Miracle at 509 Defence Highway

Ed Beard - former BIMI Reseeding America Missionary

A note from Bob Larson, USA Director of BIMI: Several years ago, God placed the vision of a new church in Annapolis, Maryland, on the hearts of BIMI Reseeding America missionaries Ed and Mary Beard. Their sending church is Patuxent Baptist Church in Great Mills, Maryland, where Rick Conner is the pastor. Freestate Baptist Church has been in rented facilities for years. However, this past year God opened a door and blessed their ministry by giving them a debt-free church building, house, and land in Annapolis. This church plant is now self-supporting and Ed and Mary have come off all missionary support. To God be the glory!

“How do you know Annapolis is the place?” This question was often asked while my family and I were preparing to start Freestate Baptist Church. I simply replied, “God somehow gives you the calm assurance in your heart and mind for what and where He wants you.” Of course, much prayer and counsel took place, but when God’s will is clear, it will not go away. So, in November 2014 after nearly three years of deputation, we started Freestate Baptist Church in Annapolis, Maryland.

Very little Gospel witness was in Annapolis. The few churches that someone would think were carrying out the Great Commission were a disappointment. I had someone tell me, “Annapolis is a graveyard for Baptist preachers.” Not very encouraging but again when one knows what task God has given, one must pursue it no matter what. Therefore, we did and we still are!

There is a lot of preparation to start a church. Apart from the financial and legal aspects, there are the practical things that need to be addressed and the social part that really is the main reason we do this—to reach people! God had us cross paths with a lot of people at the onset of Freestate. They were not just salvation and member prospects from the area but also others whom God would use to help us even ten years later. Regarding the practical things in starting a church, some are more easily accomplished than others. Having tracts and literature printed is an easy thing. Finding a place to meet, however, is not always easy.

Many months before we started the church, we began the process of securing a meeting place. This was very trying to say the least. There were plenty of places but they were out of our price range, or it was not conducive for church use, or much work needed to be done to satisfy the county for use and occupancy. What were we to do? We were getting close to Opening Day. I started to pray from a specific list. “Lord, will you give us a church building, a storefront, a warehouse space, or an empty house? Lord, even a conference room, an outside pavilion, or a tent? Anything! Now we were at the point of, Lord, help thou mine unbelief. We had been working with a real estate agent to find a place, when one day she informed us of 3300 square feet of commercial space in a small office building. We drove past this place a dozen times but never noticed it. Obviously, God kept it from us until now. Just another way to build our faith. It is as the song says, “When He’s four days late, He’s right on time!” With some renovation and tender loving care, God allowed us to fix it up quite nicely. Although it did not look “churchy” from the outside, the inside was as “churchy” as a place could be.

God is so good! He came through by providing this place for us, but the really huge blessing was the rent. The first year was $2,800 a month. For the next nine years, it was $2,880 a month. The significance of this is that you do not get 3300 square feet of commercial space in Annapolis for that low of a price unless God says you do!

Now, this article is supposed to be about the miracle at 509 Defense Highway. With all that has been reported so far, I believe it was necessary to tell of the first miracle at 1623 Forest Drive and how it led to our obtaining the property across town ten years later. As we were working to see God build our church, there was one factor looming over us regarding our building. The property we were renting was only available for five to seven years. Eventually it was to be taken down for a construction project. I did not dwell on that too much at first, but after seven years, I thought it was best to get our church praying for another place to meet.

As mentioned earlier, God had us cross paths with people along the way. Not long after we started the church, I learned of a small Baptist church across town. After contacting the pastor, my wife and I met with him and his wife and established a friendship with them. For whatever reason, this church was in decline. This pastor was getting up in years and evidently, he had not prepared for the future of his church.

But God was preparing something big for Freestate. On one occasion, I met with my friend and reminded him of our building situation. I asked him to keep us in mind when the time came for him to retire. His reply was encouraging. He told me, “I have already been thinking about you and your church. I know you need a building and what members are left here need a church. It almost seems as if God is bringing these two together.” God was already at work in this.

However, most things do not come without an effort on our part. I quickly found out things were not quite in order at this church. When the time came to move toward coming together, it was met with opposition. Not long after this, I received a call from someone whom my pastor friend had appointed to handle the business of this church. Somehow, it was assumed I wanted to candidate to pastor this church. That was not the case at all. My proposal was to merge this church into Freestate. After meeting with the few members who were left to discuss it and to submit my proposal, they met and decided to reject it. So, feeling God had shut the door on this, we as a church just kept praying.

A few months later, I learned this church had called a new pastor. Now the man handling the business for this church, for some reason, would not give me the new pastor’s contact information. I wanted to meet him and welcome him to the area. I decided to make a cold call and visit him at the parsonage on their property. This new pastor and I hit it off right away. I asked him how the church was doing? The news was not good.

Outside leadership is not the way a church is to be managed. Women are not to usurp authority over men. The pastor is the one to lead the church. These were just a few things out of order. This new pastor was trying to do things right, but it seemed like he was met with adversity on every side. He inherited a mess. Then things took a turn.

My new friend had to return to Florida to undergo serious back surgery. He did not know what to do about leaving the church. He talked about a merger with us or closing it altogether. He had mentioned this a few times before. I then told him my desire was to take the remaining members into Freestate so they could have a church, and the church could have a building all under the umbrella of Freestate Baptist Church. Through prayer, and counsel from others, it was recommended he take a medical sabbatical and appoint me as the moderator. With the uncertainty of the outcome of his surgery, we soon realized this was God’s way of bringing this all together.

With the now four remaining members, we began meeting in their building to move this process along. I instructed our church not to focus on the building aspect as much as people having church the way they should. During this process though, we began to learn of other motives and interests these folks had for “their” property. After obtaining legal counsel, and of course much prayer for God to do what was right for “His” property, these last few members finally realized the best and only option was to gift the property and all assets to Freestate Baptist Church. In April of 2024, 509 Defense Highway in Annapolis, Maryland, became the property of Freestate Baptist Church. God is AWESOME!

As mentioned previously, there were the doubts, uncertainty, and discouraging comments such as “You will never afford a church building in Annapolis.” Let us stop right there. We did not have to afford anything. When God says He will meet the needs of His people and His work, He means it. In closing, I would like to say to those of you reading this article, keep pressing onward and looking upward! We do not start something just to end up quitting. We do not go to a place just to turn around and leave. God has us in the place where He wants to do a work through us . . . for Him. Every ministry will not receive a debt-free, 3.6 acre property with a church building and parsonage the way we did, but every ministry has the same great God Who is still in the business of performing miracles! May God bless you greatly as you stay faithful to Him!

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