SPOKANE, Wash. – As Mount Olive Baptist Church prepares to celebrate 48 years in Spokane’s east central neighborhood this weekend, the church’s pastor is asking for the community’s help in replacing the church’s roof, which is in dire need of repair.
“The church has had a lot of needs when I stepped into this role as senior pastor,” Pastor Patrick Hamm said.
Though he’s only been senior pastor for about two years, Pastor Hamm is no stranger to Mount Olive.
“When I think about Mount Olive, for me this church is a full circle,” he said. “My grandmother was one of the founding members and helped sew the seed to get this building up and going.”
Mount Olive has been in Pastor Hamm’s family for 48 years. And like his grandmother sowing the seeds to build Mount Olive, Pastor Hamm wants to sow the seeds to keep it standing.
“Thank goodness the main sanctuary is ok, but having multiple roofers walk that, there are soft spots up there that they said isn’t going to last too much longer, so that’s been our primary focus,” Pastor Hamm said, standing in his church’s sanctuary.
In four decades, the church’s roof has never been replaced, and now, contractors are telling the pastor that time is up; one bad winter will do the church in.
Right now, a stairway downstairs has a gaping hole above it, a few patch jobs are working to cover it, but without this entrance and exit cleared by fire code, the church’s downstairs floor can’t be at capacity. This means expanded services, like Mount Olive’s tutoring program, is not possible.
Pastor Hamm said contractors are estimating a total replacement will cost between $25-30,000, and that’s lot of money to spend for a humble hometown congregation.
“So right now, it’s really not financially feasible,” Pastor Hamm said. “90 percent of my congregation is retired and on a fixed income, so when we talk about tides and offerings that come in, that’s not a very realistic goal.”
So, the church is asking for your help. The goal is to have the roof replaced by the fall, to avoid working under harsh winter conditions.
“We definitely are trying to reach out to someone in our community to say ‘hey, we are here to serve our community, and we would be open to any help and support,’” Pastor Hamm said.
And in the pastor’s eyes, help received would mean little, without giving help back.
“To be able to reinvest back into families, doesn’t matter your walk or where you come from, just matters where you’re going,” Pastor Hamm said. “We want to be able to make that impact back on our community, to report back into the eastside, and let people know there is help.”
Mount Olive would love the community to stop by their 48th anniversary celebrations this weekend, the theme is “Laying A New Foundation.” A musical will take place Saturday night, followed by Sunday service.
In the meantime, if you would like to help, you can get in touch with Pastor Hamm by calling the church at this number: 509-994-9991.
