An anonymous donor paid off the historic Baptist church’s $4 million mortgage in January
Blessings come in different ways, and for one Pennsylvania church, it came as an anonymous donation to pay its $4 million mortgage.
Pastor Richard Dent of the First African Baptist Church in Sharon Hill, Pa., said the church got a call in January from Citizens Bank, saying, “You're free of your mortgage,” according to a Fox 29 news report. The call said the church’s $4 million mortgage was paid in full by an anonymous donor.
“This is a blessing,” Dent told Fox 29. “It's unexpected, but we just can't stop giving. We just gave the Lord the credit. This could not have been done without Him.”
The pastor showed a burnt piece of paper – the mortgage – and said “We burned it in front of everybody.”
With mortgage now out of the picture, the church told Fox 29 its money can be spent on other upgrades such as new vans to transport church members to their doctor’s appointments.
The First African Baptist Church has been a staple in the Pennsylvanian town since 1903.
“In the black community, the church is the only thing we ever had to call our own,” Dent said. “When we couldn't go to Civic Center or Union League, we always had the church. It is here where our children learn how to speak, how to stand before audiences.”
