Rehoboth Baptist Church cut the ribbon on its new community center on Sunday, May 18, 2025.
The mission of the new the Rehoboth Community Center is to bridge gaps and build connections by offering holistic services that promote growth, health and wellness, social enrichment, economic empowerment and lifelong learning.
“Our mission is to serve as an innovative and welcoming space where every person can grow, achieve wellness, build strong relationships, and access opportunities for economic advancement,” said Rev. Ivory Thigpen, pastor of Rehoboth Baptist Church.
Dozens of community leaders came out to celebrate the launch of the center.
“We’re here today, celebrating the consecration and dedication of a building in which we purchase for the betterment of the community,” said Rev. Ivory Thigpen. “God, we believe, brought it into being. We will use this facility, the Rehoboth Community Center, to create a space and a place of hope, a light, a beacon of light in our community for all ages, much like our Worship Center at 4646 Hardscrabble Road and our Family Life Center at 4642 Hardscrabble Road which houses our childcare development center. This community center will house our Bridging the Gap Community Wellness Institute, so that in every area of human engagement we create wellness and wholeness for all ages and all genders.”
Vanessa Frazier, co-chair of the new venture, said “Our mission is to worship in the Spirit of God, to invite souls
to Christ, to serve God and the community through mission and to educate present and future generations. I’m excited for the children in this community. I’m excited for the women, the moms, the grandmothers, and the Gigi Ma’s in the community. I’m excited for the men, the dads, the grandfathers and the great grandfathers.”
Rev. Thigpen also said that he was excited for the new facility, but the vision for it was not his.
“The vision is not mine,” said Rev. Thigpen. “It is God’s. It is my job to communicate it clearly. It is all of our responsibility to take it and make what God has called us to be come into fruition. It’s God’s vision to be carried out by God’s people. It is in the fulfillment of that vision that we do anoint and dedicate and consecrate this building, the Rehoboth Baptist Community Center, in the name of Jesus.”
The Rehoboth Community Center is located at 4645 Hardscrabble Road in Columbia. For more information, call (803) 788-3397 or email BridgingTheGapCWI@gmail.com.
