Young Professionals Form New Ministry in Baltimore

On a dimly lit street in the Madison Park neighborhood of Baltimore, a group of young adults gathered in the unfinished basement of an historic synagogue for the first gathering of Connect Baltimore.

Story by Ryan Lang

Connect Baltimore is the latest installment of a growing nationwide ministry geared toward young adults and professionals pioneered by Rebecca Davis, a pastor in Atlanta. The ministry was birthed out of a desire to bring more awareness to the spiritual needs  of the younger church crowd and to foster unity among young adults in the Baltimore area.

Jasmine Anderson, a member of the Berea church in Baltimore, and one of the founders of Connect Baltimore, has a clear vision for the group. “My hope is that Connect Baltimore will impact how Christian young adults interact with each other and with those who desire a Christian lifestyle,” she says. She, along with another founder Urcille Goddard, a member of the Berea church, are part of the creative team behind Connect Baltimore.

Invitations for this first event were mostly through social media and word-of-mouth. One of its founders, Joshua Kane, also a member of the Berea Temple, welcomed attendees to the event and encouraged people to pray for divine presence and blessing over the group’s first gathering.

Attendees enjoyed fellowship, music and prayer. The latter part of Connect was a hybrid sermon/discussion facilitated by Marquis Johns, assistant pastor of the Metropolitan church in Hyattsville, Md.

“I hope that this movement will not only reach those in Baltimore but in all of the DMV area,” says Anderson.