Rising Sun Baptist Church on 745 South 12th Street is full of life despite the cold and rainy weather on a Sunday afternoon. One member of the church who rarely misses a service is Deacon Andrew Brown. He has been involved with Rising Sun since 1950 when it was located on 323-325 Washington Avenue. In 1967, the church had to find a new location due to the city's plan to build a highway. The City of Philadelphia purchased a portion of the church's property, and the General Electric company bought another portion.
Brown found the new location on South 12th Street, and went to negotiate the cost with previous owners. It cost 125,000 dollars. Rising Sun could not afford the cost of the new church. The owners went down to 90,000 dollars. Brown refused the offer yet again. It was still too high. He says he took out a piece of paper, wrote down his offer and handed it over.
"God is good. The Holy Spirit is excellent... They gave me the keys and the deed. No one believes that this property cost 65,000 dollars," says Brown.
Deacon Brown is a board member of the church, and attends services approximately four days a week. He has seen the neighborhood change drastically over the years, and he hopes to be around for many more.
Stephanie Wharton and Danielle Zimmerman, Group 34, South Philadelphia
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