Community joins Tabitha Baptist Church for pocket park dedication in historic area
A church is celebrating the opening of its new "pocket park" in Oklahoma City's historic Edwards Addition.
The small park, called Tabitha Community Park, is by property along Page Avenue at NE 11 and NE 12 that is owned by the Tabitha Baptist Church. It was recently dedicated with much fanfare, as individuals and groups who brought the park project to fruition celebrated together.
The church at 1219 NE Grand Blvd received a grant from the Lynn Institute to develop the park for the enjoyment of the house of worship and the surrounding neighborhood. The Lynn Institute received the $15,000 grant from the Oklahoma City Community Foundation and the foundation's Parks & Public Space Initiative. Lynn Institute leaders said the grant allowed them to partner with the church to create the park destined to meet the health, cultural and recreational needs of residents in the Carverdale, Edwards and Garden Oaks neighborhoods in northeast Oklahoma City.
Leaders of the organizations that helped make the park a reality spoke at the dedication and celebration in late June, with Beverly Glover, a Tabitha Baptist member and former broadcast journalist, serving as mistress of ceremonies.
The Rev. Jeff Mitchell, Tabitha's senior pastor, thanked community members and leaders for helping the church celebrate the park's completion. He said park dedication marked a "momentous day" for both the church and the community.
"This has long been dreamed of and prayed over and envisioned, and today, it becomes a reality," Mitchell said.
"We've often thought about and wondered what it would be like to have this space here as a form of ministry, as a form of helping in a place of serenity and peace for the members of this community. We've thought about how great that would be and what what a wonderful blessing that would be to the life of this neighborhood."
Other speakers included Steve Petty, Lynn Institute president and chief executive officer; Oklahoma City Councilwoman Nikki Nice, whose Ward 7 encompasses the church and park; Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt; Lisa Synar, Oklahoma City Beautiful executive director; Bob Ross, president and chief executive officer of the the Inasmuch Foundation; and Sen. George Young, among others.
Lynn Institute leaders said their organization is committed to creating and sustaining healthy communities, particularly in vulnerable and underserved areas of Oklahoma. The organization, along with Tabitha Baptist Church, hope to see student learning opportunities, family activities, entertainment activities, arts events, recreational fun and health screenings among the activities offered at the park.
Tabitha Baptist Church and the new park are located in the historically African American Edwards Addition. The neighborhood is historic because it was developed by African American developers Walter J. and Frances Edwards for the specific purpose of opening up opportunities for quality housing to Oklahoma City African Americans during and after World War II. The pair successfully overcame the racist barriers of Jim Crow that were designed to keep such housing out of reach for African Americans. The Edwards' home in the housing addition is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Councilwoman Nice said it was the first Oklahoma City housing addition built by and for African Americans.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Community celebrates opening of Tabitha Community Park in historic area
