reader to learn a great deal about the church and its leadership, from their views on Believer-baptism to the family.

The building itself is wedged in among the backyards of its residential neighbors. It is in good repair, with at least five split-duct air conditioning units, so perhaps, during the warm months the windows remain closed and the sound of the music and worship does not intrude too much on the neighbors. The parcel does not contain any parking, so Highland Street was parked up to the gills at 2 pm on a recent Sunday afternoon.

There is a full church hall beneath the handicap accessible worship space. The picture gallery [an exquisitely annoying Smilebox page] shows lots of smiles and children.

Looking for a Christian house of worship on Sunday morning within easy walking distance? The Timothy Baptist Church could fit the bill: Sunday School for all ages at 9:30 and worship at 11 am.

Spiritual Amenities on Fort Hill: I

Some on Fort Hill have bemoaned its lack of "urban amenities." A Highland Parking vision process seems to be just beginning, so those seeking a greater number or variety of urban amenities have not had a chance to elaborate what they mean by these words in a broad public forum.

Given recent controversy, certainly a neighborhood place to get a drink of alcohol, hear some nice jazz, and be able to break bread with friends was central to these desires. Or, perhaps, the dark horse chance of a jazz-tavern only rushed in from the margins of possibility with talk of Mr. Settles's Centre Street club.

Some folk have expressed simple desires: to be able to purchase a gallon of milk, to get a take-out sandwich, or to do laundry without having to walk off the hill. Sometimes the fabled dry cleaners on Alvah Kittredge Square gets a mention in the litany of wouldn't it be nice if....

Given the concentration of artists on the hill, it would be natural to yearn for well-lighted gallery or studio space, or for an intimate performance venue for music or drama.

Art, drama, and music provoke challenge and provide comfort to the spirit and soul. So, too, does religion.

The proposed use at 85 Centre Street has veered recently from nothing to church to bar to something unknown. Since the controversy has provoked a Highland Park vision process and since a recent proposed use for #85 was spiritual—and may yet be—it seems topical to consider current religious uses on the hill: the churches, mosques, and other spiritual amenities.

It would be too easy and too obvious to start with the landmarks. So, instead, the next posts will briefly examine the less obvious houses for the spirit.