HOW IT ALL BEGAN...
The first fellowship meeting of those who desired to start a Southern Baptist church in Minnesota was in a home on January 8, 1956, followed by the first service in a Minneapolis YMCA building in April of that same year. Sixteen people attended this service and chose the original name of Tabernacle Baptist Church. That September the first pastor, Warren Littleford, and his family arrived on the field. The church was constituted on September 24, 1956. In May 1957 ten acres of land at 2600 West 82nd Street was purchased. The Ground Breaking Service was held on September 14, 1958 with 95 people present. Southtown Shopping Center was to be built around the same time period so the name Tabernacle Baptist was changed to Southtown Baptist, associating it with its location. Through the years, Southtown went on to start over a dozen new churches in Minnesota and experienced enough growth to expand the church building in 2008-2009. Southtown Church is home to people from 17 different nations, represented in the flags hung in the main hallway. This diverse congregation is a beautiful representation of the church in Acts 2. |