DATE: Thursday, October 2, 1997             TAG: 9710010189

SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS         PAGE: 11   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY JOAN C. STANUS, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   99 lines

OCEAN VIEW BAPTIST CELEBRATING 90TH YEAR

As the wooden roller coaster rumbled over head, pool players chalked cue sticks in quiet contemplation of their next move.

A few feet away, a small group of Ocean View residents sang Baptist hymns and prayed.

It went on that way for weeks - the worshipers sharing space with the pool players each Sunday morning. The year was 1907, and with no other established church in Norfolk's burgeoning Bayfront community, the worshipers soon outnumbered the pool players.

The unlikely roommates didn't share quarters for long. After only a few months, the old Ocean View Amusement Park pool room was destroyed by fire. The organ and hymnals burned along with the pool table and cue sticks.

But like a phoenix rising from the ashes, those charter members of Ocean View Baptist Church took the tragedy as a sign of a new beginning. Several even mortgaged their homes so they could secure a building loan and purchase property near Granby Street. A year later, at a cost of $2,000, the area's first church, dubbed ``The Little Brown Church,'' was completed.

Now, 90 years later, the parishioners of today's still thriving Ocean View Baptist Church are celebrating that colorful pool-hall past Sunday with several special events. A commemorative worship service will be held at 11 a.m., followed by a noon Sunday dinner.

Then, at 2 p.m., parishioners will perform a multimedia ``drama/musical'' retrospective, titled ``From the Pool Table to the Pulpit,'' in the church sanctuary, at Wells Parkway and Government Avenue.

Musician Lynne Henderson, who plays piano at the church, put the hour-long production of songs, skits and recitations together. The minister of music, Kinnie Dunnavant, directs.

In addition to the pool-hall beginnings, the show will spotlight the church's move to Pinewell during the 1930s, its various pastors, its youth revivals, ``bus ministries,'' outreach programs, membership decline during the '80s and current revitalization.

For the church's present leadership, the piece sends a message that a ``new beginning'' has arrived for the congregation, again experiencing phenomenal growth.

``Where we've been is important, but where we're going is even more exciting,'' noted the Rev. David N. Clay, the congregation's current pastor. ``We're the fastest growing congregation in Norfolk.

``Last year, we had a 9 percent increase in Sunday School attendance alone. This is really a church that has turned itself around and is moving in the right direction. We want to be THE Southern Baptist church in Norfolk . . . the center of this community's life. And I believe that is where God has put us.''

Rob Edwards, the newly appointed minister of education, echoed that vision. ``We're definitely a seven-day-a-week ministry,'' he explained.

During the last five years, under the leadership of the 42-year-old Clay, who has a doctorate in marketing, the church has implemented dramatic changes to help attract the growing numbers of young families in nearby neighborhoods. A $300,000 renovation and building expansion has been undertaken. The worship service has been reconfigured to add contemporary elements. A Christian primary school, fine arts curriculum and after-school program have been established, and an existing day care program expanded.

The number of community and support groups using the church to meet - from Girl Scouts to Alcoholics Anonymous - has also increased.

``We're involved in community issues,'' noted Edwards. ``This is a needs-based ministry, one that seeks to meet the needs of the community we serve.''

Perhaps the most noticeable changes in recent years has been the Sunday morning worship services. The massive pulpit has been removed and a less formal, ``more open and inviting'' one brought to the sanctuary front. The organ and piano were moved out of a pit and closer to the congregation. The choir loft has been elevated, and elaborately decorated banners appear each week to help communicate the daily lesson. Contemporary Christian music, conversational preaching and signing were included in the worship service, as well.

Recently, a new sound system was installed in the sanctuary.

``We've blended the elements of a traditional service with those of a contemporary service,'' noted Clay. ``We're working to enhance communication in all forms . . . to get our message and the word of God out in the most effective way to our parishioners. I admit the change has not been easy for many people. Change is always difficult. But where there is no vision, you perish.''

With a 90-year legacy, the current congregation of 812 is not about to let that happen. The membership is already scouting nearby property for expansion. As increasing numbers of families join the congregation each week, the rush is on to find additional room to house them and, especially, park their cars.

The enthusiastic, largely young ministerial staff, seems posed for the growth.

``The renovation and reclamation of Ocean View, the community, directly parallels the reclamation and restoration of this church,'' noted Clay. ``The community is growing and changing . . . as are we.

``On our steeple is a lighthouse, which has been our symbol since the beginning. It's really a metaphor that has stayed with the church. It says to the community that Ocean View Baptist has been, and will continue to be, a beacon of light for residents. That's our mission . . . and that's what we're dedicated to doing.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo at left by NHAT MEYER

LEFT: The Rev. David Clay, far left, is pastor and Rob Edwards,

minister of education.

RIGHT: Kinnie Dunnavant is minister of music.

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