Posted on Sat, Jul. 12, 2008

Pastor has big plans for family life center

It's quite a church.

At Imani Family Life Center, the new home of Imani Baptist Church, there will be a gym the size of two college basketball courts, along with two soccer fields, three baseball diamonds and six tennis courts. There's a café that seats 170 and a kitchen where kids can eat hot meals during summer camp, and a computer lab where they can do their homework.

When it's finished, the sanctuary, built on almost 23 acres in north Lexington, will seat 2,200 people, and the adjacent fellowship hall will hold 800. The second floor of the sanctuary will seat 400.

It's quite a facility for a church with such humble beginnings.

The predominantly black church started in 1997 with 210 members who met at House of God International on Georgetown Street, where they still meet for Sunday services.

Since then, it has grown to a membership of 1,500 and has developed a unique mission: to care for members of the church and the community from cradle to grave.

”In these days and times, the church has to address the total person,“ said the Rev. Willis Polk, the founding pastor of the church. ”We enroll the child at conception,“ with prenatal care available for the mother. ”And we want to see them all get their master's degrees.“

The new complex, to be completed in stages, is in part the result of a longtime partnership between Imani and Immanuel Baptist Church on Tates Creek Road.

In 1998 and 1999, Polk met with Craig Loscalzo, pastor of Immanuel. ”He knew about us, we knew about him, and we talked about ways to minister together,“ Polk said.

Since then, the churches have built several Habitat houses, provided Thanksgiving meal baskets to 2,500 people and sponsored a T-ball program at Douglass Park. Imani also will assist Immanuel with its 100th anniversary in February.

And when Imani kicked off its building campaign, Immanuel's leadership contributed $250,000 to the project.

”I have been impressed with Rev. Polk's heart for community and his bridging the gap, doing more than he preaches here and I preach there,“ Loscalzo said. Often when churches talk about getting together, it's once a year on ”race relations Sunday.“

”Churches are always looking to plant other churches,“ Loscalzo said. ”We didn't have an interest in planting another church just like us.“

Under one roof

Polk demurs when asked about the total cost of the new life center, saying that the value of the ministries is far greater than the price tag. He did say that the price of church construction is about $150 a square foot, which would bring the cost of Imani to $18 million, but he said the church is not paying that much.

Imani is designed for use by businesses and organizations, which will pay rental fees. For example, the recent Lexington Legends Boxing Tournament was held in June in Imani's gym. Participants also used the church's locker rooms and showers.

The child-care center could be operated by an outside organization.

The fellowship hall, with its kitchen and top-of-the-line audio-visual and sound systems, will be available to corporations for conferences and dinners.

And the classrooms are designed to be used by the church as well as by other organizations.

The new church will allow the congregation bring all of its programs under one roof.

Sunday services have been held at House of God, and choir practices have been at Highland Baptist Church for four years. Second Presbyterian has housed Imani's pre-school Jump Start program for five years, Immanuel Baptist housed Imani's Youth Achievement program for seven years, and Calvary Baptist has housed Imani's Rites of Passage program for five years.

”I can't think of a time when someone told us "No,'“ he said of other churches' hospitality. ”Now we want to bring them in under one roof. I'm in the process of strengthening those activities before we launch into others.“

Building is just a tool

Polk looks forward to expanding the church's ministry to youths in the new building.

Much of the church's mission to do more for children is reflected in many of the facility's amenities.

On the third level of the building, students will be able to perform music and learn about production techniques and the workings of the music industry.

”Someone made a great contribution,“ Polk said. ”Black kids love music.“

Earlier this month, a summer camp directed by Anthony Jackson and his wife, Andria Holtz Jackson, hosted 40 children.

”The amount of space has given us opportunities we wouldn't have elsewhere,“ said Holtz Jackson, who was pleased that the church could serve camp participants hot lunches.

Imani also hopes to address the health issues of black residents. In addition to sports facilities, the church will boast large aerobics and exercise rooms.

”We're really going to focus on the health issues that plague, particularly, black people,“ Polk said.

But Imani's outreach will continue to extend far beyond its walls.

”People don't realize the scope of the work we do here,“ Polk said. ”When people ask about the building, I look at the ministry.“

Imani's reach is international. An Imani project in Osaka, Japan, is designed to help the Japanese understand the impact of black gospel music. In Uganda, the church supports 22 orphans and sponsors a missionary who has started 90 churches and baptized 12,000 people. Those people receive clothing, school supplies and medicine from Imani. In Ethiopia, families send wood carvings to Imani, which sells them and sends the money back.

Imani's work force is 450 church members, all volunteers.

”I'm the only full-time person employed here,“ Polk said.

Connie Tarver is Imani's volunteer human resources and policy director. These days, she's working 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day as the church sets up its programs.

She thinks the life center will continue to grow.

”Now that we have space for all the programs we want to do, it will attract more members and also people from the community.“

Gene Washington, retired from Texas Instruments in Versailles, lives across the street from the church and opens the building each day so Polk won't have to.

He's an all-purpose volunteer, ”doing whatever needs to be done or that I see needs to be done.“

Washington, a member since its inception, believes in Imani's mission.

”It's a vision that my pastor had of what he wants to do with Imani and the community,“ he said. ”I'm working for him, but first I'm working for God.“

The pastor said passersby attracted by the life center complex stop in daily for a closer look.

”But this is just a tool to do work, and we're interested in the work.“