A small Austin church with a degrading roof is looking for help to buy a new one.
New Inspirational Missionary Baptist Church moved into the building at 5825 W. Division Street in 1985. What was once a theater became abandoned in 1979, and the property owner donated the building to the church. But the building was constructed in the 1930s and needed repairs off the bat.
“From ‘85, we struggled to bring it up to where we are now,” Rev. Andrew Griffin, the church’s founding and sole pastor, told Austin Weekly News. “You spend $1,000 in material to cover maybe 300 or 400 square feet. But then you patch that, and in another month or so, in another area, your [roof] walls are collapsing.”
The church has continually had to patch leaks in the roof since moving into the building. The repairs are getting worse and are too costly to keep up with.
“I’ve had several contractors that have said, ‘Listen, you’re wasting good money,’” Griffin said of the patchwork repairs. Contractors suggest a brand-new roof, estimated at $55,000 — an amount the church has struggled to work toward with its declining membership since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Griffin said New Inspirational has about 30 members who live in Austin, Lawndale and Chicago’s South Side. But the church had more before the pandemic.
While Griffin said he doesn’t know why some members didn’t return to the church, existing ones can’t finance a new roof on their own. And if ignored, the damaged roof will cause additional structural issues to the building, which could negatively impact visitor safety.
So, Griffin said the church will “just use what we got and keep going,” adding that he has no intention of closing the church if it can’t raise $55,000 immediately.
Whatever the church collects, a contractor will use that money to start replacing the roof on the building’s west end while fundraising efforts continue. Contractors will replace the remaining parts of the roof in stages.
“We’re definitely not going to close our doors,” Griffin said. “We’re not going to stop until the roof is done.”
At the time of publication, Griffin said New Inspirational Missionary Baptist Church has raised about $5,000 of its $55,000 goal. Starting in mid-March, the church launched its Go Fund Me page and started advertising its needs in Austin and Lawndale.
Those interested in donating can find a Go Fund Me link on the church’s Facebook page, send a check payable to New Inspirational Missionary Baptist Church, or drop off contributions at the church in-person on Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. or any time in the building’s mailbox. Donors can also attend the climax of the church’s fundraising efforts at 5825 W. Division Street on May 18 at 3 p.m.
“If it’s fulfilled by the 18th of May, then we’ll thank God for it,” Griffin said of the $55,000 goal. “But if we don’t have enough for the contractors by the 18th, we’re going to continue.”
The New Inspirational mission
In addition to keeping members protected from the weather during Sunday services, a new roof would also help the church continue to host other efforts, including programs that provide disaster relief, emotional counseling, and food for the homeless and elderly. The church has even helped pay rent for West Side residents.
Funding for such efforts “came out of our pockets and mainly came from our congregation,” Griffin said.
For example, the church, other organizations and Austin community members raised money and collected donations for Rolling Fork, Mississippi after a tornado devastated the community in 2023.
“Some people in rural areas after the storm, their transportation was demolished,” Griffin said. Church members and volunteers took several trucks full of donated supplies to those locations.
And the church has been a part of disaster relief efforts at home, too.
After heavy rainstorms in the summer of 2023, hundreds of West Side residences were flooded. Many are still living in homes with standing water or water damage.
Following the flood, New Inspirational Missionary Baptist Church hosted a meeting with U.S. Congressman Danny Davis, Ald. Emma Mitts and Ald. Chris Taliaferro, which affected West Side residents attended for counseling and advice. A few months later, there was another community meeting to help residents apply for FEMA funding.
“Pastor Griffin and his church have helped thousands of people over the years,” Rev. Ira Acree, lead pastor of Greater St. John Bible Church in Austin, said in a statement. Acree is also the church’s pro bono media consultant. “They have paid rent for struggling Chicago residents and forgiven past-due rent for many of their financially burdened members.”
“Pastor Griffin has been a rock for this community, helping people in ways that go far beyond the pulpit,” said Rev. Johnny L. Miller of Mount Vernon Baptist Church in a statement.
But to continue serving the community, New Inspirational Missionary Baptist Church will need a new roof.
“We’re going to continue to solicit. We’re going to continue to ask for donations until we get the job done,” Griffin said. “We’re definitely not going to stop.”