BORN FROM A BORROWED BAPTISTRY

Our "New Tampa" Baptist Church was born from a borrowed baptistery. In the fall of 1994, Dr. Springfield called the nearest Baptist church to Palms Baptist meeting place in the city Plaza shopping center and begged the afternoon use of the baptistery for five men who had recently made professions of faith. Instead Livingston Avenue Baptist Church leaders urged the Tampa Palms congregation to all come for morning worship and share the sacred ordinance. The two groups agreed to share a covered dish luncheon as well.

They liked each other so much they decided to merge into one new church. Twenty leaders- ten from each church-met six times to work out particulars of the union including budget, constitution, organization, and staff. then on March 12, 1995 both churches approved all terms of the merger, conveyed all property and equipment to the new church, dissolved the old churches and constituted a whole new ministry. The first order of business was to choose a new name. Of thirteen suggestions the three finalist were "Grand Oaks". Northeast", and "New Tampa". The rest is history.