Grier Heights Presbyterian Church

by The Rev. Larry James

Attendees at the MLK seminar at Grier Heights Presbyterian Church. Photo by Rev. Larry James

The Grier Heights Presbyterian Church was organized in 1943 in the city of Charlotte. It began as a Sunday school in the African American community of Grier Heights from which it was named. The ministry began in what is known as the "Big House" where it is still standing and in the possession of the church.

Through the years of urban transitioning in Charlotte, many communities have been gentrified or targeted for gentrification. The Grier Heights community, located within a stone’s throw from Center City Charlotte, is definitely on the radar. Even though the community has recently graduated from the city's Neighborhood Development 10-year project, it remains an unstable community. This instability threatens the life of the community and the church. Thus, this four-church collaboration developed from a conversation that has given life to a major community development mission.

The collaboration consists of four churches, (Grier Heights Presbyterian, Myers Park Presbyterian, Antioch Baptist and Westminster Presbyterian Churches) working together with the Self-Help Realty/Credit Union out of Raleigh, N.C. The four churches have formed a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, CDC (CrossRoads), interfacing with Self-Help to acquire and land bank properties for single-family homeownership. This strategy is designed to reduce the rental rate from 87 percent and increase the rate of homeownership.

The basic thrust of this strategy is being funded through the Myers Park Presbyterian Church Mission Development Ministry and the Self-Help Real Estate/Credit Union. From the outset of our conversations, Myers Park and the Grier Heights Church and community have worked diligently to assure that the voice of the community remains paramount in our goals and objectives. We have also recognized that the holistic approach is necessary in going forward in community development. That means we work at crime reduction, employment stimulus, preparation of renters for homeownership, children and youth education and relationship building venues.

We have learned and are yet learning that we must continue to deconstruct cultural, racial and economic barriers if we are to truly experience a beloved community. We have been intentional in doing things together, i.e. book reading and discussion, worship and a recent Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. seminar. We also believe that we are on a path that only God could have ordained. Even in a time of horrific economic downturn, we believe that God is doing mighty and powerful things and will continue if we are diligent in following where God leads.