By Georgine Wallace
Carron Baptist Church has been part of the Southwest faith community for over 50 years. The classic brick church at 1354 First Street SW is the congregation’s fourth location since their inception in 1928. Reverend Peter Spann has served as the pastor of Carron Baptist since 2018. He is married with two children.
A native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Reverend Spann arrived in Washington as a law student at American University. He worked with the Boys and Girls Club of Washington at Ballou High School during this time. Seeing the issues faced by the students inspired him to find ways to serve the community. He was called to the ministry in his third year of law school, graduating from Howard University with a Master of Divinity.
To Spann, having both a law degree and a Master of Divinity gives him a “unique perspective” on faith and social justice, as he knows the importance of faith in action and can take that message to public officials. Growing up, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King was a great influence. One of his guiding principles is a quote from Dr. King: “if you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” This sense of purpose guides the church’s outreach and community service initiatives.
At the end of summer, the church accepts donations of school supplies and backpacks to provide to area children. On Thanksgiving Day and the Saturday prior to Christmas, the church sponsors a special warm dinner for area residents. Last December, Carron collected winter coats and distributed them to residents a few days prior to Christmas. Monetary donations and offers of volunteer assistance are also welcome.
Services are held at 11:00 a.m. every Sunday in person and via Zoom, with a plan to offer the hybrid option for several more months. An hour prior to the service is the Carron Café, a light breakfast for attendees with a small lesson. Reverend Spann refers to it as “Christ, community, and coffee.” Bible school is held via Facebook every Tuesday from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. If you are interested in attending service, contributing to their outreach efforts, or just want additional information about this historic church, their website is https://carronbc.org/.