New parking lot among big plans for King Solomon, pastor says

King Solomon Missionary Baptist Church has its own miracle story of surviving a flood.

Not only has the church at 1280 West 11th St. rebuilt after a calamity, now it is looking to expand.

The church, which was founded May 31, 1953 as one of the first predominantly African-American organizations in Benicia, experienced a major flood — not once but twice.

The first happened Oct. 4, 2007, the result of a city sewer backup. The same thing happened again in August 2008.

Knee-deep raw sewage poured into the length and width of building — with a noteworthy exception. The floods stopped at the door of the church’s sanctuary, said the church’s current pastor, Kevin Armstrong.

But while the sanctuary was spared, the building was declared uninhabitable, and couldn’t be used. And in the three years the church rented worsip service space across the street at Benicia High School, the congregation waned.

Though Benicia assumed liability for the damage, the two parties disagreed for months about the cost of repairs, finally settling in early 2010.

The result of that settlement is a reconditioned building with a new office for its pastor, a dining hall named for founding pastor Willie Floyd, and other amenities, including a new kitchen.

Floyd became ill during the construction, Armstrong said. “His prayer was to live long enough to march to the building.”

He lived long enough to participate in a Sept. 10, 2010, homecoming march, but died a few weeks later. “He was here more than 50 years, and did a wonderful job leading,” Armstrong said.

Deacons led the the congregation during a search for a new pastor, selecting Armstrong, who at the time was leading Grace Baptist Church in Vallejo, one of the few that had helped the Benicia church during its hardships.

“My first Sunday here was Father’s Day 2012,” Armstrong said. Attendance and membership had dropped to about 80 to 90 by then, he said, though those who remained gave the new minister “a smooth transition” to their pulpit.

Shortly after his arrival, however, the church found out its roof was leaking and had to borrow $30,000 for those repairs. Determined to rid itself of the debt before two years had passed, church members accomplished the payback in about 18 months, Armstrong said.

They’ve also improved their building’s heating and air conditioning.

Along the way, the church’s membership has strengthened, too — more than doubling, to 200.

“It’s a group of loving, hard-working people,” Armstrong said. The congregation has grown more diverse, too, attracting members who are Caucasian and Hispanic.

Now members are dreaming of expanding their worship center — starting with their parking lot, Armstrong said.

Working with city employees, the church received permission to plan its new parking lot based on the dream of expanding the building, not based on its current size.

The new lot will have 54 spaces — 35 for regular-sized vehicles, 16 for compact cars and three for handicapped drivers’ vehicles.

“I have never seen a city work with us like Benicia has worked with us,” Armstrong said. “The city has been working very hard.”

Outside the building at the moment are hills of black fill, a donation from a contracting company that will save the church $18,000 in expenses.

The drive in front of the church will be redone, in particular to accommodate those who drop off elderly or infirm parishioners before finding a parking space. The new design and expansion is expected to improve safety as well as give individual motorists more room to maneuver, Armstrong said.

He pointed out that King Solomon Missionary Baptist Church is a busy place. Its proximity to the high school, as well as its past presence there, has created a good relationship with students and parents from the school, he said.

Parents often use the church’s parking lot as a place to wait for their children, and the doors are open so they can enter the building. Armstrong said this is particularly helpful to parents who have younger children with them as they wait for the older children to join them.

For years, King Solomon has been known for its choirs and music, and that hasn’t changed, Armstrong said.

Led by music director Chantel Williams-Morgan, the church’s primary choir participated in the local Easter chorale last year, and its male chorus sings traditional songs in harmonious quartets. The young adult choir, meanwhile, sings contemporary music, and the inspirational adult choir has a blended repertoire.

The church’s youth ministries, led by youth director Gaynelle Randolph, a teacher in the Vallejo school system, has several specialized organizations for young people, Armstrong said, and each year the church has a summer Vacation Bible School.

He said the church seeks to reach out to youth with those specific programs, as well as through other ministries to mothers and women, particularly by older women who have had experience dealing with challenges the younger ones may be facing for the first time.

Armstrong himself has attended meetings with city officials and leaders of other churches, and he said Benicia is like many other cities, with many of the same youth problems.

The difference, he said, is that Benicia’s youth troubles are hidden — which has led some to believe the city has no such challenges.

“We went to a meeting at Benicia High School,” he recalled. “Someone said, ‘We don’t have a drug problem.’ A girl surprised the audience with her reply to that statement: ‘I can get any drug, and I don’t have to leave campus.’”

Rain or shine, the church’s hospitality ministry’s greeters welcome visitors to worship and give them a hospitality packet. Ushers get training, too. Other volunteers visit the sick, elderly or homebound.

Trustees, the ministerial staff and teachers participate in leading a 7 p.m. Wednesday Bible study, Friday noonday prayers, a 9:30 a.m. Sunday School and 11 a.m. Sunday worship.

King Solomon Missionary Baptist is, indeed, a busy place.

“God has blessed us,” Armstrong said. “All our land and property is paid for.”

The pastor said that even with the church’s big plans, the congregation will strive to keep it that way.

In fact, he said, they’re already setting money aside to address the parking lot and future building expansion.

“I’m a numbers person,” Armstrong said. “Our tithes and offerings have increased.” He said church members already have raised $45,000 toward the new projects. “That’s amazing.”

The building expansion, which will be on surrounding land the church already owns, is projected to cost $900,000. He said among the new services he expects the church to offer is day care, because some parents in Benicia have had to take their children to day care in Vallejo or Fairfield before they go to work, then must stop in those cities before they can come home.

“We try to be community-oriented,” he said. “If the community doesn’t know we exist, what is our purpose? The church is to be here for the community. And we hope in the next two years to do more.”

The church is determined to move forward on its expansion the same way it has in addressing other projects. “God will make a way,” Armstrong said. “Our prayer is that we will be debt free.”

King Solomon Missionary Baptist Church’s parking lot groundbreaking ceremony will be at 2 p.m. Aug. 17 at the church, 1280 W. 11th St.